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. View additional off-campus community events and opportunities on the Community Opportunities page.
upcoming
Gratitude In The Gardens
Date: Fridays, February 6, March 6; all 12 PM – 2 PM
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: Saturdays, February 7, March 7; all 9 AM – 12 PM
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.
Botanical Gardens Orchid Sale
Dates: Saturday, Feb 7, 10am – 3pm, Monday, Feb 9, 10am – 3pm, Wednesday, Feb 11, 10am – 2pm (or until sold out)
Locations: McMillan Greenhouse (Saturday and Monday), Popp Martin Student Union lobby (Wednesday)
Join the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens for a celebration of friendship, love, and kindness just in time for Valentine’s Day. Learn about the variety of orchids, succulents, and other plants for sale and stock up on Valentine’s goodies!
Climate Change Quilt Workshop
Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2 PM – 4 PM
Location: Area 49 Makerspace, Atkins Library 2nd Floor
Join us to make a quilt square representing your relationship to climate change. Your square will be added to our campus Climate Change Quilt and could be displayed on campus during Earth Month 2026 and at future events. No sewing or quilting experience is necessary. Makerspace staff will lead you through how to design and create your square using fabric, paint, and other supplies, show you how to sew your project, and you can come back to the Area 49 Makerspace this semester to finish your quilt square if you need more time.
This event is part of the national Climate Quilt Movement, an effort to amplify voices around climate change and its impacts.
Personally Speaking: “It’s In Our Bones: A Biological Microhistory of Identity and Community in Ancient Bolivia”
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 4:15 PM – 6:45 PM
Location: Halton Reading Room, Atkins Library
Using research from Cooperation and Hierarchy in Ancient Bolivia: Building Community with the Body, Sara Juengst, Ph.D. discusses how burials and skeletons can teach us about the lives of past people and how their societies shifted in the face of environmental, social, and economic change.
TEDxUNCCharlotte 2026: Reimagining
Date: Saturday, February 21, 1pm
Location: UNC Charlotte Cone University Center
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TEDxUNCCharlotte will feature speakers covering topics including food sovereignty, public health, and anthropology.
General admission is free, VIP tickets are $25.
Gallery Reception – Sean Caulfield: A Tragedy of Commons
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 6pm – 8pm
Location: Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City, Projective Eye Gallery
This exhibition is on display February 16- April 15.
“A Tragedy of the Commons” is an exhibition made up of large-scale text and image linocut, inkjet, and silkscreen prints created by artist Sean Caulfield in collaboration with Susan Colberg (typography) and Steven Hoffman (text). Accompanying these linocuts are a selection of sculptures with printed elements, made from reused/found wood, which speak to the forms and themes within the prints. This exhibition investigates how visual art can foster discussion about environmental change and respectful political discourse.
april is earth month!
Earth Month Tour Series
Join the Office of Sustainability and campus partners for our annual Earth Month tour series! These tours will give you a close-up look at some of the areas on campus that support sustainability initiatives at UNC Charlotte. Tours are open to all UNC Charlotte students, faculty, and staff; spaces are limited and registration is required for each tour. You can access the registration forms for each tour below! All tours are 12pm – 1pm.
Botanical Gardens: A walking tour of the outdoor gardens and greenhouses given by expert garden staff! Thursday, March 26th. Click here to register.
Campus Recycling and Waste Management: This walking tour will showcase the recycling and waste management facilities we have at UNC Charlotte. Thursday, April 2nd. Click here to register.
Land and Water: This walking tour will go from the student gardens down to Heck Lake, covering various topics like the importance of trees and outdoor space, the challenges of managing our land and water, and more. Thursday, April 9th. Click here to register.
Earth Day Festival
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 10am – 2pm
Location: Belk Plaza
Join the Office of Sustainability for our annual Earth Day Festival to kick off Earth Month 2026! The event will feature on-campus groups, student organizations, and Charlotte-based organizations celebrating their work on campus and in the community, and highlighting ways for UNC Charlotte students to get involved with sustainability efforts on and off campus.
Graduate Research Symposium
Date: Monday, April 6
Location: Popp Martin Student Union
The Graduate Research Symposium (GRS) is UNC Charlotte’s premier interdisciplinary graduate student-run conference, proudly showcasing the bold, brilliant, and boundary-pushing research of graduate and professional students across all programs. This year’s theme invites graduate students to imagine big and think differently. We’re living through rapid, global transformations—climate change, artificial intelligence, migration, social justice movements, and economic realignments. GRS 2026 challenges you to explore how your work fits into (or flips) these narratives.
Gingko Residential Speaker Series: “Climate Change: Media Stories vs. Scientific Evidence. What to Believe?”
Time: Tuesday, April 14, 6 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh St
We hear a lot about extreme weather events and some things might be confusing or even contradictory. In this talk with frequent audience participation, Jack Scheff, Ph.D. will try to cut through the media narratives and give a working atmospheric scientist’s practical perspective on big questions about the changing climate.
Undergraduate Research Conference
Date: Friday, April 24, 8:30am – 3pm
Location: Popp Martin Student Union
The Charlotte Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) is a university-wide showcase of research projects completed by undergraduate students of all levels from all colleges and departments in the university. Abstract submissions are open until Thursday, March 5 at 11:59pm, learn more about project requirements here.
Off Campus Events
Many groups in the Charlotte region host events and programs throughout the year that are open to anyone interested in getting more involved with sustainability in the community. Community events scheduled for Spring 2026 are listed below. If you are interested in more events and opportunities hosted by community groups, visit the Community Opportunities page.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Stormwater Services Creek Week
Dates: Saturday, March 21 – March 28
Location: Locations across the Charlotte region
There are over in 50 named creeks that span more than 3,000 miles in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. These abundant natural resources are gradually becoming more visible as our greenway system expands, but creeks aren’t usually on people’s minds unless there’s a problem. You’re invited to learn how “Creeks Connect Us” through a full calendar of volunteer and educational opportunities to learn about and help clean up and protect these often-hidden gems.
CleanAIRE Academy
The CleanAIRE Academy offers specialized online courses for community leaders, professionals, students, and everyday individuals. Gain actionable insights and the tools to make a real impact, regardless of your background. Current courses include Air Quality 101 and Advocacy in Action, and upcoming classes in 2026 include Air Pollution & Your Health, Environmental Justice, AirKeeper Dashboard, and Community Science & Air Monitoring.