Earth Month 2024: Climate Hope
Happy Earth Month 2024 at the University of Utah! Join us in celebrating our planet and exploring pathways to a sustainable future. We've filled this month with engaging activities, thought-provoking discussions and opportunities to connect over our passions for environmental stewardship. This year, our theme is Climate Hope, underlining our unwavering belief in the power of collective action and innovation to address the pressing challenges of climate change. Let's come together to honor our Earth and inspire positive change for generations to come.
Experience climate hope in action all month!
Explore our calendar of events below. We can't wait to celebrate, learn and grow together!
Fashion Fluid Closet - April 2 | 12-3 p.m. | University of Utah A. Ray Olpin Union - Unity Lounge
In an Earth Month x Pride Week collaboration, the Sustainability Office and the LGBT Resource Center present the Fashion Fluid Closet at the Union's Unity Lounge. Come shop for clothes for FREE in a space where you can choose whatever style complements your unique self and help keep textiles out of the landfill!
Learn More
Creating Climate Hope: Healing through art - April 3 | 5-9 p.m. | Natural History Museum - Swaner Forum
Please join us as we explore climate emotions and find ways to express feelings of hope as me make art and gather as a community in the Swaner Forum of the Natural History Museum (NHMU) on April 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. This healing event is free to all University of Utah students and employees. There is a $6 fee for community members. Light refreshments will be served. Share your creative work at the Marriott Library during their educational art exhibits. This evening of art will be led by Nataunya Kay, MA, ATR; an art therapist with 12 years of experience at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
Indigenous Hope for the Climate - April 4 | 1-2 p.m. | Gardner Commons 2018
The Indigenous Womxn's Collective and the Sustainability Office present "Indigenous Hope for the Climate' on April 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Gardner Commons Room 2018. During this panel discussion, remarkable individuals doing vital work in their communities will speak on topics related to climate change, hope for the climate and their work in ensuring our planet's longevity and all inhabitants' well-being. The discussion will focus on Indigenous epistemologies and beliefs about the climate while providing hope for all participants about the ongoing climate crisis.
Blossom Away Your Pain - April 6 | 12-2 p.m. | Kahlert Village
Finals can be stressful—take a moment to Blossom Away Your Pain with us as we create bouquets of flowers, succulents, Legos and more! Express your creativity while offering your brain a relaxing break so you can take on the rest of the school year with a fresh, bright mind. We'll have food and drinks for you to enjoy while making your bouquet.
Sustainability Fair - April 8 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Union Ballroom
Join us on April 8 in the Union Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to meet with and learn about on-campus departments, student-run clubs and off-campus organizations focusing on environmental wellness and sustainability. Grassroots advocacy for conservation, resources about sustainable transportation around Salt Lake City and clubs that you can join right on campus will be tabling at our 2024 Sustainability Fair. Stop by to learn more, and enter to win a prize drawing!
Sustainable Nutrition Pop-Up Demonstrations - April 9, April 17 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Marriott Library Plaza, East
Wellness is so much more than what we eat or how we move. When our environment is well, we feel better, too. When we make good choices for our bodies and the environment, our physical and psychological well-being get a boost!
Join the Osher Center for Integrative Health Employee Wellness, RD Approved, and the Sustainability Office teams outside the Marriot Library on Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 17 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. as we cook up multiple sustainable recipes for you to taste! We will be sharing the local flavors from the recipes below, and we hope you can stop by!
View Recipes Here
Marriott Library Art Display - April 10 - June 26 | Library Operation Hours | Marriott Library
The Marriott Library will showcase artwork created at the Creating Climate Hope workshop. The artwork, along with educational posters about the importance of climate emotions and resources for exploring those emotions, will be on display from mid-April until the end of June.
Good News for the Planet: Conservation, Education and Art for Climate Change - April 10 | 12-1 p.m. | Gardner Commons 2018
Climate change and environmental resilience are serious topics—topics that can instill fear and uncertainty about our future. Headlines, articles and features that highlight impending crises are abundant while content that inspires climate hope is hard to come by. While our situation is serious, maintaining hope is essential for our path forward. Presented as part of 2024 Earth Month, this event will highlight some of the incredible work being done on our campus, in our community and beyond to address climate change and build a more resilient environment. The truth is: there is reason to hope. And with that hope, we can each continue the fight for a better future. Join us in person at the Hinckley Institute, Gardner Commons 2018 on April 10 from 12 to 1 p.m. or click below for the livestream.
Stream the Forum Here
Braiding Sweetgrass Virtual Book Club - April 11 | 12-1 p.m. | Virtual
Join us for our virtual book club discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The Wellness Book Club, presented by the Osher Center for Integrative Health, discusses books that relate to the pillars of health: how we move, eat, sleep, and connect with ourselves, others, and the world around us. The goal of creating a space to discuss wellness is to elevate the University of Utah employees’ well-being and our campus wellness culture. Specifically, this book will bring to light the intersection between environmental health and personal wellness! Join us Thursday, April 11 at 12 to 1 p.m. for a virtual discussion.
