UMass System Earth Week Activities:
We are sharing events (mostly virtual) taking place throughout the UMass System (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, Medical School) during Earth Week (April 19-27). If you have an event you'd like posted here, please send an email to esmall@umass.edu.
All events listed are open to all members of all campus communities.
Monday, April 19
12:00 pm - UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG Earth Week Campaign Action Blocks!: Join MASSPIRG in our campaign action where we’ll reach out to our local legislators through phone banking, emailing, and social media about cosponsoring the 100% Clean Act! We’ll be hosting 2 separate blocks, so join us whenever works best for you. Zoom Link Here.
2:00 pm - Sustainable Recipe Event with UMass Amherst MASSPIRG: Featuring Emily Jorgenson and Derek Gilmore. Registration Link Here.
5:00 pm - Meditation Event with UMass Amherst Sunrise: Join UMass’s Sunrise and Meditation clubs in our Earth Week kick-off event! Join us for a meditation and discussion around the earth, climate crisis, and our connection to the natural world. We hope you can join us for this exciting event! Registration Link Here.
7:00 pm - Film screening of "DamNation" with UMass Dartmouth and UMass Amherst: Join UMass Dartmouth and UMass Amherst School of Earth & Sustainability (SES) professor in Environmental Conservation Timothy Randhir as we screen the 2014 documentary "DamNation: The Problem with Hydropower". Registration Link Here.
7:00 pm - Film screening of "Entangled" with UMass Boston: Join Filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Abel, and UMB McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies Dean David Cash for a screening of the 2020 documentary "Entangled" followed by a question and answer session with local whale experts.. Registration Link Here.
Tuesday, April 20
4:00 pm - Break Free From Plastics Campaign Scavenger Hunt with UMass Amherst MASSPIRG: Learn about plastics in a fun way! Registration Link Here.
4:00 pm - Portable Memories in Rising Seas at UMass Boston: Fifty-Fifty art collective’s multimedia project Portable Memories in Rising Seas, hosted by the UMB Sustainable Solutions Lab and the Climigration Network, is an opportunity to reflect on our relationships to the places we call home in the context of climate change and sea level rise. More info and Registration Link Here.
5:30 pm - Climate Solutions Simulator Event with UMass Amherst MASSPIRG and Citizens Climate Lobby: Join this fun and informative event using EnRoads with the Citizen's Climate Lobby! Registration Link Here.
7:00 pm - Movie Night with UMass Amherst Sunrise: Join UMass Sunrise in watching the movie The Lorax. It’s not only a cute, entertaining film but also reminds us of the importance of protecting our planet! Registration Link Here.
7:00 pm - Kahoot & Trivia Night with UMass Amherst MASSPIRG: Join MASSPIRG to learn more about renewable energy and sustainability. Registration Link Here.
Wednesday, April 21
10:00 am - 6:00 pm - Campus Clean-Up! Join UMass Amherst MASSPIRG, Sunrise and the Student Government Association from wherever you live to clean up our wonderful Earth and communities. This happens in 2 hour segments from 10am-6pm on Wednesday April 21st! If you are at UMass Amherst, gloves and bags will be provided by UMass Environmental Health & Safety and Physical Plant. Registration Link Here. Zoom event at 10 am will brief participants on safety and where to get your supplies.
12:00 pm - UMass Sustainability Panel/Kahoot: Hosted by UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG. Meet the UMass System’s Sustainability Council through a fun game of Kahoot and an open Q&A session. Registration Link Here.
12:00 pm - UMass Boston Environmental Career Fair: Discussion with Professionals in the Field: Representatives from several environmental professions will talk about their environmental work and career path during a panel discussion. Students and alumni are invited to ask questions in breakout rooms following the panel discussion. Registration Link Here.
12:00 pm - The Untold Story of the World's Leading Environmental Institution with UMass Boston: Join Host Steve Curwood of the public radio show and podcast Living on Earth and the UMB McCormack Graduate School for a conversation with author Maria Ivanova about the past, present, and possible future of UNEP, with an introduction from Christiana Figueres. More Info and Registraton Link Here.
1:00 pm - Environmental LTE Writing Block with UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG: Write your own letters to the editor with MASSPIRG about Earth Day and everything surrounding the environment! Maybe you’ll see your name in the next newspaper publishing! Zoom Link Here.
