This year's Earth Day theme is "Our Power, Our Planet." There are loads of ways to get involved on and around campus this April.
Check out the schedule below! It will be updated as the month progresses.
Have an event to share? Email us.
All Month
Survey: Help Shape a Zero Waste Campus at UMN!
Survey: What Could a UMN Climate School Be?
Tuesday, April 1st - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025
Campus Conservation Challenge - Organized by the UMN Office of Sustainability, compete between residential halls from April 1 - April 22, 2025 (Earth Day) to win a trophy for your hall, as well as INDIVIDUAL PRIZE PACKS with UMN merch, tech gadgets and school supplies for 10 lucky participants!
Thursday, April 3rd, 2025
10:00-11:00am: Sustainability & Art - Bird Strike Mitigation with Christine Baeumler, Erin Jordahl, and Jolie Schrage. This session will explore a new art installation that aims to prevent bird strikes on campus! Each year, one billion birds in the US die when they collide with glass windows and doors. These collisions occur because birds have trouble perceiving glass as a solid object and often fly into it when habitat or sky is either reflected or is visible through glass on the other side. Join us to explore creative potential solutions to decreasing bird strikes on campus. Learn more about our bird safety initiatives on campus.
Friday, April 4th, 2025
9–10:30 pm: April Star Party at the Bell Museum for FREE! Outside, they'll have telescopes set up to observe deep space objects (weather permitting). Inside, you can explore hands-on activities, and travel through the night sky in our planetarium.
Sunday, April 6th, 2025
3-6:00pm: Movies Made (right) Here: Little Big League at Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power Street, Minneapolis. Free entry and free parking for all ages!
Tuesday, April 8th, 2025
11:00am-5:00pm: Nutritious U free pantry at Coffman Memorial Union (Room 103A)
Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
11:00am-5:00pm: Nutritious U free pantry at Coffman Memorial Union (Room 103A)
6:30pm-8:00pm: Pop-Up Dance Party at Bryant Square Park
Friday, April 11th, 2025
11:00am-4:30pm: Sustainability Symposium (hybrid), cohosted by UMC Center for Sustainability, UMD Office of Sustainability, UMM Office of Sustainability, UMR Raptor Trails, UMTC Office of Sustainability, and the Institute on the Environment.
5:30pm-9:00pm: Wall-E; A Clean and Green Movie Night at Longfellow Park. Address: 3435 36th Ave South Minneapolis MN 55406. $5 resident/ $10 non-resident.
Saturday, April 12th, 2025
8-10:00am: Sensory Friendly Saturday at the Bell Museum. Experience their Minnesota Journey gallery, temporary exhibits, the Touch & See Lab, and a brief planetarium show—all with lowered lighting, quieter sounds, and fewer visitors.
Sunday, April 13th, 2025
3:00pm-6:00pm: Dancing in the Pavilion: Salsa with Erika Cianciaruso at Nicollet Island Pavilion. Address: Nicollet Island Park 40 Power St Minneapolis MN 55401.
Monday, April 14th, 2025
3:00pm-7:30pm: Spring Garden Seed Giveaway at Elliot Park. Stop in the building at Elliot park for some free seeds to start your garden! We'll have a variety of vegetables and flowers available. There is a limit of 10 packets per person, and we'll give away until they're gone. Free for all ages!
Tuesday, April 15th, 2025
6-8:00pm: Bell Museum Petri Dish – Extinction: How did we end up in a world with only a single human species?
Explore issues surrounding treatments and research of rare disorders with a panel of University of Minnesota experts in the field.
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
12:00pm: Webinar: Science, emotions, and climate action: Project Drawdown is hosting a webinar on the emotional toll of climate change and how taking care of your mental health is essential for moving from apathy to action. Attendees will hear the latest from experts on climate science, health, and education, including Kate Marvel, Ph.D., Larissa Dooley, Ph.D., and Project Drawdown Managing Director Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D. Register now to attend live or be notified when a recording is available.
