October is Campus Sustainability Month, and ASU celebrates by engaging and inspiring Sun Devils through campus activities, events and experiences. Campus Sustainability Month complements Earth Month (April) and focuses on local action on college and university campuses for sustainability solutions.
Sun Devils can learn about ASU's sustainability goals and how they can take sustainability actions when participating in one of the many events occurring this month.
ASU Events
Sustainability Displays on Campus
Oct. 7 | Tempe campus
Support Campus Sustainability Month with a walk around campus to see and engage with various sustainability displays that speak to ASU’s sustainability initiatives. Through collaborative efforts, we have set up fun displays that speak to ASU’s commitment and dedication to sustainable practices. Displays include: Reusables, Urban Forestry, Plant Forward diets, Reuse Sewing Kits, Bike transportation and many more.
Locations: All dining halls on each campus, Pitchforks, Tooker House, Student Pavilion entry area, ASU Library at Polytechnic, Student Union at Polytechnic, Garden Commons at Polytechnic, Sun Devil Dining POD store at Tooker House.
USP New Seeds of Sustainability Launch
Oct. 7 | Online
Seeds of Sustainability was designed by ASU’s Sustainability Practices department to teach basic sustainability concepts in a simple, interactive manner and demonstrate how these concepts can be applied by participants in their personal life and at ASU. The new version also features tons of interactivity and visuals to help you thoroughly understand sustainability concepts.
Student enrollment for Seeds of Sustainability.
Faculty and staff enrollment for Seeds of Sustainability.
Sixth Annual State of Sustainability Summit
Oct. 14 | Online
Join University Sustainability Practices for the Sixth Annual State of Sustainability Summit to celebrate sustainable achievements across the ASU community that support operational excellence, campus as a living laboratory and collaborative successes. Additional programming to include a STARS Platinum celebration and the second annual Viewer’s Choice Award for Sustainability Themed Student Organizations.
The event is free, but an RSVP is required.
Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education
Oct. 20–22 | Online
Thanks to the generosity of the Global Futures Laboratory, we are excited to announce that we are a host institution for this year’s Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. GCSHE is a virtual conference taking place Oct. 20–22 that offers three full days of live content and networking.
Register for the event. Use your ASU email address and enter the following discount code: ASUEDU091020.
Green Devil Certification Launch
Oct. 27–28 | Online
University Sustainability’s newest staff engagement program Green Devil Certification is a comprehensive two-day workshop that supports ASU’s eight sustainability initiatives. Staff who complete the workshop will be certified Green Devils and will be able to identify ASU’s sustainability goals, participate in sustainability-themed organizations and further their sustainability knowledge and networks.
Free Farm Stand
Oct. 29 | Hassyampa Residential Hall walkway
Students, please stop by our Free Farm Stand and pick up some healthy eats! This collaborative event is hosted by the Garden Commons, Campus Harvest, Pitchfork Pantry and Sun Devil Dining. Fresh produce, boxed food and campus dates will be available.
Please wear your mask and follow physical distance guidelines. Shopping bags will be provided.
The registration link is coming soon.
Students, employees and other ASU community members can explore more opportunities like these on ASU Events. Some of our past events include:
- Campus Harvest Date Sales | Support our annual campus harvest and enjoy campus grown dates of many varieties from the largest public collection of date palm species in the U.S.
- Fair Trade events | Sun Devils for Fair Trade hosts ongoing educational events for the campus community to include fashion shows with local designers and collaborations with business clubs to show the social and economic impact of supporting Fair Trade.
- Green Games | Sun Devil Athletics, University Sustainability Practices and Zero Waste highlight sustainability by hosting ongoing green games for many sports to include baseball, football, basketball and volleyball.
- State of Sustainability | Annual presentations from University Sustainability Practices and campus partners on sustainability progress and success stories.
- Sun Devil Dining “Taste of Tooker” | Annual food-related events in the dining hall showcase sustainable choices, such as ingredients from local vendors, Fair Trade products, or plant-forward meal options, including samples.
- Sustainability walking tour | Take an interactive walk with a sustainability expert to see and hear about our campus attributes.
- Zero Waste Staff BBQ | An annual BBQ with your colleagues that strives for zero waste.
Other opportunities
Sun Devil Sync
Make sustainability personal. Engage in one of many action-driven events, such as harvesting premium Medjool dates along Palm Walk with ASU Arboretum, getting creative with ASU Garden Commons by prepping an edible garden bed or joining forces with other Sun Devils to conduct clean-ups around Mill Avenue and Papago Park.
Students may explore events and involvement opportunities on Sun Devil Sync.
Volunteer Match
Students can make a difference on campus and in the community when they volunteer their time to projects like Make a Difference Day and the Zero Waste department's blue bag sort.
Explore more student volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Match, an initiative that is a part of ChangeMaker Central.
Earth Month
The goal of Earth Month is to support the global event for Earth Day (April 22) and to raise awareness and inspire personal and collaborative action in implementing sustainability solutions at ASU.
Some of our past events include:
- Carbon Free Day | ASU’s call to action to the students, faculty and staff to join in and accelerate ASU’s Second Nature Climate Commitment. Individuals and departments make pledges from options related to travel, food and energy to declare a carbon-saving strategy that they implement on Carbon Free Day.
- Earth Fest | A campus festival that brings together many sustainability departments and student organizations to celebrate sustainability success with education, research and operations.
- Nurturing Mindfulness Connections to Nature | Online event collaboration with ASU’s Mindfulness Center to discuss how nature can positively impact one's mindset.
- Recycled Art Contest | Students, faculty and staff participate in an upcycling contest to build art and usable items out of materials that can be recycled.
- Sustainability Lecture Series | Guest speakers discuss their topic of expertise, such as Rolf Halden, “The Environment is Us” and Meg Lowman, pioneer of treetop botanical science.
