Events
Events with a sustainability focus occur year-round. If you have an event idea or wish to collaborate, please email sustainability@charlotte.edu. The most concentrated and coordinated periods are celebrations of Campus Sustainability Month (October) and Earth Month (April).
All upcoming events hosted by the Office of Sustainability are also listed on our Niner Engage page.
upcoming
Hech Lake Days
Dates: Wednesday, Sept 3; Thursday, Sept 11; Tuesday, Sept 16; Thursday, Sept 25, 2pm – 6pm
Location: Hechenbleikner Lake
Join Student Involvement and Venture Outdoor Leadership for an afternoon of free food, games, music, and boating on Hech Lake!
Gratitude In The Gardens
Date: Friday, September 5; Friday, November 7; Friday, December 5, all 12pm – 2pm
Location: Van Landingham Glen
Join a silent, meditative walk through the Van Landingham Glen. Led by Jennifer, these forest strolls will include meditative prompts around the practice of gratitude. Sessions may include meditative art materials as well.
This event is free to UNC Charlotte students, staff, and faculty with a valid UNC Charlotte ID.
Nature Therapy Walk
Date: Saturday, September 6; Saturday, November 1; Saturday, December 6, all 9am – 12pm
Location: Van Landingham Glen
Join Jennifer for a relaxing 2.5 to 3 hour stroll through the forest at Van Landingham Glen. Through a series of invitations, you will have an opportunity to focus on being present in the moment, deepening your connection with nature and community, and enjoying the many gifts nature has to offer.
This event is free to UNC Charlotte students, staff, and faculty with a valid UNC Charlotte ID.
Zero Waste Crew Sorting
Dates: Sunday, Sept 14; Friday, Sept 19; Sunday, Oct 19; Sunday, Nov 16; 9am – 1pm
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium between Gates 3 and 4
Volunteer to help keep Jerry Richardson Stadium a zero-waste facility! As a Zero Waste volunteer, you will work with university staff to sort trash items the day after the game into compost, recycling, and trash. Volunteers will be given a free Zero-Waste t-shirt, gloves, and refreshments and should plan to wear weather-appropriate clothes that can get dirty, closed-toed shoes, and bring a reusable water bottle.
Registration is required for each date.
Ginkgo Residential Guest Speaker Series: “Where Is The Best Place to Connect With Nature? At Your Door!”
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 6pm
Location: Independent Picture House (4237 Raleigh St, Charlotte, NC 28213)
The Ginkgo Residential Speaker Series is hosted by the UNC Charlotte College of Humanities and Earth and Social Sciences and is free and open to the Charlotte community. The first session will feature Dr. Sara Gagne, who will discuss urban nature and how to connect with the biodiversity of Charlotte and other vibrant urban ecosystems.
Registration coming soon.
Gallery Reception: Under the Influence: Kirsten Stolle
Date: Thursday, September 11, 6pm – 8pm
Location: Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City, Projective Eye Gallery
Under the Influence is the most recent exhibition of Kirsten Stolle’s research-driven practice. Pivoted at the intersections of art, science, and culture, her work examines the global influence of chemical companies on our food system. Delving into propaganda and greenwashing, Stolle appropriates corporate advertising strategies and aesthetics, highlighting the contradiction between public image and facts.
Rights to Greenspace: National, State and Public Parks — and the Congressional Acts and People that Protect Them
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 12:15pm – 1:30pm
Location: Popp Martin Student Union 200
Each year, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte joins organizations across the nation by recognizing Constitution and Citizenship Day with a special presentation for students and community members from Fushcia Hoover, Ph.D.. Learn about the history of our country’s National Parks and the Congressional Acts that protect them.
Registration information coming soon.
October is campus sustainability month!
Transportation Fair
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 10am – 2pm (rain date Wednesday, October 8th)
Location: CHHS/CoEd Plaza
The UNC Charlotte Transportation Fair, hosted by Parking and Transportation Services and the Office of Sustainability, will highlight the diverse transportation options available to the UNC Charlotte community and will educate attendees on these important factors of transportation on campus and in the Charlotte region. This event will feature organizations from campus and the Charlotte community focused on transportation research, innovation, and making our city and campus healthier and safer for all!
UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale
Dates: Thursday, Oct 2, 12pm – 4pm (members and UNC Charlotte campus community only); Friday, Oct 3, 9am – 3pm; Saturday, Oct 4, 9am – 2pm
Location: Lot 5 (9303 Martin Village Rd)
Stock up on your fall plants! Early access sale begins on Thursday, October 2nd for UNC Students/Faculty/Staff – get 10% off with UNC Charlotte ID or Member ID on Thursday.
Halloween Costume Making Workshop
Date: Friday, October 3, 1pm – 3pm
Location: Area 49 Makerspace, Atkins Library
Channel your creative side and drop by the Area 49 Makerspace to make your own Halloween costume, or give an old costume a new look! There will be various materials, tools, and staff available to help you make your costume ideas come to life. All UNC Charlotte students and staff are welcome to drop in any time during the event.
Campus Beautification Day
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 9am – 2pm (rain date Tuesday, October 14th)
Location: East Village entrance. The event check-in will be at Parking Lot 4A at 9410 Van Landingham Road. The closest Niner Transit stop is Silver Line: Lot 5A. View the location here.
