Someone spilled yellow paint all over the University at Buffalo and now it’s green. This isn’t breaking news, but rather an opportunity to tell all about the greenest month of all. April!
Here is one FREE “green” thing to do each day from now until the end of April to celebrate sustainability month.
**Please note some of these events require booking in advance.
April 9 — Check Out Book from Go Green Collection Spotlight
UB Libraries has selected a slew of books from our collection to learn about the environment. From Bill Gates to Greta Thunberg, all the bases are covered. There’s no better time to check out a book to read throughout the month and get in the Earth Day spirit.
April 10 — Learning About Plant Life**
7-8 p.m.
Alt Nature Center
Head over to Alt Nature Preserve in Grand Island to learn about the importance of creating habitat. This is a great way to connect with like-minded people and explore a new area.
April 11 — Visit Buffalo’s First Zero Waste Store
736 Elmwood Avenue
Little Salmon is Buffalo’s first zero waste store. Founders Tracey Wei and Mike Mahoney grew tired of feeling isolated in their low consumption mindset. They founded the store with hopes they could give back to the community. Built on a circular model, the store has refillable products from shampoo to all-purpose cleaner.
April 12 — Woodland Birding**
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Franklin Gulf Park
As the weather (hopefully) gets warmer, birds begin to migrate back to Buffalo. Ranger Nikki keeps an eye and ear out for these birds at Franklin Gulf Park. This is a guided walk with equipment provided.
April 13 — Free Visit to the Erie Botanical Gardens**
12:30-3:30 p.m.
Jarvis Lot
Bask in the greenery at the Erie Botanical Gardens. The Student Association provides free transportation plus admission for undergraduate students.
April 14 — Visit a Thrift Store
What better way to get in the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) than treating yourself to some new clothes? Well, new to you. Last year, the Spectrum ranked Buffalo’s thrift shops. Visit one of them and let us know if our rankings are accurate!
April 15 — Carpool or take the Stampede to Class
A personal vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Reduce your carbon footprint by bonding with your friends and classmates. Maybe there’s someone you’ve been wanting to show a new song to. What better way to do that than by trapping them in the car?
April 16 — Informative Easter Eggs
5 p.m.
Knox 14
The Red Cross is doing a crossover of Earth Day and Easter. In this Easter Egg hunt you will find seeds to plant and fun facts about Earth Day.
April 17 — The Lesser Known Queer History of Plant Science
3:30 p.m.
509 O’Brian Hall and Zoom
Trained plant evolutionary biologist and professor of Women and Gender Studies at Wellesley, Banu Subramaniam, comes to UB. She marries her interests to talk about the violent roots of botanical theories.
April 18 — Calculate your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by your actions. This can be impacted by the number of people in your household, if you drive a personal car, if you smoke etc. See where you’re at by using the carbon footprint calculator linked above. Maybe you’re better than you think and will earn some bragging rights.
April 19 — Guided Walks**
8:30-10 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m.
Reinstein Woods
Just 15 minutes from North Campus lies a nature preserve and environmental education center called Reinstein Woods. This oasis is having an early Earth Day celebration with two guided walks. Registration is required for the morning walk, but not the afternoon.
April 20 — Sign the Renewable Energy Petition
The theme of Earth Month 2025 is renewable energy. Think solar panels and wind turbines. Earthday.org sees this as a way to push back the date of the Earth’s tipping point— the day the Earth can no longer support humanity. As a result, they created a petition urging to triple the use of renewable energy by 2030.
April 21 — Learn About the History of Earth Day from an Expert**
6:30 p.m.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Earth Day started in 1970, but do you ever wonder how? Environmental columnist John Szalasny has the answers at his talk about how Earth Day came to be celebrated in the United States.
April 22 — Celebrate Earth Day at UB
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
SU 215 Social Hall
The Student Association is hosting Earth Day related activities in the Student Union. Earth Day falls on a Tuesday and we know you’re busy. This is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day in between classes!
April 23 — Check out a Plant
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Third Floor, Silverman Library
Celebrate with convenience as UB Libraries provides soil and seeds right at the Silverman Library. Plant a seed during your study break, or grab a plant to take home.
April 24 — South Campus Gardening
3-5 p.m.
Meet at Abbott Main Entrance
Overflowing with herbs and other greenery, the new wildflower beds added an element of freshness to UB’s South Campus. Join the UB Sustainability initiative to care for these beds. Bring your hands and an hour or less of your time for this initiative.
April 25 — Do a Craft
This isn’t the arts desk, but there are plenty of crafts on Tik Tok and Pinterest with great ways to reuse everything from toilet paper rolls to wine bottles.
April 26 — UB Day of Service**
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Baldy Lobby
What better way to celebrate the Earth than by improving it (and eating free food)? Sign up as a group or individually to improve the community of Buffalo. Volunteers receive free breakfast, lunch and transportation. Register by April 20, 2025.
April 27 — Attend a Free Screening of The Lorax at Shea’s**
1 p.m.
Shea’s Buffalo
Sing some show tunes and watch a Dr. Seuss favorite fitted for Earth Day. This screening is a part of Shea’s Buffalo free family film series. Tickets are limited (but still free).
April 28 — Go Vegetarian for the Day
Did you know that 14.5% of carbon emissions come from livestock? Go the extra mile to reduce your carbon footprint by trying out being a vegetarian for the day.
April 29 — Climate Change Lecture
11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
434 Cooke
Straight out of Colorado School of Mines, a research university focused on energy and the environment, Dr. Ryan Venturelli is giving a lecture at UB. He will be speaking about climate change, ice sheet dynamics and the impact of both on our environment.
April 30 — Journal About Your Experience
The best way to raise awareness about something is by remembering and talking about it! You worked hard all month so take a break and write down what you remember from the month. Maybe you’ll tell your kids about the great Earth Month of 2025.
Sophia Stines is a senior features editor and can be found at sophia.stines@ubspectrum.com
Sophia Stines is an assistant features editor.
