UW-Whitewater Sustainability

Earth Month 2024

Schedule of Events

Thank you for visiting the schedule for Earth Month 2024.  This year, we are excited to partner with several campus departments and student organizations to offer a variety of events. Please contact us if you want to discuss event partnerships for any events and outreach you want to have during Earth Month (April) and we can add you to this calendar. 

Please take an opportunity to browse the scheduled events below and check back regularly! New events will be added to the schedule as they are finalized. Follow our social media channels (Facebook or Instagram) for updates and follow the events, as well as other interactive posts throughout April.

NEW PROGRAM!

PEACE Trees are now available! All students are eligible to sign up to receive a tree seedling of their choosing to celebrate Earth Month. Please fill out our interest form to get your tree.

Earth Month Kickoff: Trash Pickup

Monday, April 1: 3:00 pm-5:00 pm

Upham Greenhouse

Join the Sustainability Office interns as we lead a trash pickup of various areas of the UW-Whitewater main campus and help make a tangible difference for the local environment. Meet us at Upham Greenhouse to get started. Trash bags and gloves will be provided for participants.

Sign Up Here

Clothing Swap! Thrifting for Sustainability

Mon, April 8: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm

University Center - Hamilton Room

The Sustainability Office is thrilled to be bringing back one of our most popular events, the Clothes Swap! Students can exchange old clothes for something new (to them)! They can browse a wide selection of different styles and sizes to choose from, and participants who want to take clothes are encouraged to bring something to donate so we can provide an ongoing selection to all participants. Who doesn’t love a thrifted outfit? All donations after the event will go to The Community Space.

UC Succulent Workshop

Tuesday, April 9: 7:00 pm

University Center - Hamilton Room

UC Student Activities and Involvement invite you to swing by the Warhawk Connection Center to pot your very own succulent! Succulents are low-maintenance houseplants and easy to care for if you are a novice, aspiring, or neglectful gardener. You can also channel your inner artist by decorating a pot your succulent will live in. The Sustainability Office will be providing 250 plants and running on a first come, first serve basis, so get there early to snag your FREE plant!

Ice Age Trail Campus - Hike Exchange

Tue, April 16: 4:00 pm -New Date! See below.

Guide to Going Green

Thursday, April 18: 6:00 pm

Upham 142

Come learn some easy ways to be more environmentally friendly on a day-to-day basis from some of the Sustainability Office’s interns and SAGE! We will also lead crafts that you can take home that will help reduce your environmental footprint; homemade dryer balls, laundry detergent, and all-purpose cleaning solution. Sign up by April 11th to reserve your supplies!

Sign Up Here

Stream Monitoring Session

Fri, April 19: 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Meet at Starin Park

The UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office participates in stream monitoring with the  Water Action Volunteers (WAV) Program through the  Rock River Coalition. With the help of faculty, staff, and students, we go out to local streams and take measurements of different variables that help determine the health of these tributaries of the Rock River. These measurements include temperature, stream flow, transparency, dissolved oxygen, stream depth, and biotic index. These measurements are reported to the WAV program, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. We typically conduct stream monitoring three times per month between April and October at our site locations along Bluff Creek, Whitewater Creek, and Spring Brook Creek. 

This event will be monitoring Whitewater Creek and departing from the small parking lot near Treyton's Field of Dreams

We REQUIRE attendees to register in advance so we can communicate any cancellations, coordinate transportation to the locations, and get your wader size. Please review the available slots by clicking on the button to sign up. For questions, email  sustainability@uww.edu.

Sign Up Here

Recycled Terrarium Workshop

Mon, April 22: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Upham Greenhouse

Turn trash into a treasure by creating your very own unique terrarium out of recycled glass jars and learn about exciting changes coming to Upham Greenhouse!  Bring your own clean container to create an adorable micro-ecosystem. This quick ten-minute craft will give you the opportunity to learn more about upcycling everyday trash and turning it into “treasure” as well as learning key details on caring for plants. All plants, tools and potting supplies will be provided. Tours will also be provided to spotlight some of the greenhouse's permanent botanical collection and provide information on involvement opportunities working in Upham Greenhouse.

Ice Age Trail Campus - Hike Exchange

Tue, April 23: 4:00 pm - Visitor's Center (3:30 PM departure) or State Forest parking along Hwy 12

Help us celebrate UW-Whitewater's status as an Ice Age Trail Campus! We will join the Walworth/Jefferson Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance on their weekly hike on a well-maintained original section of the Ice Age Trail near Lake LaGrange. We will meet at the Visitor's Center and provide transportation if needed. If you need transportation, please sign up by Mon, April 14 and meet us at the Visitor's Center for a 3:30 PM departure. Students can also meet us in the parking lot that connects directly to the trail.  Chapter members and Sustainability Office staff will present information about the geological history and amenities of the Kettle Moraine State Forest as we hike the 3.5 mile loop.

Plant Diversity in Latin American Countries

Thu, April 25: 5:15 pm

University Center 068

Join the Sustainability Office as we partner with Latinos Unidos for a fun evening of all things plants! We will be giving a presentation on a variety of native plants in Latin America to learn about the fascinating diversity of the plant world. Stick around to decorate your very own planting pot and get a free succulent to put in it!

Make a Difference Day

Fri, April 26: 9:00 am-12:00 pm

Meet at Campus Garden

Join us for our first volunteer event in the Campus Garden this growing season as we work on bed preparation and seed planting. We will begin the event in the Upham Greenhouse before heading over to the Garden. You can sign up for this event with Make a Difference Day, or any future Campus Garden or Greenhouse volunteer sessions, and help us make an impact locally through our produce donation to local food pantries in the Whitewater area.

Sign Up Here

Arbor Day Tree Planting

Fri, April 26: 1:00 PM

Meet at Halverson Log Cabin

Time to celebrate another year as a Tree Campus Higher Education institution with a ceremonial tree planting on Arbor Day. We will be planting another tree as part of our 50 Trees for 50 Years of Earth Day fundraising effort launched in April 2020. The event will start with a short introduction to our Tree Campus certification and the Salisbury Idea native tree inventory found throughout the Salisbury and Chopp Arboretums before we finish planting this year's ceremonial tree. Brief tours of the Halverson Log Cabin will also be available before and after the ceremony.