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Earth Week 2018: an inclusive celebration of environmentalism

By Joel Bahr

Student holding a sign in one hand and bird in another
Cynthia Zhou and her pigeon Miu during Earth Week’s “Day of Activism” in 2017 (Photo by Colette Cosyn)
Student holding a sign in one hand and bird in another

Cynthia Zhou and her pigeon Miu during Earth Week’s “Day of Activism” in 2017 (Photo by Colette Cosyn)

UC Berkeley’s Earth Week 2018 began yesterday (April 22), the date celebrated internationally as Earth Day since 1970. Here, the effort to expand awareness of environmental issues will fill the whole week with on- and off-campus events focusing on cultivating sustainable foods, divesting from fossil fuels, efforts to slow climate change, zero waste initiatives and the representation of marginalized communities in environmentalism.

The week is organized by the Earth Week Planning Committee, which includes UC Berkeley’s Students Environmental Resource Center (SERC) and dozens of other student organizations working toward sustainability.

Highlights of the week festivities include:

  • Rising Tides, Rising Voices , 6-8 p.m. on Monday, April 23, at Anna Head Alumnae Hall. Learn more about climate change and social justice from this panel of environmental activities and educators who focus on how the environmental movement fights for those most marginalized.
  • Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) Summit , 2:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25, in Chou Hall. Celebrate Cal’s environmental successes and this year’s award winners at the 15th Annual Sustainability Summit, keynoted by Dream Corps CEO Vien Truong.
  • Zero Waste Fair , 12-3 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, in Memorial Glade. Meet the student organizations and campus offices dedicated to achieving zero waste. Games and raffle prizes include a boba tea party outfitted with mason jars and metal boba straws to reduce plastic waste.
  • Food and Cooking Demo , 2-4 p.m. on Friday, April 27, in the Food Pantry in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union. Learn more about how to make simple, plant-based food, how to get more involved with campus gardens, and how to grocery shop sustainably.
  • Annual Spring Plant Sale , 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, April 29, at the UC Botanical Garden. Check out a diverse array of succulents and other drought-tolerant plants from around the world.

“Different environmental groups on campus do so much work throughout the year individually,” says SERC events associate Colette Cosyn. “Earth Week is a way to bring these groups together. It’s a celebration with the entire environmental community at Cal.”

More information on Earth Week festivities can be found at serc.berkeley.edu/earth-week-2018/