UMaine Earth Week 2022

Schedule of Events

(schedule will be updated as events are finalized)

Please follow UMaine’s COVID-19 guidelines for any in-person events.

Ongoing All Week:

  • Nature Photo Contest  — GCI is hosting our annual Earth Week nature photo contest!  To participate, just go out and take pics of nature and either tag us on social media or email us. We will randomly choose a grand prize winner, and 2nd & 3rd place winners. Location: Online and IN NATURE!
  • Human Dimensions of Climate Change Film Series  — Sponsored by Fogler Library. If you missed our Human Dimensions of Climate Change film series, you can still participate here! Location: Online
  • Virtual Healthy High 5K/10K  — In collaboration with the Division of Student Life and Title IX Student Services, the theme of this year’s Virtual Healthy High race focuses on promoting healthy relationships, ending sexual violence, and raising awareness of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Proceeds go to: The Physical Education Student Organization, Black Bear Exchange, and the Division of Student Life and Title IX Services. Not sure how a Virtual Race works? No problem, we have you covered! Instructions on completing your race and options to submit results will be emailed or texted to you (if you opt in to receiving text messages during registration) on Race Day! Location: Virtual (Use Our Route or Create Your Own)
  • Scavenger Hunt  — Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 22: Every day of Earth Week GCI will be hosting a scavenger hunt where we will hide a prize somewhere on campus! A clue will be posted on our Instagram each morning @umainegci Location: Outside

Daily Events:

  • Friday, April 15th, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Maine Food Waste Solutions Virtual Summit 2022 — Sponsored by UMaine Mitchell Center and Portland Gateway. This annual virtual conference featuring national and local presenters and Q&A panels will help all Maine people learn more about the food waste problem and the beneficial solutions available today! This interactive and engaging event will encourage attendees to join together to end food waste and loss in Maine. Click here for registration info. Location: Virtual
  • Monday, April 18th, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Plant and Craft Swap — Sponsored by UMaine Green Team. Bring your extra plants or crafting supplies by the swap or come pick up some new ones! Green Team will be hosting a fun swap for plants and crafting supplies to help the community reduce waste and consumption while getting some new things to enjoy! Location: Memorial Union Totman Lounge
  • Monday, April 18th, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Talk – Art as an Agent of Change: The emergence of ‘Creative Ecologies’ — Sponsored by UMaine Mitchell Center. This talk will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall. UMaine’s Justin Wolff and Susan Smith will present an overview of the emergence of “creative ecologies” at the intersection of art, culture, and environment and share information about current and upcoming programs at UMaine that relate to art’s vital contributions to sustainability solutions. Complete the registration form to receive Zoom connection information. In-person attendees must follow UMaine’s COVID-19 guidelines. Location: Zoom and 107 Norman Smith Hall
  • Tuesday, April 19th, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Microgreens Planting — Sponsored by UMaine GCI. Come join GCI to plant your very own microgreen seeds! Growing your own food is both sustainable and good for your well-being. Microgreens are super easy to take care of, they only take about two weeks to grow, and they are filled with essential nutrients! Everything will be provided. Location: On the Mall (rain location – Union)
  • Wednesday, April 20th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Fresh Check — Sponsored by UMaine Student Wellness Resource Center. College Check-In Day or Fresh-Check Day is an event that aims to increase awareness and education regarding mental health and suicide prevention for college students. Come to the Mall to play some games, win prizes, and learn how to help a friend in need. Location: On the Mall (if rain, in the Union)
  • Wednesday, April 20th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Pop-up Shop — Sponsored by UMaine Green Team and the Black Bear Exchange. Bring your unwanted/old clothes or come to get some new ones! All items are free and no clothing donation is required! Location: Memorial Union Totman Lounge
  • Wednesday, April 20th, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Earth Crafts (featuring water bottle fish!) — Sponsored by UMaine GCI. Create a water bottle fish with GCI. Grab a plastic bottle and create art with paint, trash, and other supplies. The fish can be used to create art for your home or make it for the UMaine Green Team Trart Exhibit later in the week! Location: On the Mall (if rain, in the Union)
  • Thursday, April 21st, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Redemption Center Bottle Toss — Sponsored by UMaine GCI. Testing your knowledge of Maine’s Bottle Bill rules, Maine recycling trivia, and your aim! With GCI, representatives will ask questions and give you chances to toss bottles into their respective bins! Location: On the Mall (if rain, in the Union)
  • Thursday, April 21st, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Tree Identification Walk — Sponsored by UMaine Permaculture & Gardening Club. The Tree ID Walk will start at the bike path entrance and will slowly move around the University Forest before heading back to the starting point. The walk will be primarily led by Will Fiske, who is a Parks, Recreation, and Tourism major and a local tree enthusiast.  Location: Meet at Bike Path entrance (between Bridge Tennis Courts and Kessock Softball Field)
  • Thursday, April 21st, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Sustainable Menstrual Products — Sponsored by UMaine Feminist Collective. Come learn about sustainable options for menstrual products with Feminist Collective! The first 20 people to show up will receive a free June Cup to try out! Location: Intersectional Feminist Resource Center in the Memorial Union
  • Thursday, April 21st, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM: Climate Solutions Panel — Sponsored by SEAD, UMaine College Dems, and the UMaine College Republicans. 3 speakers will discuss climate solutions from a variety of perspectives. Speakers include Alan Caron (founder of ClimateWork Maine), Dr. Jonathan Rubin (Director of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center), and Patrick White (Regional Director of Students for Carbon Dividends). The first hour will be for our speakers and the remaining time will be used as an open forum for discussions and unstructured dialogue. Location: Memorial Union
  • Thursday, April 21st, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Sustainable Crafts — Sponsored by UMaine CAB. Join Campus Activities Board in the North Pod to make some Sustainable Crafts! Location: North Pod In the Memorial Union

