Join Pitt in celebrating Earth Month by engaging in content, attending an event, listening to a playlist, taking a class, or by pursuing a Pitt Green Designation.
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, was a national “teach-in” event focused on educating people about the environment. Across the U.S., 20 million Americans (10% of the population) took to the streets, to protest pollution of their natural places. As a result, in December 1970, Congress authorized the creation of a federal agency specialized in tackling environmental issues: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Earth Day has been annually celebrated in the U.S. for 52 years, and the University of Pittsburgh has been an active participant advancing sustainability initiatives since 1970. Learn more here. Or you can explore the newly released Pitt Climate Action Plan detailing how Pitt will reach carbon neutrality by 2037.
Join the University of Pittsburgh for our month long celebration of Earth this April! Earth Month is a time to focus on our planet while learning about sustainability, environmental justice, and climate solutions. Check out the full list below of events happening all month long at Pitt and throughout the Pittsburgh Community!
Earth Month Music and Podcasts
To honor Earth Day this year, Pitt has created an Earth Month Playlist with songs about nature, sustainability, or support the UN Sustainability Development Goals.
Want to learn more about sustainability, climate change, environmental justice, and other relevant topics check out the Pitt Sustainability YouTube playlists!
Earth Month Events
University of Pittsburgh Events:
Citizen Science: Urban Biodiversity | April 4 @ 11am-12pm |Virtual
Do you like being outside and observing nature? Does doing research to help understand the biodiversity of our area interest you? Please join us online on Monday, April 4 from 11 am – noon for a training session preparing you to participate in the Citizen Science project on Urban Biodiversity. Becky Gonda from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh will explain what is involved and provide training on identifying the species of flowers and pollinators of interest. After the session you will have the opportunity to volunteer as a participant and to receive further optional in-person training.
The Birds and the Bats | April 5 @ 5-6pm William Pitt Union Rm 837 | In-person
Learn about the importance of birds and bats in our ecosystem and how they impact agriculture. Hear about what threatens them and the actions being taken on campus to support these species. Pizza will be provided. Register now!
Student Reusable Bag Design Contest| April 5-18
Submit a design for Pitt’s official 2022-23 reusable bag and you could win prizes worth $500 from the University Store and see your design printed on reusable bags used across campus!
Submit your design by Monday, April 18. The winning design will be announced on Friday, April 22 (Earth Day).
April 5 | 4 – 7 p.m. (Virtual)
April 6 | Alumni Hall, 7th Floor Auditorium
Join Pitt’s Financial Wellness team over 2 days to learn more about investing, including these April 5 sessions:
- Pay Yourself First: The Basics of Investing
- Funding the World you want to Retire into with Thematic, Impact, and/or Socially Responsible Investing
Managing Climate & Environmental, Social, Governance Risk in your Investment Portfolio
Register now & look for official event listing coming soon!
April 6 walk ins welcome; prizes & refreshments available.
Climate Change as a National Security Issue | April 6 @ 12 – 1pm | Virtual
This series of webinars are focused on Micronesian-centric strategies for Sustainability and resilience. Register
Careers in Environment and Sustainability | April 6 @ 6-8pm | Virtual
Connect with professionals and gain exposure to the various roles and opportunities within sustainability.
Register today!
Earth Month First Thursday| April 7 @ 8:30pm | In-person
Solar 101: Allegheny County Solar and EV Charger Info Session | April 8 @ 12-1pm |Virtual
Join us and Solar United Neighbors to learn about solar energy and its benefits for your home or small business. SUN will walk you through the technologies, economics, financing, environmental impacts, and more. Plus, hear about their solar co-op that is free to join! Register today!
How to Increase Spending with Diverse and Local Suppliers | Tues. April 12 @ 12-1pm |Virtual
Join Jennifer Barnes, Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Coordinator in Purchasing Services, for the first session on on April 12, 2022 from 12pm-1pm via Zoom. In this session, attendees will receive an overview of diverse and local supplier spend goals, learn the basis for the updated University spend goals, and be guided through tools for finding and engaging diverse and local companies.
Spring Farmers Markets | April 14 & 21 @ 10:30-2pm | William Pitt Union Plaza | In-person
The Farmers Market at Pitt is an opportunity to support and connect students, staff, and faculty with our local producers. Grab fresh produce, baked goods, coffee, ice cream, and a quick lunch! Each vendor sells unique, fresh food items which can be purchased with cash, card, Dining Dollars, and/or Panther funds. Rain or shine! Earth
ReMake! An Earth Month Celebration | April 15 @ 12-4:30pm | In-person
Location: Center for Creativity: The Workshop, University Store on Fifth
Turn trash into treasure in the Center for Creativity Workshop. Drop by for demos on giving new creative life to old corks, bottle caps, scraps of fabric, and other odds and ends that might otherwise end up in a landfill. Try your hand at re-making art with us!
See the full demo schedule on our website.
Climathon | April 16 @ 10am-12pm |Virtual
Virtual competition for student to propose solutions to a challenge question: How can we increase the uptake of energy incentives offered by utilities or municipalities? Register now.
Rock Paper Scissors: An Earth Month Celebration| April 19 @ 12-5 pm | In-person
Location: Text & conText Lab, Hillman Library
Did you know that in the Text & conText Lab, we recycle our scraps into beautiful handmade papers? Or that you can use discarded materials like cardboard to bind books, or turn old text pages into new art? Drop by for demos of these processes and get your hands dirty with us! See the full demo schedule on our website.
Mint and Millies | April 19 @5:30-6:30 | Benedum Courtyard
Join Plant2Plate & Food Ecosystems Scholar Community for some Millies ice cream/sorbet and plant some mint! Take it home to keep in your dorm or bring it back to Plant2Plate later.
Renewable Natural Gas Webinar | April 20 @ 11- 12pm| Virtual
Learn more about the Security and Exchange Commission’s recent announcement and the steps carbon-intense industries as well as smaller businesses are exploring to manage the financial risks posed by climate change. Panelists will unpack the why behind the rules and work through necessary frameworks for anyone in a company to future-proof their business. A very timely discussion in light of the most recent IPCC Reports.
Bring a question or topic, share perspectives, and tap into your peers’ collective knowledge. Network and take part in a lively discussion, as part of a series of lunch and learn events.
The discussion will be most relevant to corporate investors, operations and product leaders, sustainability leaders, employees and students interested in drawdown at work.
This event is free and places are limited, so please register promptly here.
Relearn Our Land Pollinator Garden Planting | April 21 & 22 afternoon |Posvar Hall | In-person
Sign-up for a time slot to help plant a new garden that supports both indigenous knowledge and pollinator biodiversity.
Save the date for the 15th Annual Spring Student Sustainability Symposium, featuring sustainability projects from 2 Pitt Sustainability courses: GEOL: 1333 Sustainability And ENGR Sustainability Capstone.
Plant 2 Plate Spring Festival | April 23 @ 12-4pm | 246 Oakland Avenue | In-person
Pittsburgh Events:
Pittsburgh Earth Day Events | All Month
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Events | All Month
Grow Pittsburgh April Volunteer Day at Braddock Farms | All Month
Green Building Alliance Women+ in Green Earth Day Hike | Thursday April 21, 9:30-10:30am
Wilkinsburg Walking Path Earth Day Launch | Saturday, April 23 12-4pm