You’re right! It should be Earth Day every day, in the sense that our collective flourishing on this planet requires an everyday, ingrained commitment and attention to environmental action, impact, and justice. Earth Day’s original organizer, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, would not argue any differently.
The first Earth Day in 1970 came after decades of environmentally unregulated industrial growth, punctuated by public-facing disasters like fish kills, rivers on fire, and a 3-million-gallon oil spill. Inspired by the model of recent anti-war teach-ins, Earth Day was meant to ignite a burst of energy and political impetus. Learn more about the history of Earth Day here.
Today, Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world. At a time when we need collective action more than ever, lean into this as an opportunity to connect with (and create!) community. Gather friends for a clothing swap, share your thoughts on social media, attend an Earth Month event on campus or in the community, organize a teach-in or discussion, or encourage your local and federal representatives to take action — whatever you participate in, make it collaborative and make it impactful.
Behind JHU’s upcoming Earth Month celebrations is a broader foundation built on a history of sustainability champions like Rachel Carson — Hopkins alumna and pioneer of the modern environmental movement. Today, it is grounded in strategic planning and ambitious climate action, like reaching our goal of 51% carbon emissions reductions three years early! While Earth Day is a special moment of visibility, this progress is created every day through collaboration across JHU’s campuses, institutes, and departments. As outlined in JHU’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan, released in October 2024, this collective effort is ongoing, with places to get involved for many Earth Days to come.
All day | Levering Cafe (during regular hours)
We will be kicking off Earth Month 2025 with a raffle event on April Fools Day encouraging reusable instead of single use drink containers! Winners will be posted on Instagram stories at the end of the day on Tuesday, 4/1.
9 AM – 5:30 PM | Inn at the Colonnade
Join us for the 6th Annual Sustainability Symposium on research, practice, and education on April 2, 2025, hosted by the JHU Sustainability Leadership Council and Office of Climate and Sustainability. The free event will be held at the Inn at The Colonnade, a short walk from the Homewood campus. The day-long symposium will feature presentations, panel discussions, research posters, and informational tabling from Johns Hopkins University students, faculty, and staff on sustainability topics ranging from climate mitigation and adaptation, environmental justice, environmental education, the built environment, responsible consumption practices, and more. After a day of impactful content, we will conclude with a networking social hosted by the Life Design Lab.
Doors will open at 9 AM. There are 5 concurrent tracks which will run from 10 AM – 4 PM, followed by the networking event from 4 – 5:30 PM. Registration is required.
If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
9 – 10 AM | Homewood Athletic Circle
Join us while we do Yoga under the sun with instructor Nila.
8:30 AM – 1 PM | Abell Community Park
Volunteer with students, faculty, staff, and neighbors to clean, sweep, and tidy up our community!
Volunteers will meet at the Abell Community Park located on the 300 Blk of 32nd Street. We’ll provide the supplies, breakfast, and lunch. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and thank you gift!
For more information email: [email protected] or call: 410-516-7961.
6 – 8 PM | Imagine Center
Join us for a follow up discussion with Author Nicole Fabricant on her book Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore by Nicole Fabricant. We will explore the impacts of the Baltimore incinerator on the Curtis Bay community in South Baltimore, examining how toxic pollution has shaped the lives of residents and sparked a powerful youth-led activist movement.
3 – 5 PM | Keyser Quad
Join the Office of Sustainability in celebrating Earth Day with tabling activities, food, prizes, and more on Keyser Quad April 18th 3-5PM! (Rain Location: Glass Pavilion)
5:30 – 7:30 PM | Rita Rossi Colwell Center
The Offices of Sustainability at Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, Loyola University Maryland, and University of Maryland Baltimore are collaborating to provide all local university students an opportunity to attend an engaging Earth Day event featuring expert panelists in sustainability across Maryland. This event will begin with a panel discussion, followed by an interactive networking session!
Free and open to all college students.
8-10 PM | Bloomberg Center for Physics & Astronomy
Join the Office of Sustainability at the Maryland Science Observatory for a night filled with starlight and fun!
Click here for more information and to register.
3:30 PM | Babb Field
Time TBA | Location TBA
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | Nolan’s
5 – 6:30 PM | Scott-Bates Commons
Join Hopkins Dining’s Sustainable Manager, Graham Browning, and Director of Culinary Innovation, Hamilton Goss, in the upcoming cooking series. They’ll teach you how to make salads using leftover ingredients, along with elevated dressings that will make your meal pop!
