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Earth Day at BU: Green Thumbs Welcome, Enthusiasm Encouraged

Here’s how to get involved in the monthlong celebrations, hosted by BU Sustainability

For 55 years, the world has observed Earth Day on April 22. This year, BU Sustainability is continuing its Earth Day 365 initiative—a series of events spanning the month of April that underscore the importance of protecting the planet daily.

“We don’t want to have people think that celebrating the planet is just something we should do one day a year,” says Sam Moller, BU Sustainability assistant director of communications. “It should be something that we do constantly.” 

Moller says BU Sustainability’s mission is to continue engaging the University community in climate action work and fulfill BU’s Climate Action Plan, an initiative to make BU carbon-neutral by 2040. The University is 65 percent of the way to that goal.

For the first time, this year’s Earth Day 365 celebrations will have a few different themes: “What We Grow, What We Eat, What We Toss,” “Reuse and Repair,” and “The Natural World Impacting Us.” 

More than a dozen events will be held throughout the Charles River and Medical Campuses, involving partners such as the Boston Cyclists Union, the BU Gastronomy Program, the Boston Globe, and Marsh Chapel. Events include a sustainability summit, a spring bike ride, an Easter Sunday service, and several restaurant nights.

“If you come away from one of these events with one thing that you’ve learned and that you can implement in your life, for us that’s a win,” Moller says. “It’s not just the environmental science people or the sustainability researchers—sustainability is something that impacts everybody.” 

Below are some of this year’s events (find the full list here):

Shred + Recycle Event

If you have a stockpile of old paperwork and hard-to-recycle items and don’t know what to do with them, let BU Sustainability and Information Security help. They will securely shred and dispose of all documents, including personal or sensitive paperwork. You can also bring electronics—like laptops, hard drives, and mobile devices—batteries, cords, and books for recycling. The event is open to all faculty, staff, and students.

Tuesday, April 8, 10 am to 1 pm, Talbot Green, Boston University Medical Campus, 715 Albany St., Boston; Wednesday, April 9, 10 am to 1 pm, Agganis Arena Lot, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.

Sustainable Restaurant Nights

Enjoy a multicourse restaurant experience, hosted by BU Dining right here on campus. Sustainable Restaurant Nights will be held over three weeks, with a different chef hosting at a new dining hall each week. Each event is open to 50 attendees, and tickets, costing one meal swipe, will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the dining hall at 5:30 pm. The dinners will begin promptly at 6 pm and may last up to two hours, so be sure to arrive on time!

Thursday, April 10, Warren Towers, 700 Commonwealth Ave., Boston; Thursday, April 17, West Campus, 275 Babcock St., Boston; Tuesday, April 22, Marciano Commons, 100 Bay State Road, Boston.

The Boston Globe Sustainability Summit

The Boston Globe’s annual sustainability summit will feature advocates, elected officials, and high-level speakers exploring ways to transform industries and move toward an eco-conscious world. Keynote remarks will be made by Gina McCarthy, former White House national climate advisor and Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Tickets are free for BU students, faculty, and staff, although space is limited. Tickets can be purchased here.

Tuesday, April 15, 10 am to 3 pm, Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences, 665 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.

Zero-Waste Home Cooking: Live Cooking Demo

Chefs and owners of Mei Mei, a restaurant and dumpling company, Irene and Mei Li, will teach you how to be sustainable in your own kitchen. Drawing inspiration from their book Perfectly Good Food, they will perform a live cooking demonstration to show how leftovers and scraps can be transformed into delicious meals. Come learn how you can implement zero-waste cooking practices into your life—and stay for the food! Spaces are limited; register here.

Wednesday, April 16, 1 pm, Fuller Building (Room 124), 808 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.

Textile Drop and Swap

You don’t have to wait for spring move-out to get rid of unwanted clothes, bedding, and accessories. BU Physical Education, Recreation & Dance is accepting clean, dry, and odorless clothes, as well as a variety of torn or worn items, to be donated for recycling, repurposing, thrifting, and reselling. Certain items will be eligible to be swapped, though items are limited to one per person. FitRec asks that all donations are in closed plastic bags. Find the full list of accepted items here.

Wednesday, April 16, to Monday, April 21, 8 am to 10 pm daily, FitRec Lobby, 915 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.

Bring in Spring: Group Bicycle Garden Tour

The BU Cycle Kitchen, in partnership with the Boston Cyclists Union, will lead a spring group ride, doubling as a tour of local community gardens. The group ride will start in Lower Allston and end at the BU Cycle Kitchen.

Saturday, April 19, noon to 2 pm, The Grove, corner of N. Harvard Street and Western Avenue, Allston.

Charles River Esplanade Cleanup

Get your hands dirty and make connections at the 26th annual Charles River Cleanup, where BU students, staff, and faculty will remove trash and debris from areas along the Esplanade. This year, many alumni will be participating as a part of the Global Days of Service. Gloves and tools are provided—just bring a bottle of water and yourself! Register for the cleanup here.

Saturday, April 26, 10 am to noon.