April 21, 2025
Blog post by student Olivia Kenney

Day 1: Discover Our Green Campus

Start off Earth Week by exploring what our campus is doing to be more environmentally friendly! Did you know that we are blessed with one of the greenest campuses in Washington, D.C.? We have solar panels, energy-efficient buildings, a campus garden, and a strong commitment to sustainability. Go for a walk around campus today to take in our beautiful campus and check out what CUA is doing to be green!
Day 2: Spring Cleaning

Globally, we produce 92 million tons of textile waste each year. 1% of this is actually recycled into new clothing. By donating, you are reducing waste and helping your fellow students find new outfits in a sustainable way! Go spend at least 20 minutes going through your closet and setting aside clothes and other donatable items that you no longer need. Then bring them to Cardinal Closet today, Wednesday, or Friday from 12-3 in McMahon B02!

Day 3: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Reduce single-use waste by using a reusable water bottle or coffee cup today! Say no to plastic utensils, straws, and bags. Say yes to biodegradable and more environmentally friendly products like paper or metal straws and utensils, reusable grocery bags, or reusable Tupperware. These small choices that you make every day can significantly reduce waste. One Ziploc plastic bag takes around 1,000 years to decompose, so steer clear of single-use products!

Day 4: Support Cardinal Cupboard

Check out Cardinal Cupboard and see what you have that you can donate, or sign up to volunteer! The Cupboard is open Monday - Friday from 12-5 PM, located in McMahon B05. 30% of college students are food insecure; this means that they have inconsistent or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food. By donating to Cardinal Cupboard, you are helping to reduce waste and bring a meal to a fellow student who needs it.

Cardinal Cupboard

Day 5: Go Extra Green

Go extra green today and challenge yourself to a vegetarian diet! By reducing your meat consumption, even just once a week, you are lowering greenhouse emissions. Our dining hall has a variety of vegetarian-friendly options each day for every meal. Whether you are at Garvey, the food court, or Murphy's, you will find a delicious meat-free meal! Check out what is on the menu each day for more nutritional information, and pay attention to what is marked vegetarian and vegan!

Day 6: Monroe Street Farmers Market Trip

Go treat yourself to some fresh produce and goods from Brookland’s Monroe Street Farmers Market! FRESHFARM Markets is committed to bringing fresh, healthy, affordable food to communities like ours. By shopping locally, you are supporting sustainable farming and reducing the carbon footprint of your food!

Day 7: Hop on the Metro!

The United States is the largest transportation emissions contributor in the world at 1.86 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2023. In 2023, transportation emissions accounted for 39% of all U.S. energy-related emissions. So today, reduce your carbon footprint by instead of driving or ubering, try walking, biking, scootering, or taking public transportation like the metro or bus! By doing this, you are contributing to lower carbon emissions in the U.S.

I encourage you to accept these seven sustainability challenges! Do what you can and donate what you can, but do not feel obligated to give what you cannot! Even if you only take on a few of these challenges, you are living more sustainably! Our campus has a lot of sustainability projects that you can be a part of, from Opus Hill clean-ups to volunteering at our community garden. Be on the lookout for these different opportunities available on campus that may come up during the year and help our campus and yourself to live more sustainably.

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