Join the Office of Sustainability and Grounds staff for a day of beautifying campus! We will plant trees and clean up litter at a designated spot on campus. This is a great opportunity for clubs, classes, or staff groups to serve the campus community and keep UNC Charlotte beautiful! It is open to any UNC Charlotte student, staff, faculty, or alumni.
Registration is required; RSVP through this form.
Student Sustainability Summit
Date: Wednesday, October 15, 5pm – 7:30pm
Location: Popp Martin Student Union room 200
Join the Office of Sustainability and the Student Government Association for a night of learning from campus researchers, student leaders, and Charlotte-based organizations about alternative transportation and related sustainability impacts at UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte region.
Registration coming soon!
Personally Speaking Series: “Without Water, We Have Nothing: Water Grabbing and Crises Across The Americas and Beyond”
Date: Wednesday, October 15, 5:15pm with light reception at 4:15pm
Location: J. Murrey Atkins Library, Halton Reading Room
The Personally Speaking series was created to share the research accomplishments of faculty in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS) with the greater Charlotte community. Four times a year, alumni, community partners, faculty, staff, students, and members of the general public come together to celebrate recently published work and to engage in conversation about a wide range of topics from within our disciplines. CHESS hosts the series in partnership with J. Murrey Atkins Library.
This event will feature research by Caitlin Schroering, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Global Studies and Affiliated Faculty, Department of Sociology. Based on the book Global Solidarities Against Water Grabbing: Without Water, We Have Nothing (Manchester University Press, 2024).
Gallery Reception: Global Studies 2025
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 1pm – 3pm
Location: Storrs, Lambla Gallery
A showcase of work by students who have completed a study abroad experience or other international opportunity that reflects their newfound perspective, exploration, interpretation, cultural learning, and investment. The work here demonstrates early steps in careers that will seek to solve the world’s toughest challenges and address global issues we may not even know yet exist.
Off Campus Events
Fresh Air Rides
Date: August 4th – 31st
Location: Charlotte area
Sustain Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Air Quality, Charlotte Area Transit System, and Connect Centralina invite Charlotte area residents to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips they take during August. This will help reduce air pollution and improve local air quality.
Participants must be 18 or older to participate and must be traveling within the Charlotte region. View the rules here.
Central Catawba Basin Watershed Symposium
Date: Monday, Sept 8, 9am – 4pm
Location: Gastonia Conference Center
At the Central Catawba Basin Watershed Symposium, you can join in discussions of the pressing challenges of water quality, quantity, and management around the Greater Charlotte region that makes up the Central Catawba River Basin.
Registration is free, but required. Click here to learn more and register.
NC Climate Week
Dates: Sept 29th – October 3rd
Location: Online
The 2nd Annual NC Climate Week hosted by EarthShare NC will equip individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and governments to work individually and collectively on climate solutions and resilience across North Carolina. The week will feature opportunities for virtual learning and community engagement to inspire local action to benefit the climate.
The Catawba Riversweep
Date: Saturday, October 4th
Location: Catawba-Wateree River Basin waterways
The Catawba Riversweep is one day a year when citizens from all over the Catawba-Wateree River Basin come together to clean up their shared waterways. October 4, 2025 will be a day when thousands of neighbors come together at dozens of sites from Lake James to Lake Wateree and everywhere in between. It will be a day of hard work, fun, fellowship, and action!
Registration and cleanup sites coming soon.
Sustain Charlotte Ambassador Training
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 5:30-7:30pm
Location: Sugar Creek Library (4045 N Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28206)
Join Sustain Charlotte for a free volunteer training to become a Sustain Charlotte ambassador. This free training session will take place at the Sugar Creek Library for approximately 2 hours. Volunteers will be guided through an initial staff presentation about the mission and history of Sustain Charlotte and have a chance to learn about efforts being taken today to generate a healthier, more equitable, and vibrant community.
Biketoberfest
Date: Sunday, October 19
Location: Across Charlotte
Save the date for Biketoberfest, Sustain Charlotte’s signature event—and your chance to explore the city on an epic, family-friendly scavenger hunt! Walk, run, or bike along a designated route, collect goodies and raffle tickets at local stops, and experience how fun and easy it can be to get around Charlotte without a car.
past events
Anything That Rolls
Date: Friday, April 25, 4pm – 6pm
Location: UNC Charlotte Main Light Rail Station
Hosted by the Campus Sustainability Alliance, Charlotte Green Initiative, Student Government Association, Parking and Transportation Services, LIME, UREC, and the Office of Sustainability, Anything That Rolls was a group bike and scooter ride across campus! Whether you’re on a bike, skateboard, scooter, rollerblades, or anything else with wheels, this event is all about movement, community, and sustainability.
Swap Til Ya Drop Clothing Swap Shop
Date: Wednesday, April 23, 1pm – 4pm
Location: Belk Plaza
Swap Til Ya Drop is a clothing swap event aimed at promoting sustainable fashion practices by encouraging students to exchange gently used clothing. The event educated participants on the environmental impact of fast fashion and inspired a shift toward more eco-friendly lifestyle choices.
Party for the Planet
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 4pm – 7pm
Location: Belk Plaza
A celebration for the planet! Join student organizations for an evening of fun and various activities centered around environmental sustainability, social and cultural diversity, and health and wellness.