Celebrate Earth Week with a variety of activities planned on campus and around the community April 19-23.
Earth Week offers an opportunity for the Elon community to engage in fun, informative events to learn about sustainability issues and celebrate the Earth. Earth Week events take place April 19-23 and are listed below. Many require pre-registration.
Monday, April 19
6 p.m. | Documentary- “Kiss the Ground” (Turner Theater or Virtual Option)
Registration Required
This optimistic documentary sheds light on a “new, old approach” to farming called “regenerative agriculture” that highlights the potential of soil to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies and feed the world.
7:30 p.m. | Outdoor Yoga (Iconic Plaza) (Virtual option available)
Registration Required
Get outside and take some time to focus on your mental health and well-being with Eco-Rep Kitty Helm, who will lead you through mindful breathing and other techniques to deal with stress. Please bring your own yoga mat or towel (if you do not have a yoga mat).
Tuesday, April 20
9:40-10:20 a.m. | Earth Week College Coffee
Have you always wanted to try non-dairy creamer? Now is your chance!
2:30 p.m. | Tree Walk (Historic Neighborhood- meet at Fonville Fountain in front of Alamance)
Registration Required
During this 1 hour walk, Elon’s 2 Certified Arborists will walk through the historic district with you and talk about their favorite trees, the Tree Trail on campus and some insider information on maintenance and sustainability of the Elon urban forest.
4:30-6:00 pm | The Green Zine (Under the Oaks)
Registration Required
Zines (“zeens”) are small scale self-published works that have historically served as an outlet for controversial or niche content outside of mainstream media. At this event, we will come together and create a community zine surrounding sustainability, people and the planet. Bring your passion and creativity for a fun event of painting, sketching, collaging and creating!
5:30-6:45 p.m. | Eco-Grief Tending in Community (Loy Farm)
Registration Required
This program will explore the ever-increasing prevalence of grief in context of growing environmental crises and societal upheaval. In community, we will share our eco-grief with one another and learn practices to critically listen, to be present, and to harness compassion for ourselves and for others, as tools to navigate loss and uncertainty.
6:30-7:30 p.m. | Composting 101: Planting Seeds of Knowledge (Elon Community Garden)
Registration Required
Join Eco-Reps Juliana Wilson and Samantha Schwamberger at the community garden for a short lesson on composting to learn what it is, how it works and how to start your own compost pile at home. Students who attend will be able to plant and take home their very own succulent using soil from the garden!
Wednesday, April 21
1-5 p.m. | Lake Mackintosh Kayak Clean-Up (Meet in front of Center for the Arts)
Registration Required
Take care of local Lake Mackintosh while enjoying the beauty of nature. Kayaks, gloves and trash bags provided.
9 p.m. | S’Mores with Outdoors (Beck Pool Patio)
Join Elon Outdoors and the Eco-Reps to hang out around the fire and make some delicious s’mores! (Vegan options available.)
Thursday, April 22
3-6 p.m. | Authentically Alamance Farmers’ Market (Elon Community Church)
Enjoy the first farmer’s market of the season. Pick up some local produce, flowers, cheese and more!
3:30-5:30 p.m. | Party for the Planet (Colonnades Quad)
Celebrate the Earth with free food, fun activities and live entertainment! Join the Eco-Reps and Colonnades Neighborhood afterward for s’mores and the Earth Week Keynote Speaker (see below for details).
6-7 p.m. | Earth Week Keynote: Carolyn Finney, “Seeing Green: Christian Cooper, John Muir & Playing the Long Game”
Registration Required
Central Park birder Christian Cooper. George Floyd. Removal of Confederate Statues. Renaming of institutions. Reparations. Systemic Racism. What’s the environment got to do with it? How do we meet this moment? Drawing from her book, “Black Faces, White Spaces,” her relationships “in the field” and her lived experience, Dr. Finney explores the complexities and contradictions of our past, the realities of our present and the possibilities of our future as it relates to green space, race, and the power to shape the places we live in our own image.
Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability; African & African-American Studies; Campus Recreation & Wellness; Center for Environmental Studies; Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Diversity Education; and Public Health Studies
Friday, April 23
3-5 p.m. | Bike to Burlington (Meet at Koury Athletic Center)
Registration Required
Join Elon Outdoors and the Office of Sustainability for a bike ride to Burlington, where we’ll enjoy some ice cream while learning about local businesses and why they’re an important part of sustainability. Bikes will be provided, or you can bring your own!