Register & Join Here
Spring into Service - April 13 | 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Register Online for Locations Across the Salt Lake Valley
The Bennion Center's Saturday Service Project, Spring into Service, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join us in this opportunity to work in support of local community organizations in celebration of Earth Day and its environmental movement toward climate hope. Over 300 volunteer spots are available in partnership with 8 different community organizations. Register for your service project by April 10!
Browse Options & Sign Up Here
U Policy Workshop for Earth Day - April 15 | 12-1 p.m. | Marriott Library - Gould Auditorium
Explore the world of policy-making at the U over a lunch workshop led by Allyson Mower from the Marriott Library. This workshop will be held on April 15 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Marriott Library Gould Auditorium. Discover the inner workings of decision-making processes, gain valuable insights into how policies are crafted and learn practical ways for students and staff to get involved and make a difference here at the U.
Monching Around Utah: A Foraging-Oriented Panel - April 16 | 3:30-5 p.m. | Kahlert Village or Virtual
Learn with us how to live with the land! Join us for a panel discussion on April 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Kahlert Village or virtually via the link below. Hear from speakers Darren Parry, former chairman for the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation and professor at Utah State University; Dr. Kate Magargal, assistant professor in the U Anthropology Department; and Rikki Logino, founder of Mobile Moon Co-op about their experiences foraging and how you can forage, too!
Join Virtually
Planting Hope - April 17 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Marriott Library Plaza, East
Come connect with campus groups that are planting hope on April 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marriott Library East Plaza! Pick up plants in different stages of growth that work for you and your living setup. Already have a thriving garden? Add a little artistic flair and take a mindfulness break to paint rocks with us to add to your growing space. Plus, grab a zine to share climate hope with your friends and family! Plants, seeds and gardening supplies, rocks and zines provided while supplies last!
Robin Wall Kimmerer & Kyle Whyte In Conversation - April 17 | 7-8 p.m. | Moot Courtroom, S.J. Quinney College of Law
Launched in Spring 2020, our Tanner Talks bring interdisciplinary scholars, writers and public figures together with campus and community members for unscripted conversations about contemporary challenges. Each event consists of a one-hour discussion between Director Erika George, our invited speakers and audience members.
Get Tickets Here
Declutter Day - April 19 | 7 a.m.-3 p.m. | Guardsman Lot
Stop by the University of Utah to responsibly recycle at Declutter Day at the Guardsman lot on April 19 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come shred paper documents, find a new home for gently-used furniture, offload your expired and leftover medicines or safely dispose of household e-waste. Participants are also invited to donate items like clothing, books and toys!
More Info
Earth Day Qigong & Tai Chi - April 22 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Red Butte Garden
Qigong (pronounced chi-kung) is a moving meditation, similar to Tai Chi. It means "cultivating our life force." Join us on April 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Red Butte garden for a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one’s mental and physical health. Everyone is welcome to this class, no experience is necessary. We will practice being aware of our surroundings, inside and outside of ourselves, moving slowly, connecting our movements with our breath and present awareness and letting go of the past and future to simply BE in the present.
Register Here
Arbor Day Celebration - April 26 | 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. | Red Butte Garden
Do you love trees? So do we. As part of Utah’s official arboretum, there’s no place better than Red Butte Garden to celebrate Arbor Day! Join us on April 26 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for a day filled with self-guided "tree-rific" activities, and discover the vital role trees play not only in our lives, but also in the natural world. This year we will be giving away white mulberry, hawthorne and burr oak tree seedlings for each family to take home and plant while supplies last.
We want to offer a huge THANK YOU to our 2024 Earth Month Committee members!
Nataunya Kay, Huntsman Mental Health Institute
Cam McVeigh, Sustainability Office
Kyla Welch, Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy
Sarah Schlaefke, Sustainability Office
Kara Freedman, Sustainability Office
Anneke Elizabeth Enquist, Associated Students of the University of Utah
Hailee Roberts, American Indian Resource Center
Britta Trepp, Osher Center for Integrative Health
Frances Schneider, Sustainability Office
Ava Curtis, Sustainability Office
Jaley McCann, Sustainability Office
Jasmine Millard, Red Butte Garden
Nicholas Cockrell, Hinckley Institute
Emily Murasso, Housing & Residential Education
Alison Mortensen-Hayes, Eccles Health Sciences Library
Ezra Ray, Linguistics Department
Abbie Nistler, Sustainability Office
Ashlee Janovak, Union Programming Council
Brett Gaffney, Bennion Center
Lillie Congram, Enviroclub
Fiona Summers, Environmental Humanities
Zach Rohovit, Students for the Wasatch
Maddie Stagg, Students for the Wasatch
Allyson Moyer, Marriott Library
Nathan Murphy, Associated Students of the University of Utah
Jessica Begay, American Indian Resource Center
Interested in becoming a committee member for Earth Month 2025? Email us at sustainability@utah.edu.