1:30 pm - Waste Not: Reducing Your Waste Impact @UMass during Covid Dive into this trashy topic with Laurie Simmons, UMass Amherst Sustainability Coordinator for Residence Life. Bring your last dining to-go meal bag (everything but the food that’s in your belly!) for a fun and interacti & Why it Matters: For anyone that lives, works, or eats on campus, this session is for you. Why does waste matter and how does it contribute to global warming? What does Covid have to do with any of this?ve sort session complete with prizes. Whether you are a seasoned sorter or recycling newbie, I guarantee you will learn something new! Registration Link Here.
7:00 pm - Film Screening of "Human Element" with Citizens Climate Lobby: This 2019 documentary highlights Americans who are on the front lines of climate change and invites us to re-evaluate our relationship with the natural world. Registration Link Here.
Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day)
9:00 am - 5:00 pm - The 2021 UMass Boston School for the Environment Earth Day Symposium: Students and faculty from UMass Boston and beyond are invited to attend the keynote session, display and present posters, and celebrate the winners - hosted by UMB School for the Environment! More Info Here. Registration Link Here.
11:00 am - Virtual Community Clean Up with UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG: Join MASSPIRG in our virtual community clean up and help your neighborhood become a cleaner, greener space. We’ll be hosting 2 separate blocks, so join us whenever works best for you! (Block 1: 11AM-12:30PM, Block 2: 12:30-2PM). Zoom Link Here.
12:00 pm - Greening Travel with WRTA: Join an informative webinar hosted by the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) about active and sustainable commuting options, Travel Training (a personalized service that teaches individuals how to travel to a destination and to use the entire WRTA transit system), COVID-safe and environmentally friendly ways to take advantage of public transportation, and the many natural areas, bike paths, and recreation parks that are accessible via WRTA’s routes. Registration Link Here.
12:30 pm - “Climate Crisis: Transitioning Away from a Carbon-Based Economy": Three experts will present different perspectives on how the United States and the world can transition from a carbon-based economy to one that is greenhouse gas emissions neutral when the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Social and Behavioral Sciences presents “Climate Crisis: Transitioning Away from a Carbon-Based Economy,” the 2021 Freedman Lecture. Event Info Here.
4:00 pm - JuPong Lin: Poetics of Repair - Being Earth, Being Water: This Digital Performance, Workshops & Exhibition "Poetics of Repair" hosted by UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center is a participatory installation of poetry and paper cranes and canoes, concocting a medicine of decolonial love to mend our ravaged world. Watch the closing reception of the installation with artist JuPong Lin. More Info and Registration Link Here.
6:00 pm - 100% Renewable Energy Guest Speaker Panel: Come join UMass Amherst MASSPIRG celebrate Earth Day with the MA 3rd district representative Mindy Domb, UMass Amherst Deputy Chancellor Steve Goodwin, UMass Amherst Campus Sustainability Manager Ezra Small and local activist and UMass alumni Emmalie Dropkin! Registration Link Here.
6:00 pm - Earth Day Craft Night and Celebration with UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG: Join MASSPIRG for a night of crafting sustainable art! Zoom Link Here.
7:00 pm - Rising Tides Project: Climate Change & Music at UMass Boston: In Partnership with the School for the Environment (SFE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, we will create a series of performances and programs that raise awareness around the local impact of climate change in New England by empowering young artists in Boston to be change-makers in their communities. More Info and Registration Link Here.
Friday, April 23
4:00 pm - Kahoot/Trivia Social Event with UMass Dartmouth MASSPIRG: Join MASSPIRG for a fun Kahoot event on sustainable topics! Zoom Link Here.
5:00 pm - TED Talk Viewing and Discussion with UMass Sunrise: Sunrise is joining PALs, People Against Loneliness, in watching and discussing the TED Talk “Ron Finley: A guerrilla gardener in South Central LA”. It will surely make you look at the plot of land between the sidewalk and street in a whole new light! Registration Link Here.
Monday, April 26
12:00 pm - Achieving Mandatory Emissions Reductions for Environmental Justice Communities through Climate Change Mitigation Policy: Hosted by the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. A conversation with Environmental Justice Advocate and scholar Nicky Sheets.
5:00 pm - UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative Spring Seminar Series: This talk by Jarrod Hayes, associate professor of international relations in the Department of Political Science at UMass Lowell is titled "End of History: Climate Change, History, and Political Inaction" and explores the problem of climate change from two alternative logics of action: security and sustainable development. More Info and Registration Link Here.
