Milestone announcement will highlight Sustainability Month

The calendar has turned to April and at UB that means it’s time to celebrate all things sustainable.

Once again, there are dozens of events and activities lined up over the next several weeks, giving UB students, faculty and staff ample opportunities to celebrate Sustainability Month.

And this year, there’s even more reason to celebrate, as members of the university community gather on center court of Broadview Arena on the morning of Earth Day, April 22, for the annual Climate Action Plan (CAP) update, which will feature an announcement of a major milestone. More on that in a few weeks.

In their annual Sustainability Month message, Provost A. Scott Weber and Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, note the university’s sustainability efforts were solidified in 2007 when UB signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and adopted a science-based goal of climate neutrality.

“Since then, our faculty have played a key role in not only clarifying the existential threat climate change poses but also in advancing groundbreaking research that is providing solutions of how to mitigate and adapt,” they write. Those advances include research conducted by faculty affiliated with the RENEW Institute, as well as climate science research coming out of Empire AI.

“Higher education has a responsibility to prepare the next generation to confront the accelerating challenges of climate change,” they write. “At the University at Buffalo, that responsibility has grown into a comprehensive, campuswide climate commitment, shaping how we power our campus, how we move, how we build, how we teach and learn, how we conduct research and how we act.”

Highlights on the event calendar include:

• The “Rooted in Resilience” art show, which runs through April 9 in the Center for the Arts project space (Room 155). The show invites artists to envision a world where communities adapt, heal and thrive in the face of climate challenges.
• A “Careers in Sustainability” event in the Student Union on April 10 hosted by UB Sustainability, the Career Design Center and the Department of Environment and Sustainability, College of Arts and Sciences.
• UB Giving Day returns April 15 with a 24-hour challenge beginning at noon. Gifts to the UB Sustainability Projects Fund will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $1,000. Small gifts, from $5 student contributions to $25 from faculty and staff, add up to a powerful statement about UB’s campuswide commitment to climate action. Together, these contributions reflect a community that cares deeply about the future of our campus and the role sustainability plays in it.
• A pair of garden work days (April 15-16), where volunteers are invited to sign up to help assemble raised beds and move soil at the community garden next to the GRoW Clean Energy Center.
• The finals of the Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (Panasci TEC) will take place on April 16, featuring six teams pitching purpose‑driven startups with solutions spanning sustainability, social impact and innovation. Teams will compete live for $25,000 in startup capital and $40,000 in in‑kind services to help scale ideas aligned with pressing global and societal challenges.
• The UB Center for Leadership and Global Impact leadership conference on April 23 at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott. La Neice Collins, a global communications manager for the United Nations who works on issues related to youth engagement and activism, social equity and inclusion, and human rights, will be the keynote speaker. Note: There is a cost to attend.

Faculty, staff and students looking to incorporate sustainability into events this April and beyond can take advantage of the Green Event Kit service offered by the Student Sustainability Impact Team (SSIT). The service includes drop‑off and pickup of durable, reusable tableware for events of up to 80 people, helping reduce single‑use disposables at smaller meetings and gatherings across campus.

Looking ahead to the end of the semester, the UBReUSE program will also begin its annual ReUSE move‑out collection on May 4, providing students with an opportunity to donate unwanted but usable items during move‑out and keep materials out of the landfill.

There are many more ways to get involved this Sustainability Month. The full event calendar is available on the UB Sustainability website.