Earth Day!

  • Friday, April 22nd: Spire Issue #6 — Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability is publishing its sixth amazing issue!  Spire issue #6 contains a variety of submissions, including art, poetry, photography, research, and personal stories. Access the latest issue and back-issues by clicking here. Location: Online
  • Friday, April 22nd, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Garbage Gallery — Sponsored by UMaine Green Team. Collect any refuse you think you can reuse and make it into creative trart pieces. At the end of Earth Week we will be showcasing a gallery of these pieces. Bring your trart to display, get a social media shoutout, and gain recognition for your work! Location: Memorial Union Totman Lounge
  • Friday, April 22nd, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Campus Clean Up — Sponsored by SEAD. Help make campus more beautiful by cleaning up litter in the Rec Center area and Hilltop Lot on Earth Day! Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Location: Rec Center
  • Friday, April 22nd, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Earth Day at the Den — Sponsored by UMaine Dining and GCI. Join UMaine Dining as we debut a new reusable container program, learn more about sustainability efforts, and also learn more about how UMaine Dining is putting local food producers and the Earth first. GCI will be on hand to help support and showcase all the things that Auxiliary Services does to help put the Earth first. Buy into the program and enter to win some great prizes! Location: Memorial Union
  • Friday, April 22nd, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Maine Food – To Good To Waste: Food Saving Fun with Chef Becky Shepherd of Wild Oats Cafe & Bakery — Sponsored by UMaine Mitchell Center and Food Rescue MAINE. This Zoom LIVE! event for the whole family can be enjoyed as a group via Zoom. Chef Becky will share her tips and recipes to help prevent food waste while creating some tasty treats! Click here to register. Location: Online
  • Friday, April 22nd, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Sustainability Networking Poster Session — The poster session will bring together students, businesses and communities working on sustainability solutions, including faculty and graduate and undergraduate students, as well as communities and colleagues involved in or interested in sustainability research. Researchers at the event can spark new research ideas, start collaborations in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary related topics, learn about sustainability research topics and activities. Students can hear about careers, research, and opportunities related to sustainability science. Stakeholder partners, businesses and alumni can share their experiences, engage new communities and potential clients, and meet the existing and emerging workforce involved with sustainability research and businesses. Coupons for coffee, cookies and snacks will be available for participants. Students and faculty interested in submitting an abstract or poster for the event should fill out the Google Form for the event. Deadline for poster submissions is April 11. Location: Memorial Union Bear’s Den Upper Level

More Events:

  • Friday, April 22nd, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (repeats at 7-8 PM): “Maine Calling” – Food Waste Program — Sponsored by Maine Public Radio. Maine Calling is a live, call-in radio program that digs into topics and issues with listeners across the state in a statewide conversation. Location: Public Radio