5:30-7:00pm Environmental Policy & Advocacy Workshop: Building a Greener Future, hosted at the St. Paul Student Center by Undergraduate Student Engagement's Government and Legislative Affairs Team. This engaging event is designed to educate and inspire students as we explore advocating for environmental policy and its effective outcomes. The event will include a local lobbyist, a student panel on environmental policy, and fun hands-on activities. Register
Thursday, April 17th, 2025
11:00am-5:00pm: Nutritious U free pantry at St. Paul Student Center (Harvest Room)
5:00-7:00pm: Earth Month Sustainability Research & Technology Student Forum in the UMN RecWell Beacon Room. Join us for an Earth Month conversation and panel discussion hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government and the UMN Office of Sustainability! Hear from local professionals in the fields of sustainability, climate, and clean energy including UMN alumni. The event is open to all UMN students. Food provided! Network with professionals and peers, connect with sustainability focused student groups, learn about career opportunities, and explore USG sustainability opportunities. REGISTER | Poster
Panelists:
- Shane Stennes (UMN Chief Sustainability Officer)
- Nina Axelson (Founder & President, Grid Catalyst; UMN alum)
- Dr. Annabel Watts (Managing Director, NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers, UMN)
- Zahra Lliff (CEO of Vessyll; UMN alum)
- Andrew Jones (CEO & Co-Founder, Carba)
7:00-8:30pm: Community Sing-A-Long at Loring Park. Address: Loring Park 1382 Willow St Minneapolis MN 55403
Friday, April 18th, 2025
2:30pm: Grab tickets for a limited, special showing of Secrets from a Forest. The Bell Museum is excited to share Secrets from a Forest, the original planetarium production, has received the Best Feature Film at the 2025 Best of Earth Fulldome Film Awards. The show invites audiences to experience the connection between sound and nature as they travel through the Paneveggio Forest, home to the “singing” spruce and source of wood for the Stradivarius Violin.
Saturday, April 19th, 2025
9:30am-12:00pm: Earth Day Cleanup at various sites in Minneapolis. The Earth Day Clean-Up has become the largest community service project in Minneapolis and takes place at more than 40 clean-up sites throughout the city. Since 2008, more than 23,000 residents have removed more than 165,000 pounds of garbage from parks and waterways. Learn more here!
Monday, April 21st, 2025
5:00-6:00pm: Earth Day Fest 2025, hosted on Zoom by the UMN Center for Climate Literacy (Register)
6:00-7:00pm: Earth Day Walk Along the Mississippi River with UMN ESA
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025
11:00am-5:00pm: Nutritious U free pantry at Coffman Memorial Union (Room 103A)
4:00-7:00pm: Environmental Student Association & UMN Outdoors Club: Trash pickup, clothing swap, outdoor games, snacks, and more at East River Flats. More info
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025
11:00am-5:00pm: Nutritious U free pantry at Coffman Memorial Union (Room 103A)
12:00-3:00pm: UMN Arbor Day 2025 at The Lawn, St. Paul Campus. A hands-on tree planting event in one of the largest green spaces on the St. Paul campus! UMN Landcare, UFOR Lab, the Forestry Club, Tree Ascension Group (TAG), and the Science and Engineering Student Board will team up to plant trees and demonstrate best practices. Students from Urban Forest Management (FNRM 4501/5501) will lead a "bioblitz" to collect tree data for UMN Landcare’s inventory, and TAG will host tree climbing opportunities open to all. Come watch, help plant, or give climbing a try!
Thursday, April 24th, 2025
5:30pm-7:30pm: Spring Family Night at Harrison Park. Come as a family to enjoy spring activities together at the rec center! Play kickball, enjoy double dutch, decorate a cookie, paint rocks and more! Fun for the whole family!
Friday, April 25th, 2025
4:00pm-8:00pm: Arbor Day event at Kenny Park! Celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree or participating in tree-related activities! More information here!
Saturday, April 26th, 2025
All day: Free entrance to all Minnesota state parks! One of the four days each year that all Minnesota state parks and state recreation areas offer free admission to everyone - no vehicle permits needed.
