Events: Every Day is Earth Day

New students are welcomed to Sustainability at UR at the Sustainability Fair! At this event, students can meet UR and Richmond environmental groups and organizations.

DETAILS – PLANET POWER LUNCH - OUTDOOR BROWNBAG LUNCH

Sept. 5 - Jepson Quad (Stern Plaza)

Lunch Discussion Facilitator - Alicia Díaz (Department of Theatre and Dance)

Two faculty members will share an example of their teacher-scholar engagement to begin our conversation:

Margaret Dorsey (Department of Sociology and Anthropology) “Success or Failure: The U.S. Mexico Border Wall and the Fight to Save Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.”

Description: I will discuss environmental activists’ successful efforts to keep the first Trump administration from building a border wall through a national park in Texas and what that park looks like today.

Nichole McVeigh (Department of Languages, Literature, and Culture) “Sept. 21st: A Day for Peace and the Planet”

Description: As Executive Director of the Richmond Peace Education Center, I work to build bridges across communities through education, dialogue, and action—connecting peacebuilding with urgent struggles like climate justice, which we’ll honor together at Peace Day/Sun Day on Sept. 21st.

Monday, September 8 | 12:00 -1:00 p.m. | Gottwald A001

September 8 - Nathan Derstine, "Decoding Insect Signals: From Social Behavior to Invasive Species Management," 12-1:00, GOTW A001

Monday, September 8 | 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. | Jepson 118

Geographers in Action, 5-6 (pizza optional); 6:00-7:30 (presentations, Jepson 118)

Thursday, September 11| 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. | Robins School of Business by Lou’s

It’s time! The very first Spider Exchange Pop Up of the year. For this one, we’re partnering with some friends in the Business School, and we’re even holding it IN the Business School, right outside of Lou’s. All of the things you love about the Spider Exchange - clothes, recreational reads, decorations, and more -- but in the Robins School of Business. We hope to see you there!

Monday, September 15 | 12:00 -1:00 p.m. | THC 321

September 15 - GESS Energy Lunch "How Solar Can Transform Our Energy Landscape" Co-Sponsored with Bridging the Gap in Virginia,  12 p.m., THC 321

Friday, September 19 | 9:00 -10:00 a.m. | Start of the Eco-Corridor by the picnic tables

 Join the Office for Sustainability for an informational tour of our natural, 18-acre green space, the Eco-Corridor.

The tour features Abby’s Garden, the UR Orchard & Food Forest, the Micro-Park, the outdoor classroom space, and beautiful native flora and fauna along the way!

Breakfast included. This is also a great opportunity to connect with fellow students, staff, and faculty across campus.

Saturday, September 20 | 10:00 -11:00 a.m | Richmond: Spider Meetup Community Cleanup

Join fellow Spiders for a meaningful Saturday morning of community service during our Spider Meetup Community Cleanup, hosted by Andrew K. Duffy, ’07. We’re teaming up with RVA Clean City Sweep — now in its 13th year of beautifying Richmond— to support cleanup efforts along the historic Brookland Park business corridor.

Volunteers will help clear storm drains, sidewalks, and storefronts along Brookland Park Blvd. and North Avenue, as well as spruce up the local public library and GRTC bus stop. UR students, staff, and faculty are warmly invited to join us—this is a great way to connect with current Spiders and build community while giving back. Cleanup totals will be shared with the Clean City Commission as part of their ongoing work to keep our city clean. All are welcome—bring a friend and help us sweep the city with Spider Pride!

No cost to attend.

Saturday, September 20
10-11 a.m.

Family Dollar
2917 North Ave
Richmond, VA

Thursday, September 25 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | UR Orchard & Food Forest

 We are celebrating the opening of the UR Orchard & Food Forest with live music, tasty fruit treats, tours, and more!

Join us to learn more about the history of the Eco-Corridor as well as how the new orchard came to be. 

Friday, October 3 | 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. | Jepson 118

October 3 - GIS Day Sustainable Transportation, 1:30-2:30, Jepson 118

Sunday, October 5 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | THC 321

October 5 - GESS Energy Lunch, “Who Profits from the High Energy Demand of Data Centers and AI?” Pizza provided, 12 p.m., THC 321

Wednesday, October 8 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Abby’s Garden

Join us in Abby’s Garden to learn how to build a hoop house to protect your plants during the winter growing season! Hoop houses are great for ensuring you have fresh vegetables and herbs all winter long. 

Friday, October 17 | 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Kick off Homecoming weekend by connecting with fellow sustainable Spiders in the Eco-Corridor for mingling, snacks, music, games, and Eco-Corridor tours! All are welcome.

Join us for an Eco-Corridor tour, offered at 3:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., to learn more about the area’s amazing new developments, including the very recent additions of an orchard and food forest, a trailhead sign, micro-park, and honeybees.

Register for updates.

Tuesday, October 21 | Virginia Riparian Buffer Summit

October 21 - Virginia Riparian Buffer Summit. Register and attend any one of the activities happening all day on UR Campus 

Tuesday, October 21 | 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. | Gottwald A001

October 21 - Steve Monfort GESS Lecture, Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 5-6, Gottwald A001

Wednesday, October 22 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | THC 321

October 22 - GESS Energy Lunch, "The Past, Present, and Future of Nuclear Power in Virginia” Pizza will be available, 12 p.m. THC 321

Monday, October 27 | 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. | Humanities Commons

October 27 - Dr. Megan Poole, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric & Writing from Unv of Texas- Austin, will talk will on her new book “Listening to Beauty”, 4:30-6:00, Humanities Commons  

Thursday, October 30 | 5:00 - 6:00 | Eco-Corridor

Celebrate Halloween in the Eco-Corridor with ghoulish-inspired storytelling, jack-o-lanterns, and more! Additional details coming soon.

November 1 | Time - TBD | Campus Race to Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge

Volunteers are needed for the annual Campus Race to Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge to help sort compostables, recyclables, and landfill items during and after the game. 

Register to volunteer. 

Monday, November 3 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Gottwald A001

November 3 - Matt Koski, "Impacts of Global Change on Flower Color and Plant Reproduction," 12-1:00, GOTW A001

November 4 | 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Celebrate Richmond Tree Week with us! Join us in the Eco-Corridor to help plant native trees and increase Richmond’s Tree canopy coverage and biodiversity. All are welcome!

November 9 - African Film Festival, I am more Dangerous than Dead - Majiye Uchibeke (2022). A poetic tribute to writer, poet and environmental activist Ken Saro Wiwa, who was executed alongside eight other activists for opposing the environmental damage done to their oil-rich homeland, Ogoni. 8:00-8:45, Jepson 118

Tuesday, November 11 | 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. | Science Museum of Virginia

November 11 - Go with the Flow Sierra Club presentation, 6:00-7:00, Science Museum of Virginia

November 13 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | Nature Observation | Eco-Corridor

Followed by:

November 13 | 6:00 p.m. | Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmaker Ian Cheney | Film: “Observer” | Jepson 118

Engage in a set of activities that foster a deeper connection between you and the natural world. Participants will interact with the local environment in novel ways using multiple senses with a goal of sparking curiosity, appreciation, and understanding of nature.

This event will be followed by a screening of “Observer” in Jepson 118 at 6:00 pm (sponsored by Global Environmental Speaker Series).

Register through Eventbrite for updates. 

November 13 | 6:00 p.m. | Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmaker Ian Cheney | Film: “Observer” | Jepson 118

Visit YouTube to view Trailer. 

November 17 - 21 | Various Times | Various Locations

Dates and times coming soon!

December 4 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.