Who said it ain’t easy being green?

Every April 22 is Earth Day, but Earth Day lasts all month! Sustainability month is going on now and features dozens of great events. This years’ theme is “conserving every ecosystem, caring for every creature.” 

From on-campus films to tree planting, the ultimate list will guide you to all the free events (and some paid events) in Buffalo and encourage you to touch some grass while you’re at it! 

All month 

• Happening throughout the month of April is the WNY Earth Day challenge. It consists of attending events and submitting pictures of yourself completing green activities. There are 34 possible sustainability-centered prizes, including a $50 Savers gift card.  
• Buffalo AKG’s exhibit, “From these Hands/De Etas Manos,” features drawings on reclaimed produce boxes to depict the labor of his fellow farmworkers. 
  • Where? Buffalo AKG Art Museum
  • When? Until April 26 
  • Cost? $16 for College Students

April 9 

• UB WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) shares faculty research on sustainability initiatives and climate change. Free coffee and breakfast. 
  • Where? Salvadore Lounge in Davis Hall 
  • When? 9-10 a.m.
• Try Vegan Ice Cream with the UB Vegan Club! Enjoy many brands and flavors, while playing jackbox games. 
  • Where? Student Union 222 Learning Lab
  • When? 7-8:30 p.m.
• UB Parking and Transportation Services, Campus Livingand University Police are providing free bicycle maintenance to celebrate UB Bike Day. This will also occur on (date 2 and location) and (date 3 and location).  
  • Where? The Commons
  • When? 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

April 10

• Join Daniel Seiders, landscape and architectural planner, as he talks about the history of the lawn and easier ways to maintain your own. 
  • Where? Zoom
  • When? Noon

April 12

• UB’s Romance Languages and Literature department is hosting a movie night (part of its ongoing film series) where viewers can watch “Les glanuers et la glaneuse” (The Gleaners and I), a French film focused on farming and food production. 
  • Where? 904 Clemens Hall
  • When? 3-4:30 p.m.

April 15

• The Lorax said, “Let it Grow.” and so did the Student Association! Join the Student Association and plant Bonsai Trees. 
  • Where? Student Union 145
  • When? Noon-3 p.m.

April 16

• “Trás-os-Montes” is the next movie in the RLL’s film series. It’s a Portuguese film following a pilgrim’s path traced by the film’s producers in search of the essence of the Portuguese language. 
  • Where? 904 Clemens Hall
  • When? 4-6 p.m.

April 17

• Learn more about local pollinators and give space for native plants to grow on campus with Engineers for a Sustainable World. 
  • Where? Baldy 206
  • When? 4-5 p.m.

April 19

• UB’s Outdoor Adventure club strikes again as they go on a two-night backpacking trip on the 25-mile-long Finger Lakes Trail. 
  • Where? Allegany State Park
  • When? April 19-21

April 20

• Bring your binoculars and join UB’s Audubon club birdwatching at the Tifft Nature Preserve. Binoculars are encouraged. RSVP: UBLinked
  • Where? 1200 Furman Blvd, Buffalo
  • When? 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Looking for another overnight getaway? Join the Student Association on a two night trip to the Halburton Forest. Email saevents@buffalo.edu for more information!
  • Where? 1095 Redkenn Road, Haliburton, Ontario, CN
  • When? Friday, April 19 2024 at 3 p.m. to Sunday, April 21 2024 at 5 p.m.

April 21

• Head over to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens for their “Plants around the Planet - Earth Day Celebration” to eat some honey while learning about rescue bees and gardening.
  • Where? Buffalo Botanical Gardens
  • When? 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Cost? $15 for Students
• Cut and shrub branches and maintain planted trees on Tifft Stewardship Volunteer Day. 
  • Where? Tifft Nature Preserve
  • When? 9 a.m.-noon 

April 22

• Libraries aren’t just for books. Now you can check out a plant! Head over to the Silverman Library to plant seeds or grab a plant to go. 
  • Where? Third floor in Silverman Library
  • When? Noon-2 p.m.
• Join UB Sustainability and the University Climate Action Plan leaders as they provide an update on how UB is building a sustainable future. 
  • Where? Center for the Arts Mainstage
  • When? 8:30-10 a.m.

April 24

• RLL Film Series. “Dry” Dir. Paolo Virzi, 2022. Italian with English subtitles. This apocalyptic eco-drama will have you and your brain on the edge of your seat. The film tells of a three-year drought impacting Rome with a narrative filled with twists and turns.
  • Where? 904 Clemens Hall
  • When? 4 p.m. 

April 25

• The screening of "Dry" is accompanied by a guest lecture from Prof. Elena Past from Wayne State University, "Desiccated Cities, Flourishing Cities: Urban Italy in the Anthropocene." 
  • Where? Center for the Arts 112 
  • When? 4 p.m. 

April 27

• Take a trip off-campus and head over to Tifft Nature preserve for their Earth Day Market. There will be vendors with food and a book swap. 
  • Where? Tifft Nature Preserve
  • When? 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
  • Cost? Suggested $15-25 for vendors

April 29

• Take a guided hike with ambassador Kay Kennedy as UB’s Women in STEM in Letchworth Park. 
  • Where? Meet in Red Jacket Lot 
  • When? 4-5 p.m. 

April 30

• RLL Film Series. “Sunú—Mexican Maize Farmers” Dir. Teresa Camou, 2015. Spanish with English Subtitles. The film tells the story of different Mexican maize producers all in a threatened rural world.
  • Where? 904 Clemens Hall
  • When? 4 p.m.- 5 p.m.

  The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com 

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