Register here (link will update with next date soon)
3 – 5 PM | Keyser Quad
Join us in welcoming back Richfield Farm, where they’ll be selling seasonal herbs and plants.
Hopkins Dining’s new granola provider, Grandy Organics, will also be there sampling their organic, allergen-free and gluten-free granola!
5 -7 PM | Freshman Quad
Celebrate Earth Month with Hopkins Dining during our Picnic for the Planet event! This elevated picnic will feature a buffet-style dinner filled with local and seasonal ingredients, a live band, outdoor games, activities, and more!
The event is open for all meal plan holders (other forms of payment are also accepted, i.e., Dining Dollars, J-Cash, Debit/Credit). Advanced registration is required through the Transact Mobile Ordering App (instructions included in the link) by Tuesday, April 15. Spaces are limited, so sign up today!
9 – 11 AM | 33rd & St Paul Street
Each semester, Hopkins Dining’s Sustainability Manager, Graham Browning, organizes a meet-up at a local Baltimore farmers market near our own Homewood campus at the 32nd Street Farmers Market.
The Spring semester meet up will be Saturday, May 3 from 9 – 11 am (we will meet at 9 am at the corner of 33rd and St Paul Street near Barnes and Noble to walk over together). No registration is required, just show up at 9 am, the first 5 people to join get a Dining swag bag.
Each Monday during the academic year, all residential Hopkins Dining locations offer vegan and/or vegetarian menu options in place of meat.
Check out Hopkins Dining’s recipe of the season (link coming soon) – quinoa salad with fresh asparagus and peas! Our campus Recipe Development Chef, Dale Savel-Turek, created this dorm-friendly recipe to showcase seasonal ingredients for Earth Month.
9 AM – 7:30 PM | Bloomberg Center (DC)
The acronym “HOP25” is an homage to the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), emphasizing a shared commitment to sustainable action and global collaboration for the planet’s future. We share the commitment of COP and similarly take a hopeful and action-oriented approach to climate change, energy, and environmental policy, engaging new audiences and exploring new solutions in the fight for a sustainable future.
Symposium Goals and Objectives:
- Call to attention for emerging sustainable climate, energy, and environmental challenges and solutions, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, integrating the themes of science, technology and solutions.
-
Highlight AAP as a key institution with a long history both academically and as a contributor to and agent of change for public policy, awareness and understanding of complex environmental issues.
-
Reach a broad audience (academia [including students, faculty, adjuncts], decisionmakers, science/conservation practitioners, NGO/advocacy groups, private sector, governmental agencies, interested public, etc.) to build awareness and understanding of emerging issues and foster collaborative efforts towards solutions
This symposium is hosted by Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs: Environmental Sciences and Policy , Energy Policy and Climate , and Geographic Information Systems .
9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Join us for a tour of the South Baltimore community to learn more about diverse perspective and the environmental impacts of trash incinerators and other polluting industries.
Various times | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Each year, SOURCE holds two Tri-School Days of Service: one in the fall to close out our Baltimore Week celebration, and one in the spring to during our annual National Volunteer Week celebration. Join dozens of other volunteers from the JHU health professional schools and serve our community with one of our SOURCE partner community-based organizations. One morning of volunteer service can truly make a difference!
Open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni from BSPH, JHSON and JHSOM.
Office of Climate & Sustainability Tabling Events
- Monday 4/7 – Employee Well-Being Day East Baltimore | Benefits & Work Life | 10 AM – 2 PM | Turner Concourse
- Monday 4/7 – World Health Day at Peabody | Peabody Student Affairs | 12 – 1:30 PM | Peabody Plaza/Arcade
- Tuesday 4/8 – Employee Well-Being Day Bloomberg Center | Benefits & Work Life | 10 AM – 2:30 PM | Bloomberg Center (DC)
- Wednesday 4/9 – Green Labs @ Genetic Resource Core Facility Symposium | School of Medicine | 9:30 AM – 2 PM | Turner Concourse
- Thursday 4/10 – Green Labs @ Single Cell and Omics Core Symposium | School of Medicine | Turner Concourse
- Monday 4/14 – Employee Well-Being Day Homewood | Benefits & Work Life | 10 AM – 2:30 PM | Glass Pavilion