Tuesday, April 27
6:00 pm - Earth Month Summit: What's next for the Green New Deal: Organized and hosted by UMass Dartmouth, Earth Month at UMass will culminate in an exciting virtual event with Senator Ed Markey (invited) and Varshini Prakash, Founder/Director of the Sunrise Movement (confirmed) and local Dartmouth activists (Laura Gardner, Southcoast Climate Reality, Hannah Robinson, SouthCoast Sunrise and Coalition for Social Justice. The Event will conclude with the introduction of Senator Markey and Varshini Prakash into the SouthCoast Environmental Stewards Family & a special live tour of the Art Festival. Registration Link Here.
Events Throughout April and May
Spring 2021: Transforming Crisis: Art, Science, & Activism
The University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center (FAC) in partnership with the Master of Fine Arts for Poets and Writers (MFA), and the School of Earth & Sustainability (SES) is hosting a semester-long series, Transforming Crisis, devoted to illuminating ecological crises and addressing climate injustice. With support from the Chancellor's Sustainability Advisory Committee, the series includes performances, readings, and discussions with prominent scholars, scientists, and artists, along with students and community members about pressing environmental issues, promising solutions, and the power of creative arts to inspire collective action.
Wednesday, April 7: Miwa Matreyek- Transforming Crisis Discussion 7 pm
Miwa Matreyek along with scientists, thought leaders, and activists discuss pressing environmental issues, promising solutions, and the power of creative arts and communication to inspire collective action.
Presented in partnership with the School of Earth & Sustainability and the MFA for Poets & Writers.
Wednesday, April 14: DIY Reusable T-shirt bags @ UMass Amherst PondFIRE 1:30 pm
Join the Sustainability Coordinator for ResLife for this free session to make your own snazzy reusable bag from an old T-shirt. Great for your Dining to-go meals or your weekly trip to Target! We will have t-shirts to choose from or bring your own! Drop in anytime from 1:30-3:00pm. We will be located at PondFIRE near the campus pond.
Tuesday, May 4: The UMass Energy Forum (UMEF) 5:30-7:30 pm
Co-Produced by the UMass Energy Transition Institute, the UMass iCons Program, the UMass Wind Energy Fellows Program, and the UMass Clean Energy Extension. The "UMass Energy Forum" (UMEF) is a new initiative for students, faculty, and staff across the UMass Amherst campus to present their work on clean energy, climate, and decarbonization. UMEF is open to all fundamental and applied areas of energy research and climate action work including (but not limited to) work in STEM, social sciences, humanities, business, and interdisciplinary studies. In May 2021, the UMass Energy Forum will be a remote-only event to promote safety in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please complete the 2021 UMEF survey so we can better understand your availability for and interest in this event.
Winners of the Undergraduate Sustainability Research Awards
The Undergraduate Sustainability Research Award promotes in-depth understanding of sustainability topics, research strategies, and the use of library resources, providing participating students with vital skills they will carry into future academic and vocational endeavors. The award is funded by the award-winning UMass Amherst Libraries’ Sustainability Fund.
The 2021 Undergraduate Sustainability Award is a collaboration between the UMass Amherst Libraries and Lillian Kurina ’21, a Natural Resource Conservation major and part of the Waste and Recycling Fellowship through the Physical Plant Sustainability office. For her semester project, Lillian developed the concept of the 2021 Sustainability Award focusing on art to inspire UMass Amherst undergraduates of all backgrounds to reflect on their relationship to the environment and how they experience climate change.
Five awards will be given in the form of $700 scholarships.
Thursday, April 29: A zoom presentation of the winner and a discussion of art and sustainability will be held at 5:30 pm. Check back here for zoom link soon!
Offline Activities
Sustainable UMass Virtual Earth Day Cook Book
Whip up a tasty recipe this week with one of these delicious submissions from members and friends of the UMass Amherst community! Cookbook compiled by Rebecca Schmidt.
Do-It-Yourself Reusable T-Shirt Bags
Make yourself a reusable bag upcycled from an old t-shirt! Submitted by Laurie Simmons from Residential Life Sustainability.
2-Minute Old T-Shirt Facemask Tutorial
Upcycle an old t-shirt into a face mask. Submitted by Katy Moonan and team members at ArteSana.