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sustainNU Events

Current and Upcoming Events 

Earth Month 2024

sustainNU invites you to join us in celebration of Earth Month! During the month of 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 to the Earth Month page leading up to April. Check here to learn how Northwestern is celebrating this year.


Annual Events

We plan campus-wide events and activities to encourage enthusiasm for environmental issues and grow our sustainable campus community.

Wildcat Welcome

img_8007.jpgEach fall, the sustainNU crew helps incoming students move in and properly recycle cardboard boxes. sustainNU is also present at resource and activities fairs throughout orientation to educate incoming students about the importance of sustainability. In 2015, we partnered with New Student and Family Programs and Athletics to make three Wildcat Welcome events zero-waste.

Graduate students can catch us during Wildcat Welcome at the New Graduate Student Resource Fair.

 

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Game Day Challenge

Although we love cheering on the Wildcats at home football games, we also know it produces a lot of waste. Since 2010, we’ve competed in the Recyclemania Game Day Challenge – a national competition among colleges and universities to promote waste reduction at football games.

Earth Hour

Earth Hour is an annual global initiative to raise awareness about climate change and to demonstrate that in working together, we can make a difference. For one Saturday in March (usually over spring break), individuals, businesses, landmarks, and organizations are asked to voluntarily turn off their lights and other unneeded electronic items to reduce energy consumption. Northwestern asks staff and faculty members to be extra diligent before leaving work for that weekend and shut down lights, computers, printers, copiers, and unplug unneeded electrical items (chargers, lamps, coffee machines, microwaves, power strips, etc.).

 

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Earth Month

Northwestern celebrates Earth Month throughout April with opportunities to learn, volunteer, and have fun. Check out the Earth Month page to learn more about how Northwestern is celebrating this year.

Bike2Campus and Bike to Work Weeks

Northwestern promotes alternative transportation and healthy lifestyles by taking part in Bike2Campus Week, which is a competition between Chicago-area universities to achieve the most bike rides, and the Bike to Work Challenge every June, where the Northwestern community competes against other local institutions to log the most biking trips for a week. Read about Northwestern's Bike to Work Challenge wins here.

Move Out

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The annual “Take it or Leave it” Program, offered during move-out each year, is an on-cam

pus opportunity to donate unwanted items to charity. During move-out a lot of additional trash is generated; in fact every year, "Take it or Leave it" donates nearly 10,000 lbs of reusables. sustainNU conducts the annual clothing and food drive in all residence halls with an additional collection location at Henry Crown Sports Pavilion (SPAC).

Boxes for "Take it or Leave it" are placed in the lobby/entry of each location—one for clothing/linens/small household items and one for nonperishable food. Boxes will be emptied throughout the program and items will be donated to local charities.