Annual Events
Sustainability Social (Fall)
Every fall, Sustainable Carolina hosts a Sustainability Social in the Student Union’s Gift Plaza. Environmentally-focused student organizations, community organizations and staff working in sustainability table at this event.
By having a variety of groups tabling, we hope students can see just how interconnected sustainability initiatives are at Carolina. When you have big goals for improving campus sustainability, it requires a great deal of collaboration and partnership.
The 2023 Social will be Wednesday, September 13 from 9 am – 12:30 pm.
Earth Week (Spring)
In the week leading up to Earth Day (April 22), Sustainable Carolina hosts and participates in events on campus. Dates for the following events will be announced in the spring.
Research Symposium
Researchers from across UNC-Chapel Hill schools and departments join us for lightning talks at Wilson Library Pleasants Family Assembly Room.
Watch the 2023 talks on YouTube.
Campus Cleanup
Working with UNC Environmental Health and Safety’s Department of Environmental Affairs – Stormwater, Sustainable Carolina identifies an area along one of our campus creeks in need of a clean up. Any student, staff or faculty member is invited to participate. We provide trash grabbers, trash bags, gloves and neon vests.
Festival on the Green Roof
The Festival on the Green Roof is Sustainable Carolina’s signature Earth Day event, held for the first time in 2022. The day is a celebration of all the great work students do here on campus to push sustainability forward. In 2022, UNC Libraries brought out its button maker and campus recreation brought out some lawn games. UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling (OWRR) and Carolina Dining Services (CDS) also attended to share information on sustainability. Students attending could get a free Earth Day t-shirt and Maple View ice cream.
Earth Day T-shirt Design Contest
Our Earth Day t-shirts are designed by a Carolina student. Our t-shirt design contest for Earth Day 2024 will open in December 2023. See our special events page for more information.
Battle Grove BioBlitz
Together with UNC Department of Biology and Edible Campus, the Battle Grove BioBlitz gives students a chance to observe and track wildlife around a daylighted stream on campus. In 2016, Battle Grove regenerative stormwater conveyance project brought life back to a piped tributary of the Battle Branch Stream. The area is now a Certified Bird Friendly Habitat, filled with native plants.
Partner Events
Orange County Creek Week
Orange County Creek Week celebrates the streams, lakes and rivers that connect our human and non-human communities. The week-long series includes cleanups, invasive plant removal green infrastructure tours and more. Sustainable Carolina partners with UNC Exercise and Sports Science Lifetime Fitness classes to bring students on guided creek tours.
UNC Science Expo
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center hosts the UNC Science Expo, an annual celebration of science with hands-on activities and demonstrations led by STEM students, researchers and practitioners from UNC-Chapel Hill. The next UNC Science Expo will be in April 2024.
Earth Day Farmers’ Market
Carolina Dining Services’ (CDS) Earth Day Farmers’ Market features local food and craft vendors in the pit. The next Earth Day Farmers’ Market will be in April 2024.
Celebration of Undergraduate Research
The Celebration of Undergraduate Research is a research symposium held at UNC-Chapel Hill at the end of each spring semester. Undergraduate students from across disciplines present at poster sessions, which highlight group and individual projects. Sustainable Carolina awards three prizes for excellence in sustainability research at the event.
May the Wheels be with You
UNC Transportation and Parking celebrates National Bike Month every May with free bike checks from local mechanics, swag and campus bicycle registration. The group also promotes its Commuter Alternative Program (CAP) at this event.