Earth Week 2025 is in full swing at Western Washington University, bringing a week of sustainability-focused programming centered on environmental justice, community engagement and climate consciousness.
This year’s lineup began with the Earth Week Fair on April 21 in Red Square and wraps up with the Earth Week Cook-In hosted by the College of the Environment and Gigi Berardi on April 25.
For the second year in a row, the Sustainability Engagement Institute is organizing Earth Week at Western. Working with organizations such as the WWU Community Service Center, Whatcom Food Network and the Outback Farm to create a wide-ranging lineup of events.
“Seeing the excitement that everyone brings to the table and being able to make it a reality for those folks is the most fulfilling aspect of hosting this again,” said Zinta Lucans, SEJF’s grant program manager.
One of the standout activities this year is a campus-wide plastic bag drive coordinated by the Community Service Center. The collected bags will be used in a Plarn Making and Crocheting workshop, where students can repurpose plastic into reusable bags, mats and other items.
Collection bins will be available until April 23 at multiple campus locations, including the Miller Hall Collaborative Space, Arntzen Hall Atrium, Viking Union floors four and six and the Fairhaven Commons.
The workshop will take place April 24 in the Viking Union Multi-Purpose Room from 10:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m., where Melynda Huskey, vice president of Student Affairs, will teach students the art of recycling crafts through crocheting and hands-on creation.
“Our goal is to get people to recycle and reuse,” said Mallory Schaefbauer, program coordinator at the Community Service Center. “We all have plastic bags just hanging around. Why not turn them into something creative that we can use again and again?
This colorful poster features illustrations of various plastic bags against a bold red and peach-toned background. This image promotes a sustainability initiative, inviting students to repurpose plastic waste into mats and bags hosted by the WWU Community Service Center. // Graphic courtesy of Mallory Schaefbauer
Alongside the bag drive, the Community Service Center recently launched W.A.V.E.S.—Western Action for Volunteer Engagement and Service.
The new platform connects students with local and campus-based volunteer opportunities tailored to their interests, such as food justice, climate activism and sustainability.
By streamlining access to these opportunities, W.A.V.E.S. makes it easier for students to get involved in meaningful community work.
“There’s a misconception that young people aren’t interested in community-based activities,” Schaefbauer said. “But in my experience, it’s the opposite. Students crave community, and this website helps them give back.”
On the creative side of Earth Week, students are invited to Climate Stories Night on April 24 at 7 p.m. at the Underground Coffeehouse. The open mic-style event encourages students to share original writing—poetry, essays, journalism or fiction—centered on environmental themes.
“In creative and journalistic writing, you get to educate your community,” said Julia Hawkins, editor in chief of The Planet magazine. “That in itself is so powerful, because knowledge is power for these changes.”
The week’s final event, the Earth Week Cook-In, will be held April 25. Hosted by author and food systems researcher Gigi Berardi and the College of the Environment, the cook-in celebrates climate-conscious food choices, local produce and the connections between sustainability and food systems.
Students can expect live cooking demos using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, recipe swaps that promote affordable and nutritious eating, and opportunities to engage in dialogue about food justice and agriculture.
The event encourages students to rethink their food systems not just as consumers, but as more active participants in shaping a more equitable food future.
From community-driven projects and digital volunteering platforms to creative storytelling and climate-friendly cooking, Earth Week 2025 offers something for every student ready to get involved and take action.
It’s a week of learning, reflection and collaboration—designed to empower students to become changemakers for a more sustainable future.
Schedule:
Monday, 4/21
Earth Week Fair
Host Group: Sustainability Engagement Institute
Time: 11 a.m. -2 p.m.
Location: Red Square
Monday, 4/21
Ripples to Roots: A Restoration Celebration
Host Group: Ecological Restoration Club, LEAD, and the Salish Sea Institute
Time: 1 -4:30 p.m.
Location: Viking Union Multi-Purpose Room
Monday, 4/21
Trashion Show
Host Group: Zero Waste Western and WWU Arts & Music Productions
Time: 6:30 -8:30 p.m.
Location: Viking Union Underground Coffeehouse
Tuesday, 4/22
Planting Community
Host Group: The Outback Farm and WHOLE Food Pantry
Time: 12 p.m. -2 p.m.
Location: Outback Farm
Tuesday, 4/22
Coloring and Tote Bag Decorating
Host Group: Community Service Center
Time: 11 a.m. -1 p.m.
Location: Viking Union Lobby
Tuesday 4/22
Wake Up, Stand Up Rally
Host Group: Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Time: 12 p.m. -3 p.m.
Location: Bay Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
Tuesday, 4/22
Rural Food Sovereignty: Learning Together in Point Roberts
Host Group: WWU Center for Learning and Whatcom Food Network
Time: 5:30 -7:30 p.m.
Location: Point Roberts Community Center, 1437 Gulf Rd., Point Roberts, WA 98281
Wednesday, 4//23
SEJF Sustainability Walking Tour
Host Group: Sustainability, Equity, and Justice Fund (SEJF) Team
Time: 12 -1:30 p.m.
Location: Meet at the Performing Arts Center Plaza
Wednesday, 4/23
Earth Week Plant ID Hike
Host Group: Outdoor Center
Time: 3 p.m. -6 p.m.
Location: Meet at the Fisher Fountain in Red Square
Wednesday, 4/23
Teach-In: The Future of Rapid Transit in Bellingham
Host Group: Students for Climate Action
Time: 6 p.m. -7 p.m.
Location: TBD
Thursday, 4/24
Plarn Making and Crocheting
Host Group: Community Service Center
Time: 10:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.
Location: Viking Union Multi-Purpose Room
Thursday, 4/24
Climate Stories Night
Host Group: Sustainability Engagement Institute and WWU Arts & Music Production
Time: 7 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
Location: Viking Union Underground Coffeehouse
Friday, 4/25
Earth Week Cook-In
Host Group: College of the Environment & Gigi Berardi
Time: 10 a.m. -12 p.m.
Location: Arntzen Hall 219
Hailey Brown (they/them) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. They are a third-year visual journalism major with a minor in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Outside the newsroom, you can find them taking too many photos, on the beach collecting sea glass, or with their nose in any book. You can reach them at haileybrown.thefront@gmail.com.
