Earth Week at UT Dallas

Lilian Le and Alex Charles attended last year's Earth Fair. This year's fair will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday on the Student Union Mall.

The UT Dallas community will highlight environmental and sustainability issues, from recycling to gardening, during its fifth annual Earth Week activities April 18-22.

Earth Fair, the week’s largest event, will feature 41 booths and activities from student organizations, campus departments and community agencies from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday on the Student Union Mall.

“Thanks to the growing interest in and ongoing support of UTD’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, what started as a single-day celebration of Earth Day has evolved into a robust weeklong celebration, education and service focused on environmental conservation, protection and sustainability,” said Monalisa Amidar MA'15, assistant director of the Office of Student Volunteerism (OSV).

“We look forward to continuing our conversation with students, staff and faculty about environmental challenges facing our campus and larger community, to share ways to improve our personal ecological footprint and to help strengthen our commitment to innovate in ways that best support our planet.”

The OSV organizes Earth Week events along with Facilities Management’s Sustainability department. Students in organizations that include Student Government and the Sustainability Club also have shared in planning activities for the week.  

A new event this year is Recycle-Rama, where students can pick up a free recycling bin and learn what items can be recycled on campus. Students also can design a recycling bin for a friend. The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at Residence Hall North. 

A Pop Up Farmers' Market from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Plinth will tie in to Earth Week with fresh treats, cooking demonstrations by UT Dallas Dining, recipes and food for purchase. 

A panel of five UT Dallas faculty members will talk about their research and interests connected to sustainability and environmentalism from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Clark Center.  

A free screening of Can You Dig This, a film that explores the urban gardening movement taking root in south Los Angeles, will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Galaxy Room C. The film follows the journeys of four gardeners who are planting to transform their neighborhoods.

earth-week

Registration is required for some Earth Week events. A list of activities sponsored by the Office of Student Volunteerism is posted on the Earth Week site. For more information or to register, call 972-883-6393 or email volunteer@utdallas.edu.

“We have sustainability operations in Facilities Management on campus year-round, from co-mingled recycling, to conserving energy, and building green buildings. Earth Week allows us to step out of our normal routine to share these environmental accomplishments with our students,” said Thea Junt, associate director of energy conservation and sustainability.

E-Waste Roundup volunteers will accept and recycle personal electronic items such as printers, cellphones and computer monitors. Items may be dropped off at Lot Q from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

Students can purchase surplus CDs for 50 cents from Radio UTD at a CD Drive, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Plinth. Proceeds will go to Comet Cupboard, which provides food items to students in need.

A Master Gardener will teach students how to plant vegetables and care for the land in a free workshop from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday at the Community Garden.

Off-campus activities on Tuesday will include Urban Tree Farm Cleanup at Texas Trees Foundation from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup on a stretch of the Bush Turnpike between Coit and Alma roads from 2 to 4 p.m.