W&L Celebrates Earth Month The campus community will promote sustainability and environmental advocacy with various events throughout the month of April.

By Emily Innes
March 29, 2024

Washington and Lee University is celebrating Earth Month with campus-wide programs and events throughout April to promote sustainable living and environmental advocacy.

The Office of Sustainability and Energy Education (OSEE), which includes the Campus Garden, and the Student Environmental League (SEAL) invite you to take part in several exciting events they have planned throughout the month.

Weigh the Waste | April 4, 5-8 p.m., The Marketplace
To promote awareness about individual food waste, volunteers from SEAL and the Campus Kitchen at W&L will help collect and sort students’ leftovers to weigh the entirety of the waste from one dinner service at the Marketplace. This is the second Weigh the Waste event of the academic year, and it is done in partnership with W&L’s dining services.

PowerDown Challenge | April 5-12
The OSEE is hosting its annual PowerDown Challenge April 5-12, with the first energy conservation competition between Village Apartments residents and the second between residents in Gaines Hall and Graham-Lees Hall. This is the first time first-year students will be able to participate in the challenge, and the winners will receive a custom house plaque that will have the winning residence hall engraved on it. The plaque, which will be made at the IQ Center out of wood taken from a walnut tree that fell down on campus several years ago, will spend the year in the winning dorm and change locations with each future PowerDown Challenge winner. Real-time leaderboard information will be available for both competitions on W&L’s energy dashboard: https://go.wlu.edu/PowerTrip.

Planting for Pollinators! | April 5, 1:30-3 p.m., Campus Garden
Join OSEE at the Campus Garden on April 5 to plant native plants and wildflowers in the designated pollinator garden. It’s the perfect way to wind down from the week and welcome spring. Sign up for a shift at https://go.wlu.edu/PollinatorPlanting.

Regenerative Farm Tour Visit | April 6, 1:30-3 p.m., Raphine, VA
Join SEAL for a trip to Verdant Acres, a regenerative farm in Raphine, Virginia, on April 6. Transportation is provided by SEAL but requires an RSVP: https://linktr.ee/sealwlu.

“Picture Life on Earth” Exhibition Opening Reception | April 9, 5-6 p.m., Leyburn Library
The Museums at W&L and OSEE invite you to the opening reception for “Picture Life on Earth,” a special exhibit of student-selected artworks from the museums’ collections. Students were invited to choose a piece that speaks to how they think about life on Earth and share their reflections on what they find meaningful, hopeful, scary, urgent or joyful. At the opening reception on April 9, students will share the works they chose and why, giving a unique insight into the way they understand their life on Earth.

The W&L Sustainability Sampler | April 10, 1-3 p.m., Science Center Great Hall
Sustainability is a group effort, and this second annual event is the perfect way to see all the different people on campus who are working to promote environmental and social sustainability. All are welcome to come by for food, games and great conversations with departments and student groups from across campus that are engaged with sustainability at W&L.

Eco-Storytelling Workshop with Leah Green | April 10, 6-7 p.m., Leyburn 119
Members of SEAL will attend a workshop on eco-storytelling with award-winning poet Leah Green, visiting assistant professor of English at W&L. Students can develop communication skills and learn how to tell stories about the environment and environmental issues.

Kombucha Tasting | April 11, 5:30 p.m., Junga Chai Tea Farm
SEAL will host a kombucha tasting and tea farm tour with local partner Junga Chai, located here in Lexington. Attendees will try wonderful kombucha and learn about tea cultivation and organic farming. RSVP is required: https://linktr.ee/sealwlu.

Painting with Petals | May 10, 5:30 p.m., Lenfest Center Patio
Join SEAL and the Students Arts League on May 10 for an evening of painting with petals on the patio outside of the Lenfest Center for the Performing Arts. Attendees will create watercolor postcards and pictures using recycled flower pigments.

OIE Food and Clothing Drive | Ongoing
W&L’s Office of Inclusion and Engagement (OIE) is helping to sustain our Rockbridge County community by accepting donations of non-perishable food items, hygiene items and professional clothing in the bins located at the W&L Exchange (121 Early Fielding), the first floor of Graham-Lees Hall, the Gaines Hall rotunda, the Village Apartments Civic A living room, Elrod Commons atrium and the Office of Career Strategy at the law school. Donations will be accepted through May 30.