BU’s Annual Earth Day Festivals Kick Off Today on Medical Campus

Cast your vote for your favorite dining hall in the annual Chowderfest, one of the many activities that are part of this year’s Charles River Campus Earth Day Festival, Monday, April 22. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

Earth Day is fast approaching—the official observance each year is April 22—and sustainability@BU is once again planning to host two Earth Day festivals, one on the Medical Campus set for today, Thursday, April 18, and another on the Charles River Campus, on Monday, April 22. These events, designed to celebrate our planet and focus on how members of the BU community can have a positive impact on the environment, bring together local businesses, nonprofits, various BU departments, student organizations, and more to take part in interactive and fun activities promoting sustainability. The two festivals also kick off Earth Week, a weeklong series of on-campus events cohosted by groups that include BU Student Government, Metropolitan College, Dining Services, Parking & Transportation Services, and Innovate@BU.

“A lot of people see April as being Earth Month, and then think about maybe being more mindful of their actions in April,” says Lisa Tornatore (CAS’02), BU’s sustainability director, who oversaw the planning for this year’s celebrations. “I think, naturally, people turn to sustainability@BU here on campus to provide some resources and programming around Earth Day that give opportunities to think about their impact on the environment.”

Thursday’s Earth Day Festival on the Medical Campus is happening on the Talbot Green from 11 am to 2 pm and will feature booths staffed by representatives from Better Future Project, Boston Vegetarian Society, Charles River Watershed Association, City Compost, Soli, Solstice, BUMC Information Technology, Metropolitan College’s Gastronomy program, and Innovate@BU, as well as other organizations.

Monday’s Earth Day Festival on the Charles River Campus will be held on the GSU Plaza from 11 am to 2 pm. Visitors can stop by to learn about sustainability-related programming on campus, sample some free clam chowder at the annual Chowderfest, where diners can vote on their favorite chowder, enter giveaways, or purchase fresh produce and local goods at the Farmers Market (vendors will include Eloti Boston, Henna by Heather, Red Fire Farm, and Urban Kitchen Homemade).

New this year is the pop-up aspect of the Earth Day Festival. Throughout the day, members of the BU community are invited to stop by the booths to learn about sustainability, win prizes, get samples and swag, and make new connections.

Other Earth Week festivities will include a Careers in Sustainability “speed dating” event hosted by sustainability@BU on Wednesday, April 24, from 5 to 6 pm in the GSU Alley. Students will be paired with working professionals to learn more about careers in sustainability, from social investing to engineering and everything in between.

On Thursday, April 25, BU Bike Safety and Landry’s Bicycles are hosting a free bike checkup on the GSU Plaza (make sure to sign up for a slot ahead of time). Later that day, members of the BU community 21+ can test their sustainability-themed knowledge at an Earth Week trivia event at Fuller’s BU Pub from 6 to 8:30 pm.

And on Friday, April 26, Dining Services executive chef Christopher Bee will hold a live cooking demonstration using imperfect produce and leftovers at the GSU from noon to 1:30 pm. Attendees will have a chance to learn about BRUZD Foods, an organization that collects imperfect produce from local farms throughout Massachusetts and delivers it to your home, and Food for All, an app that connects users with unsold food at local restaurants to help eliminate food waste.

Other Earth Day–themed events, which can be found in a list called Earth Week+, are taking place throughout the city, and sustainability@BU encourages students to take part in these, as well.

Among the standouts are Grid Transformation, a conference hosted by BU’s Energy Club, on Friday, April 19, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Questrom School of Business. Attendees will have a chance to interact with professionals and academics to learn about trends affecting grid development, such as energy storage, demand response, electrification, and policy changes.

And those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty can help at one of three Charles River cleanups—two on Saturday, April 20, and one on Monday, April 22—hosted by FitRec to celebrate the launch of FitTreks Outdoor Programs. Volunteers will kayak the Charles River, removing litter along the way. On Saturday, April 27, there will be more chances to help in cleanups around Boston, including the Gladeside Urban Wild Clean-Up, hosted by the city of Boston, Greenovate Boston, and Boston Parks and Recreation; the Charlesgate in Bloom fundraiser, hosted by the Charlesgate Alliance; Charles River Cleanup, hosted by the Charles River Watershed Association; and Muddy River Earth Fest, hosted by the Charlesgate Alliance.

Check out the Earth Week+ website for a complete list of lectures, forums, clothing swaps, and more and to find out what you can do this Earth Day.

Earth Week events are happening on the Charles River and Medical Campuses from April 18 to April 26. Follow sustainability@BU on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates to Earth Week programming.

Graduate student Madeleine O’Keefe (CAS’18, COM’19) can be reached at mokeefe@bu.edu; follow her on Twitter @OKeefeMadeleine.