Events: Every Day is Earth Day

August 26, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Abby’s Garden in Eco-Corridor

Join us in Abby’s Garden to learn more about what’s growing and to lend a hand planting some fall produce! Joseph Day will be leading our group through a garden activity and may even have some plant starts to hand out.

August 27, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Join the Office for Sustainability for a tour of one of the most beautiful, serene places on campus - the Eco-Corridor! 

Connecting UR Drive to River Road, the Eco-Corridor is an 18-square-acre greenway that offers an abundance of ways for students, faculty, staff, and the community to engage in nature. Features include an ADA-accessible path that winds through natural flora and fauna, a community garden located near the entrance, opportunities for research and engagement around studying the biosphere and its associated features, and so much more.

Wednesday, August 28 | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. | Spatial Analysis Lab on the 3rd Floor of the International Center

Ready to test your geography knowledge with a game of GeoGuessr? Or, just want to hang out in the Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL) with some cool people while eating ice cream? Visit the International Center for fun with the Geography and Environmental Studies Departments!

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Leaders from the Geography and Environmental Studies Departments share more about the opportunities to engage with their ongoing programming and research which aims to explore the complex interactions between human societies and our environment. More coming soon!

Thursday, August 29, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | THC Think Tank

Let’s get trashy!! Do you know how to sort your waste on campus? Swing by the THC Think Tank to learn about options for traditional recycling, e-waste recycling, composting, and so much more from our campus waste experts, Rethink Waste

August 30, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. | Eco-Corridor

Join the Office for Sustainability for a tour of one of the most beautiful, serene places on campus - the Eco-Corridor! Morning snacks will be provided.

Connecting UR Drive to River Road, the Eco-Corridor is an 18-square-acre greenway that offers an abundance of ways for students, faculty, staff, and the community to engage in nature. Features include an ADA-accessible path that winds through natural flora and fauna, a community garden located near the entrance, opportunities for research and engagement around studying the biosphere and its associated features, and so much more.

September 12, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Join the Office for Sustainability for a tour of one of the most beautiful, serene places on campus - the Eco-Corridor! 

Connecting UR Drive to River Road, the Eco-Corridor is an 18-square-acre greenway that offers an abundance of ways for students, faculty, staff, and the community to engage in nature. Features include an ADA-accessible path that winds through natural flora and fauna, a community garden located near the entrance, opportunities for research and engagement around studying the biosphere and its associated features, and so much more.

September 17, TBD 

The CCE will be celebrating National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 17. More details to come as we plan this student-led event.

September 19, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. | UPDATE: Now indoors - Jepson Hall, Room 118

Grab a blanket or lawn chair and join us for an awesome outdoor movie night! We will be featuring a local film about five friends exploring the incredible history and strength of the James River - Tidal River by Headwaters Down. What better way to spend a Thursday night? 

Tasty snacks included!

September 19, 12:00 p.m. | Humanities Commons

Dr. Amber Musser
Professor, The City University of New York 

Friday, September 20, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Connect with students, faculty, and staff involved with sustainability and environmentalism on campus! Programming includes fun games, snacks, sustainable back-to-school supplies, art competitions, and more!

September 24, 4:30 p.m. | Jepson Hall, Room 118

Screening of "Stroop: Journey into the Rhino War"
Co-sponsored with the African Film Festival

September 30, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

As a part of the 2024-25 Tucker-Boatwright Festival, “The Nature of Representation,” and this year’s Humanities Center theme, “How (and why) do we represent nature?”, we invite all to join us on Monday, September 30th for an exchange of art and reflections about our relationship with the Earth. 

We welcome art pieces from all mediums that explore the emotions involved in this relationship-- from hopefulness, to passion for environmental justice, to climate grief. These art pieces can be original, or they can be from any other artists/poets/musicians that you find inspiring!

We will be hosting two events on the 30th. These events are open to students, staff, faculty, and community partners. Feel free to attend either or both!

Event 1

Where: Humanities Commons 

When: 11 am- 12 pm

What: In addition to the participant open-mic and reflection, this event will have an art-based interactive activity.

Event 2

Where: Eco Corridor Entrance

When: 12:30 pm- 1:30 pm

What: In addition to the participant open-mic and reflection, this event will feature a movement/meditation-based interactive activity.

