Students, staff, and faculty at UC Riverside are invited to learn about the Earth, its environment, and what we can do to protect it during the annual Earth Week celebrations. 

Earth Week is centered around the internationally recognized Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22. At UCR, events run through Friday, April 26. All events are open to the campus community and the public.

“The University of California has become a national leader in working to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025,” said UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox. “Join me in the month of April for the UC system-wide Cool Campus Challenge as we encourage each other to reduce our energy consumption and learn new ways to conserve precious natural resources."

Cool Campus Challenge: April 1-26

The Cool Campus Challenge is a four-week event designed to educate and motivate the UC campus community to take energy-saving, waste-reducing, and sustainability-focused actions to lower their carbon footprint and help the UC system reach carbon neutrality by 2025. This systemwide event can be a fun and friendly competition among teams or individual friends and colleagues. Sign up and join the challenge here.

Upcoming activities include: 

Tuesday 4/23

• 10-11 a.m.: Green Labs Workshop at the Genomics Auditorium
• 10-11 a.m.: Smart Body Workshop at Hinderaker 0154

Wednesday 4/24

• 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Smoothie Cycling, Fair Trade Fair, Art Fair, and the water challenge at the bell tower

Thursday 4/25

• 1.-2 p.m.: Carbon Neutral Initiative and Global Food Initiative Information session at HUB 265
• 3:40-5 p.m.: Greg Pennyroyal- Sustainability and Viticulture Lecture- A125 Bourns Hall
• 2:30-4:30 p.m.: Sustainability Move, "Paris to Pittsburgh," sustainability movie, HUB 265
• 7-8:30 p.m.: Campus Safety Walk by Facilities Services, meet next Facilities tent next to the Scotty statue.

Friday 4/26

• Noon- 4 p.m.: GCAP Sustainability Fair at the bell tower
•  2- 4 p.m.: Graduate Sustainability Research Mixer at Bourns Hall 265
• 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Sustainability Movie (Paris to Pittsburgh) at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts

For more information about the UCR Cool Campus Challenge and upcoming activities, visit the UCR Office of Sustainability. 

Food Security 5K: April 20

Annual Food Security 5K: The R’Garden and R’Pantry are hosting the 4th Annual Food Security 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, April 20 at the R’Garden, located off Martin Luther King Boulevard, near parking lot 30.  This is a free event, open to the community. It is held in order to bring awareness to food security among UCR students. Participants can bring nonperishable food items or can make a monetary donation. The donations will restock R’Pantry and help UC Riverside students in need. Race starts at 8:30 a.m.

Taste It. Don’t Waste It: April 22

“Taste It. Don’t Waste It”: Event at the A-I and Lothian residential restaurants. Dining staff at both sites will be weighing the amount of food that is thrown away each day by guests and displaying the number. The intention is to provide guests with a visual reminder of the amount of food waste in one day.  

R'Garden's Dig N' Dance: April 28

On Sunday, April 28, the community is invited to the annual Dig N' Dance event at the UCR Community Garden, also known as R'Garden. The event is free. Attendees can enjoy workshops, vendors, and live music from 3-7 p.m. Free food will be available for the first 200 guests. R’Garden is located at 1060 Martin Luther King Blvd., near parking lot 30.