\n\tBy SHANNON O. WELLS<\/p>\n
\n\tPitt Sustainability\u2019s Earth Month, rooted in the 56-year-old Earth Day celebrated annually on April 22, is enhanced by spring warmth and colorfully popping vegetation, but planning for campus events and activities requires significant thought and action.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFor Earth Month preparation, we started much earlier this year than previous years that I\u2019ve been here,\u201d said Laura Jellum, assistant director of marketing and communications in the Office of Finance and Operations. \u201cWe started in late fall (2025) and basically put together a committee to talk about Earth Month events and worked through that process over the next couple months to solidify the Earth Month calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBy late winter-early spring, Earth Month planning moves to the front burner for Jellum and others, including Emily Potoczny, the Office of Sustainability\u2019s engagement manager.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCertainly, by March we\u2019ve confirmed all our events and details. We create basically a big calendar of what\u2019s going on \u2026 and then launch it the week before April starts,\u201d Jellum said. \u201cThis year we really tried to \u2014 instead of creating a lot of new events \u2014 work with what was already happening, especially looking at what\u2019s been popular in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tJellum said for her, Earth Month events provide \u201cthe opportunity to look at our community and our neighborhood with fresh eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCollaborators with Pitt Sustainability on events and activities include Student Affairs, Community Engagement and Health Sciences, among others.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s really kind of an inter-departmental effort for us to make sure that we are covering as many events as possible,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs a result, Earth Month 2026 offers numerous opportunities to get involved across campus, from the Eco Artisans Showcase<\/a> and Arbor Day celebrations that happened earlier this month to the Pitt Sustainability Awards and Spring Sustainability Symposium on April 24 and the academic year wrap-up, \u201cMove Out Clean Out\u201d (formerly \u201cClutter for a Cause\u201d), from April 29 through May 3.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFor this year, there were actually a couple of new things,\u201d Jellum noted, including the Health Sciences Sustainability Film Festival on April 3 (click here<\/a> for winners and finalists), and the Eco Artisans Art Fair put on by the Student Office of Sustainability.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s basically creating art out of environmentally friendly or repurposed materials,\u201d Jellum said, noting there\u2019s a \u201chuge, cool display over at William Pitt Union of all the art that\u2019s been created.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPitt also renewed its Tree Campus certification from the\u00a0Arbor Day Foundation by meeting the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education:<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tEstablishing a campus tree advisory committee<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDeveloping a campus tree care plan<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDedicating annual expenditures for tree care<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tObserving Arbor Day\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSponsoring service-learning projects, such as campus Tree Treks<\/a> and \u201cTrees as Social Determinants of Health\u201d talk.<\/p>\n \n\tSustainability also collaborated with the Center for Creativity on a vinyl banner reworking workshop that involved transforming vinyl banners into tote bags and other items. \u201cAnything that\u2019s kind of cool and tactile are usually very popular,\u201d Jellum said.<\/p>\n \n\tArbor Day activities on April 16 included a Tree Walk and a talk about why trees are important to our health.<\/p>\n \n\tUpcoming events<\/p>\n \n\tEarth Month events still to come include the Environmental Discourse Speakeasy and University Club Terrace Planting<\/a>, from 4 to 6 p.m. April 21, from 4-6 p.m. in the University Club\u2019s Gold Room and Terrace.<\/p>\n \n\tConvening to advance strategies for effective environmental communication and drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, the Environmental Discourse Working Group<\/a> developed a shared set of key words aimed to deepen the Pitt community\u2019s collective understanding of sustainability.<\/p>\n \n\tThe event will offer insights from the sessions and information about future directions. Guests are then invited to continue the conversation on the Terrace from 5 to 6 p.m. for an herb planting and complimentary plant\u2011based happy hour. Herbs will be planted in compostable pots for participants to take home and grow through the summer. Reserve your spot at\u00a0bit.ly\/SpringSpeakeasy2026.<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThose who want to get a jump on Earth Day itself can celebrate Earth Day Eve at the University Club<\/a> on April 21 through a full day of what Sustainability calls \u201cengaging, feel-good experiences\u201d centered on wellness, sustainability and community, including hands-on kitchen workshops and fresh samplings to \u201cenergizing movement sessions and relaxing rooftop moments.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe annual Pitt Sustainability Awards ceremony and Spring Student Sustainability Symposium<\/a> will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 24, in the William Pitt Union.<\/p>\n \n\tThe annual event, which started in 2015, recognizes Pitt faculty, staff, students and groups who make an \u201cextraordinary impact\u201d on campus sustainability, Pitt Sustainability said, demonstrating their impact in one or more categories of the Pitt Sustainability Plan \u2014 Stewardship, Exploration, and\/or Community and Culture \u2014 via \u201cideas, talents and passions that contribute to a thriving culture of sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThis year\u2019s events are:<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t9-9:30 a.m.: Continental breakfast and welcoming remarks (Lower Lounge)<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t9:45-11:50 a.m.: Concurrent student presentations in the Kurtzman Room, Assembly Room, and Ballroom<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNoon-1:30 p.m.: Lunch and Pitt Sustainability Awards program (Lower Lounge)<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t1:45-3 p.m.: Networking session<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOur Pitt Sustainability awards are a really big deal for us every year,\u201d Jellum noted. \u201cEach April we honor people across the University for their achievements and contributions to sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n \tCleanup time<\/p>\n \n\tToward the end of Earth Month, Pitt Sustainability helps make spring cleaning easy with \u201cMove Out Clean Out!\u201d<\/a> (formerly \u201cClutter for a Cause\u201d) from April 29 through May 3. Items including furniture, electronics and decor are collected and donated to various organizations.<\/p>\n \n\tStudents can drop off clean, usable dorm essentials at donation stations across campus, keeping usable items out of landfills and putting them to use for those who need them. Also, this year shoppers can buy donated items on the spot at the Schenley Quad Tent during open hours.<\/p>\n \n\tThe donated items go to Thriftsburgh and other nonprofits across Pittsburgh, Jellum said, noting the popular event was rebranded \u201cbecause we didn\u2019t think the name described what the event was .\u2026 Move Out, Clean Out seemed a little bit more straightforward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDonation stations include the following:<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSchenley Quad Tent (between Amos and McCormick halls)<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tLitchfield Towers Lobby (across from Panther Central)<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSutherland Hall Tent (in the Sutherland Hall “U” Parking Lot behind the building)<\/p>\n \n\tClick here<\/a> to volunteer.<\/p>\n \n\tNoting Earth Day\u2019s continued resonance since the inaugural one in July 1970, Jellum said the concept \u201creally resonated\u201d with her when she first heard of it while in elementary school.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was one of the first events that I knew of, as a young person who eventually became an environmentalist, that celebrated the Earth and why it was important to us,\u201d she said. \u201cIt felt like kind of a no-brainer to me when I first heard about it. And I\u2019m really happy that it has become more part of our lexicon.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDespite ongoing environmental and climate-related challenges, she said the event remains vital and effective as a portal to education, awareness and involvement.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe are hopefully thinking about what our impact is on the planet and how it can change for the better if we practice better habits and activities and just appreciate what we have around us,\u201d she said. \u201cI think Pitt has a beautiful campus, lots of nature and obviously trees, and we take good care of how our campus looks in an urban environment.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at\u00a0shannonw@pitt.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHave a story idea or news to share?\u00a0Share<\/a>\u00a0it with the University Times.<\/p>\n