October 2, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor Tour

Join us in the Eco-Corridor for a tour of this amazing natural area. Tours will be led by Office for Sustainability interns. Please meet by the picnic tables.

The Humanities Center presents the Language of Man syllabus. Join us, October 3rd in the Humanities Commons at noon for a discussion of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature, directed by Cary Wolfe, a Rice English professor. 

The Humanities Center presents the Language of Man Syllabus. Join Timothy Beal for his talk, “Composting Religion: Genesis and Humus Being” followed by a workshop on translating Genesis. The event will tak place in the Humanities Commons on October 8th from noon to 1:30PM. 

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, October 11
@ sunset

Jenkins Greek Theater
422 Westhampton Way 
University of Richmond

October 16, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor Tour

Join us in the Eco-Corridor for a tour of this amazing natural area. Tours will be led by Office for Sustainability interns. Please meet by the picnic tables.

October 16, 12:30 - 1:15 p.m. | Entrance of Gottwald - Facing the Lake

In celebration of Richmond Tree Week, join us for a campus tree tour!

Come learn about native, ornamental, and exotic tree species on the University of Richmond’s beautiful, award-winning campus. The tour will be led by Natural Areas Steward Joseph Day and Tree Campus Intern Emery Elkinson. The tour should last about 45 minutes. Comfortable shoes are suggested. 

Below are the dates and times of the tours:

• Wednesday, October 16, 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
• Thursday, October 17, 9:00 – 9:45 a.m.

October 17, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Visit goats and sheep in the Eco-Corridor and hear from RVA Goats why these animals are a sustainable solution to natural areas management.

October 17, 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. | Entrance of Gottwald - Facing the Lake

In celebration of Richmond Tree Week, join us for a campus tree tour!

Come learn about native, ornamental, and exotic tree species on the University of Richmond’s beautiful, award-winning campus. The tour will be led by Natural Areas Steward Joseph Day and Tree Campus Intern Emery Elkinson. The tour should last about 45 minutes. Comfortable shoes are suggested. 

Below are the dates and times of the tours:

• Wednesday, October 16, 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
• Thursday, October 17, 9:00 – 9:45 a.m.

This trip was rescheduled from September 27 to October 18 due to weather.

October 18, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

Join the Office for Sustainability interns for a hike at Pocahontas State Park! We will leave at 11:00 a.m. and return to campus by 2:00 p.m.

Registration is required. Please visit our Eventbrite page to sign up. 

October 23, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Entrance of Gottwald - Facing the Lake

Come learn about native, ornamental, and exotic tree species on the University of Richmond’s beautiful, award-winning campus. The tour will be led by Natural Areas Steward Joseph Day and Tree Campus Intern Emery Elkinson. The tour should last about 45 minutes. Comfortable shoes are suggested.

October 23, 5:00 p.m. | Gottwald Auditorium

Dr. Gary Machlis
University Professor of Environmental Sustainability, Clemson University

October 25, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Handshake

Join Career Services Friday, October 25 for one of two 40 minute sessions with Kristen Banks, ’14. Banks is the sustainability strategy senior manager for PepsiCo Foods North America where she focuses on climate change, water, sustainable packaging, and sustainable agriculture. 

Register through Handshake: https://richmond.joinhandshake.com/stu/events/1636841 

October 30, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor Tour

Join us in the Eco-Corridor for a tour of this amazing natural area. Tours will be led by Office for Sustainability interns. Please meet by the picnic tables.

October 30, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Entrance of Gottwald - Facing the Lake

Come learn about native, ornamental, and exotic tree species on the University of Richmond’s beautiful, award-winning campus. The tour will be led by Natural Areas Steward Joseph Day and Tree Campus Intern Emery Elkinson. The tour should last about 45 minutes. Comfortable shoes are suggested.

November 1, 12:30 - 3:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor

Join us in the Eco-Corridor to pull invasive species and learn more about the species that exist in Virginia and beyond.

November 13, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor Tour

Join us in the Eco-Corridor for a tour of this amazing natural area. Tours will be led by Office for Sustainability interns. Please meet by the picnic tables.

November 15, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. | Zoom | Register in Advance

Interested in a career in sustainability? Don’t know what options are out there? You’re not alone!

