Recapping Earth Month 2023

The smoothie bike was a crowd favorite. The outdoor yoga class was so well-recieved it inspired a summer yoga series. 

The electronics recycling event collected 2,589 pounds of, computers, printers, monitors, old tube TVs and assorted other appliances. The green lab brainstorming session filled a white board with ideas.

These and many other events throughout April and into May made for an impactful Earth Month 2023 program of community engagement. 

“We were very pleased with the turnout for all of the events,” said Kortni Wroten, UMass Chan’s sustainability and energy manager, who led the team that organized the events. “The last few years Earth Day had been virtual because of the pandemic. This was the soft relaunch of in-person programming so we decided on a hybrid model to accommodate remote workers and our busy community.”

Other Earth Month 2023 programs included a site visit to the materials recycling facility that receives and process the various waste streams from the campus; three alternative energy webinars exploring ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of campus operations; and a “bingo” challenge to complete a sustainable or green activity every day.

Eleven people submitted their Earth Month 2023 bingo cards, with dozens of activities completed. As a prize, they received sets of reusable utensils. Of those who played bingo, two grand prize winners (drawn at random) received tickets to the EcoTarium and a Zero Waste kit.

“I was so pleased to see a lot of remote workers participating in our Bingo card idea. Surprisingly, those folks didn’t even expect to get a prize. I sent them one anyway,” Wroten said

See the slide show (above) that captures some of the events.