Earth Week 2021: How UWM Students Can Celebrate On and Off Campus
Happy Earth Week, Panthers! As we celebrate our planet, there are many opportunities for you to expand your knowledge and make a difference. Whether you’re at home or on campus, check out this list of ways you can participate in the celebration all week long.
Earth Day at Home
Join an online event.
Hear from fellow students on how climate change is impacting the future. This UWM student panel will delve into the eco-anxiety of our future and share lessons learned from taking on the challenges headfirst.
Join Student Involvement and Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latinx Studies in a conversation with Youth Climate Activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, founder of Earth Guardians, an intergenerational organization with youth that trains diverse youth to be effective leaders in the environmental, climate and social justice movements across the globe. Martinez was awarded the U.S. Volunteer Service Award by President Barack Obama in 2013, and included on Rolling Stone’s “25 under 25 list”‘ of young people who will change the world in 2017.
Further your knowledge by checking out some books and films.
Books:
- “Imaging the Future of Climate Change” by Shelley Streeby
- “The Global Warming Reader: A Century of Writing About Climate Change” by Bill McKibben
- “Losing Earth: A Recent History” by Nathaniel Rich
- “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore
Films:
- “The True Cost”
- “Our Planet”
- “Mission Blue”
- “Living in the Future’s Past”
- “Seaspiracy”
Reduce your Carbon footprint.
Start practicing simple changes in your everyday routine such as unplugging electronics when you’re not using them, opting for lightbulbs that save energy or biking more and driving less.
Earth Week on Campus
Check out these events happening at UWM.
Join us in the Union Concourse to make your own terrarium in celebration of Earth Day! Learn how to reuse old glass containers and turn it into something amazing. Supplies are limited, so arrive early!
Replace single-use plastics with your own handmade Beeswax Wrap! The kit includes everything you need to make multiple wraps, including fabric, beeswax and instructions. Kits will be handed out in Spaights Plaza and a Zoom tutorial will follow.
Grab your garden gloves & clippers and join the UWM Office of Sustainability as they clear out green infrastructure on campus. Meet at UWM, at the Heating Plant parking lot off of Downer Avenue. Masks and social distancing will be required. It’s our time to cut back the old growth for the new to arrive. If there are enough volunteers, multiple sites will be addressed across campus.
Looking for more ways you can get involved off campus and in our community? Check out some of the volunteer opportunities recommended by the UWM Office of Sustainability.
