Get involved! Earth Week events on campus April 22-27

Make a difference! Augustana student groups have teamed up to host hands-on activities and events for Earth Week, April 22-27. All are invited to connect with nature and help make an impact on campus.

“Augustana Sierra Club has been working hard for the past 10 years to make campus more sustainable, and we are so excited to collaborate with a variety of campus groups to achieve this goal,” said Emerson Lehman '26, Sierra Club president.

Augie Acres President Ian Empen '26 said he is also excited to bring back Earth Week at Augustana and host a variety of events for students to engage in sustainability, including planting crops at Augie Acres for this season.

Student groups that have worked together to organize the week's events are: Augie Acres, Sierra Club, Campus Closet, Office of Student Inclusion & Diversity (OSID), Student Government Association, Baking Club, Delta Chi Theta and Udden Geology Club.

Schedule

Tuesday-Friday, April 22-25

Bake Sale for Tapestry Farms (Brew by the Slough)

Augie Acres and the Baking Club will sell baked goods to benefit Tapestry Farms, a nonprofit urban farm system that invests in refugees in the Quad Cities, providing support services, education and fresh produce.

Earth Week-themed drinks in the Brew

Pollinator Punch - Strawberry mango lemonade refresher
Trail Mix Latte - Hazelnut dark chocolate mocha

Tuesday, April 22

Blossom in Diversity (6-8 p.m., Culture Houses)

Join OSID and Sierra Club in planting various flora at each of the culture houses. There will be a potting and seeding station so students can take home their own plants.

Sierra Club Bonfire (8 p.m., Culture Houses)

Enjoy music, hot dogs, s’mores and conversation about various environmental topics.

Wednesday, April 23

Swap Don't Shop (10 a.m.-4 p.m., Quad)

Organized by the Sierra Club and Campus Closet, this event gives students an opportunity to browse through secondhand clothes to take home for free! Students are also encouraged to bring their own clothes, accessories and shoes that they would like to donate. (Donate clothing and accessories that are in good condition and have been washed prior to donating.)

Swapping clothes with others saves money, avoids waste and reduces the demand for raw materials.

Thursday, April 24

Native Pollinator Workshop (4 p.m., Lindberg Center)

Join Augie Acres and the Student Government Association to learn about the role pollinators play in gardens, and how they can be supported through promoting native vegetation. Participants will make seed bombs to distribute at Augie Acres. Refreshments will be provided.

Living in Harmony with Nature: The Salish-Kootenai Tradition (video at 7:15 p.m.; presentation at 8 p.m., Olin Auditorium)

Tom McDonald, chair of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council in Pablo, Mont., will present a lecture on environmental ethics and Indigenous land ethic. A descendant of Scottish fur trader Angus McDonald and his wife Catherine, who was a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, McDonald has been active in promoting conservation programs on the reservation. 

The "In the Spirit of Atatice" video documents the role that tribal members played in preserving bison and other species that were native to their lands. 

The event is sponsored by the Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics.

Friday, April 25

Udden Geology Club meeting (4:30-5:30 p.m., Swenson 106)

Udden Geology Club meets weekly for presentations and discussions on a range of topics to help develop student interest in the broader geosciences. This week, three seniors will give their Senior Inquiry presentations. Learn about how these students used geoscience techniques to advance aquatic habitat health!

Saturday, April 26

Community Event: Clean River Advisory Spring Tree Planting & Community Cleanup (12-2 p.m., MLK Center) Pre-registration required

Join the Clean River Advisory Council and MLK Center in Rock Island as they team up to celebrate 2025 Earth Day by planting trees and cleaning up trash across different Rock Island school sites! Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants and sleeves, closed-toed shoes, bug spray, sunscreen and a hat. Gloves, trash bags and trash tongs will be provided to volunteers. 

Check-in is at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 630 9th St., Rock Island. If interested in volunteering, please register.

Sunday, April 27

Augie Acres Planting Party (11 a.m.-1.p.m., Augie Acres Garden)

Join members of Augie Acres and Delta Chi Theta to plant spring crops at the garden! Lunch will be provided, courtesy of Delta Chi Theta. All are welcome; no experience needed. Augie Acres is located at 3219-3221 6th Ave., adjacent to campus.