10:00am–2:00pm Bell Museum New exhibit: Imagine the Future Opening celebration.
Save the date for the opening day celebration of our redesigned Imagine the Future gallery. The new exhibition invites visitors to learn about climate change in Minnesota and find hope—and inspiration—in the ways people are taking action to foster a better tomorrow.
10:00am–2:00pm Arbor Day at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Rain or shine!
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tree Discovery Zone | Great Hall
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Art in the Arboretum | Reedy Gallery
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Herb Society Pop-up
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Scavenger Hunt for All Ages | Info Desk
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tree Giveaways | Dahlberg Welcoming Terrace (Weather Backup: Great Hall)
- 10:30-11 a.m. StoryTime | Andersen Horticultural Library
- 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Guided Tree Walks | Dahlberg Terrace
- 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Arbor Day Indoor Picnic | Rootstock
Sunday, April 27th, 2025
10:00am-4:00pm: Nicollet Island Spring Market at Nicollet Island Pavilion. Discover 50 local vendors offering handcrafted goods, artisan foods, and one-of-a-kind treasures perfect for springtime.
4:00pm: Annual Stormwater Cleanup with Campus Cleanup Crew
🌱 Shape Sustainability Stories at UMN
📣 We want to hear from you! Help us better understand what kinds of sustainability stories and social media content are most useful, engaging, and exciting to our campus community. The short survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and is open to all. Enter your email at the end for a chance to win a $25 Visa gift card!
Thanks for helping us build a stronger, more connected sustainability community at the U! Learn more
"Illicit discharges are considered 'illicit' because MS4s are not designed to accept, process, or discharge such non-stormwater wastes." (EPA) As water runs down the street into storm drains, contaminated with illicit discharge (such as cigarette butts, trash, salt, vehicle fluids, or yard waste) from the street, it flows back down through the stormwater system and back into the river. Learn how you can help or report illicit discharge on campus.
Collective action works—and this spring’s Campus Conservation Competition proved it. Over 140 students across 11 residence halls joined the effort to reduce energy use, and the results were clear: small actions added up to real, measurable change. Students led the charge, raising awareness and cutting consumption in just three weeks. The numbers speak for themselves! Read more
Facilities Management staff: Join us for an Electric Vehicle Test Drive event!
Test drive hybrid and fully electric vehicles that could fit your department's needs. Fleet Services and Office of Sustainability staff will be onsite to answer your questions.
Wednesday, May 7th, 11:00am - 1:30pm
Fleet Services (901 29th Ave SE, Minneapolis)
Refreshments provided!
Share this event: z.umn.edu/EVtestdrive
The UMN Office of Sustainability and Campus Cleanup Crew are joining for a Stormwater Cleanup event focused on protecting our environment and keeping campus beautiful. Taking place at Knoll Park outside Peik Hall, we invite students to learn about stormwater's impact while taking direct action through litter cleanup. It's the perfect way to give back and get involved! 🌎
Not sure where your waste goes on campus? You’re not alone. The University of Minnesota is working to divert 90% of waste from landfills through recycling and composting. Nearly 60% of trash could be sorted better—your choices matter. Want to help UMN go zero waste? Get involved and join the conversation today. Learn more and take the survey.
April is Earth Month! Check out our frequently updated list of events to get involved. Check it out.
Have an event to share? Email us.
In 2024, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities achieved 9,864,660 kilowatt hours in electricity savings, surpassing the highest level of conservation goal set by Xcel Energy. That’s enough electricity to power 1,100 average Minnesota homes for a year and avoid 7.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions. As a result of our efforts through energy projects on campus, the University received $724,815 in rebates, plus an additional $147,246 for reaching our goal. The rebate ultimately goes back into a cycle within the University, allowing us to continue investing in energy reduction and working to reduce our energy use. The pie chart below highlights where these savings came from, with Lighting (35%) and HVAC (24%) contributing the most. Thanks to Energy Management and all who support these efforts!
Do you have input regarding the University of Minnesota Twin Cities' Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program?