Join our Green Pathways: Discovering Environmental Careers event on November 15, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. to hear from UR alumni with jobs in the sustainability field. We will start with a panel of alumni and will then break out into mini-sessions so that participants can ask our speakers questions about their roles.

These are the amazing panelists who will be joining us:

• Carroll Courtenay, Staff Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center in Virginia
• McKenna Dunbar, Community Engagement Coordinator at the Sierra Club
• Anna Haight, Ranch Operations Specialist at Kateri
• Elizabeth Halasz, Ecology Assistant at Mid-Atlantic I&M Network

This event will be held over Zoom. Register now, and a Zoom link will be sent out in advance.

November 13 - 15 | Various Locations

• Wednesday, November 13 | Georef-a-thon of Old Sanborn Maps
  • Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM
  • Location: Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL), International Center Room 300
  • Sign-Up: Georef-a-thon Registration

Join us for a hands-on challenge as teams of 4-5 students compete to georeference historic Sanborn maps on OldInsuranceMaps.net! After a brief demonstration of georeferencing techniques, teams will work to accurately georeference maps, with a prize for the winning team.

Background: Sanborn Maps, originally used for insurance purposes, are some of the most detailed historical records of buildings and parcels in the U.S. By georeferencing them, we bring these maps into the digital age, supporting meaningful research projects on and off campus.

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• Friday, November 15 | GIS Day Celebration with Speakers LaToya Gray-Sparks and Maggie Cawley
• Time: 2:00 - 4:00 PM
• Location: Jepson Lecture Hall

This main event includes announcements of competition winners (cake decorating, “bad maps,” and georef-a-thon), a brief overview of GIS at UR, and two outstanding speakers:

• LaToya Gray-Sparks (UR GIS Certificate Program alum), Community Outreach Director at Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources and affiliate faculty at VCU’s African American Studies Department. LaToya’s 2021 ESRI StoryMap “Planned Destruction” highlighted the historical devaluation of neighborhoods in Downtown Richmond and the impact on the African American community.

• Maggie Cawley (UR ‘03), Executive Director of OpenStreetMap US, oversees one of the largest open-source geospatial databases worldwide. She’ll discuss OpenStreetMap’s impact and her career path in GIS.

Note: Cake competition voting will be open from 2:00 - 2:30 PM, with winners announced at the end of the talks.

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• GIS Day Cake Decorating Competition
• Time: Cakes due at 2:00 PM; winner announced at 3:45 PM
• Location: Jepson Lecture Hall
• Sign-Up: Cake Competition Registration

Bring your cake decorating skills to the table! Cakes will be judged based on design, theme, and overall appeal. The winner(s) will receive a prize, and afterward, we’ll all enjoy the delicious creations together!

November 18 - 22

Ecochallenge is run in coordination with International Education Week, a weeklong event where the UR community hosts local and global environmental leaders for thoughtful conversations and programming here on campus. Check out the IE Week schedule to find ways to engage in this year’s topic of: Pura Vida: Costa Rica.

For more information, visit: https://international.richmond.edu/events-programs/ie-week/costa-rica/index.html 

November 18 - 22

Join the Ecochallenge to participate in a weeklong event that features engaging programming and personal actions that you can take to improve sustainable practices in your daily life and make our campus a greener place for all. 

Individuals and teams that earn the most points by the end of the week will win awesome prizes! We look forward to providing you with ways to:

• 🙌 Connect with green students, staff, and faculty
• 🌄 Discover amazing opportunities to get involved with sustainable initiatives across campus
• 🌱 Find new ways to incorporate environmental practices into your daily life
• 😃 Have fun competing in this weeklong competition across campus
  
  

Register now! https://ur.ecochallenge.org/ 

November 19 | 4:30 p.m. | International Center Commons

Milena Cambronero
Lecturer in Natural Resource Management, The School for Field Studies (SFS), Costa Rica
"Do Costa Rican forest fragments in community-managed water protection areas serve as a refuge for endangered mammals?”
Co-sponsored with the Office of International Education

December 4, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Eco-Corridor Tour

Join us in the Eco-Corridor for a tour of this amazing natural area. Tours will be led by Office for Sustainability interns. Please meet by the picnic tables.