Earth Month 2024
sustainNU invites you to join us in celebration of Earth Month! Throughout April, you can reduce your impact, connect to our planet, and be a part of a collective celebration of Earth. Northwestern has participated in Earth Day since the 1970s. We are excited to continue this tradition in 2024! Events will be posted here leading up to April. Check back to learn how Northwestern is celebrating this year.
Make sure you don’t miss any events by subscribing to the sustainNU newsletter here.
Why Pollinators Matter & What You Can Do
When: Tuesday, April 2, 12pm - 1pm (Registration Required)
Where: Norris, Evans Room 1-173
Pollinators are critical to nearly all of earth's ecosystems. Join Jackie Fitzgerald, PhD Candidate in Plant Biology and Conservation, and Sarah White, Northwestern Campus Planner, to learn about pollinators, the threats they face, and what you can do to help preserve these important creatures.
Actions for Earth: Art, Care & Ecology - A Curated Earth Month Tour
When: Wednesday, April 17, 4-5pm (Registration Required)
Where: The Block Museum; 40 Arts Circle Drive
Join sustainNU and the Block Museum for a guided tour of the current exhibition, Actions for Earth: Art, Care & Ecology. This collection invites participation in creative practices that highlight the connection between people and the complex ecosystems in which we exist.
Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine Fair: Where Creativity and Environmentalism Intersect
When: Wednesday, April 24, 11am – 1pm
Where: Norris, Louis Room
Join sustainNU and Norris for our Earth Month Fair featuring campus sustainability, ways to get involved, and an Arts and Crafts Market with local artists. This event is free and open to the public!
Arbor Day Evanston Campus Tree Planting
When: Friday, April 26, Time & 10am – 2pm (2 shifts; Registration Required)
Where: Evanston Campus
Leave your mark on campus by planting a tree! Join sustainNU and the Northwestern Grounds Crew for one of 2 tree planting shifts.
Other Northwestern & Community Events
Kellogg Climate Conference 2024
When: Wednesday, April 10, 8:30am - 5pm
Where: Kellogg Global Hub, 2211 Campus Drive
Co-sponsored by the Kellogg School of Management and the Trienens Institute, the Kellogg Climate Conference provides a unique platform to engage with current business leaders in discussions about how companies and industries can effectively adapt to pressing sustainability needs. This year's theme is "Leading the Charge: Redefining Business Strategy for a Changing Climate," which stems from the $1.3 trillion that climate change is likely going to cost businesses over the next three years and from the necessity for every business leader to be equipped to advocate for strategic decisions that better our planet and their bottom line.
Evanston Environmental Justice Conversation Series
When: Saturday, April 13, 1pm – 3pm
Where: Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster Street, Evanston
Creative Reuse: Art Tiles with the Evanston Rebuilding Exchange
When: Sunday, April 14, 10:30am -12:30pm
Where: 1245 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston
Join local artist Lisa Plefka Haskin in upcycling reclaimed ceramic tiles into beautiful pieces suitable for hanging on your wall, using as coasters or brightening up any space. Sign up here
Sustainable Menstruation Education with CARE and MEA
When: Thursday, April 18, 6pm – 7pm
Where: Location available upon registration
Join CARE and Northwestern’s Menstrual Equity Activists (MEA) for a night of education around the menstrual cycle, period poverty, the environmental impact of period products, and the use of sustainable period products on a college campus. Attendees will receive their choice of a free menstrual cup, disc, or pair of underwear. As always, attendees of all genders are welcome!
How to Know the Wild Flowers - A Play
When: Friday, April 19 - Sunday, April 28th (show times posted here)
Where: Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive
This multi-disciplinary play is inspired by the first field guide for flowers in America called How to Know the Wild Flowers by Mrs. William Starr Dana. An exploration of grief, this piece depicts the healing powers of connecting to the natural world.
City of Evanston's Main-Dempster Mile Earth Day Clean-up
When: Saturday, April 20, 11am – 1pm
Where: Check-in locations included in email updates for registrants
Contribute to a cleaner environment in Evanston during this year's Earth Day Clean-up event! Supplies will be provided, including trash bags, gloves, and a route map for you or your group.
Northwestern Spring Pow Wow: Honoring the Water
When: Saturday, April 27, 11am – 5pm
Where: Welsh Ryan Arena, 2705 Ashland Ave, Evanston
A Pow Wow is a family-friendly, intergenerational cultural celebration held by many Native and Indigenous communities. This event, hosted by the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance, is open to all and is a space for Native and non-Native people to gather together to dance, eat, socialize, share art, be in community, and much more.
Scraptacular Chicago with the Rebuilding Exchange
When: Saturday, April 30, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: 1740 W Webster Ave, Chicago
A “Scraptacular” is a free-building event where participants choose from warehouse donation scraps of wood, metal, tile, glass and more to create whatever the materials inspire. Get creative and give new life to scrap materials!