Campus Sustainability Month 2025 is Next Month!

October is recognized nationally as Campus Sustainability Month. Save the date for celebrating on UMB's campus this October! Planned events include:



• Composting Workshop
• Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., SMC Campus Center Room 115
• Climate, Health, and Policy in Maryland: The State Steps Up
• Tuesday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.., 4MLK
• Swap Party
• Tuesday, Oct. 14 from 12 - 4 p.m., 4MLK
• Meet the Founder: HEX Ferments with The Grid
• Wednesday, Oct. 15 from noon - 1 p.m., The Grid (HSHSL, 3rd floor)
• Campus Cleanup
• Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., outside HSRF III
• October Specialty Recycling Collections 
• Month of October, Campus Center and Lexington lobbies
• Items Accepted: Books, batteries, ink/toner cartridges, electronics, clothing and textiles, and plastic bags and film

Visit our website leading up to October for the latest updates on events.

Walking Wednesday Dates for September

On the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, we will meet outside the Lexington Building (620 W. Lexington St) at 12:05 p.m. to walk around campus for about 30 minutes during the lunch hour. In September 2025, walks will take place on Sept. 10 and 24.

Join the Teams at bit.ly/SustainabilityCommunityUMB to stay up to date.

September SustainabiliTea Session

Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 9 a.m.

620 W Lexington St, 6th Floor

The Office of Sustainability will be hosting our September open office hour in person at our office on the 6th floor of the Lexington Building. Stop by to say hello, ask questions, share ideas, and drink tea. Please BYOM (bring your own mug)!

Join the Microsoft Team to learn more.

Upcoming Events in West Baltimore

We will also be hosting workshops at the Community Engagement Center (CEC) this fall focused on waste reduction and creative reuse.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9, clothing scrap wreath, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, Sept. 23, DIY handwarmers, from 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 9, sustainable gift wrapping workshop, from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Register for one or more of the sessions using this link. You can also sign up for the CEC newsletter to receive weekly updates about events and initiatives.

PSLI to Feature Sustainability Leadership Track

Consider joining the President's Student Leadership Institute (PSLI), UMB's signature leadership development program open to all students. PSLI helps you to chart your own course through leadership development while engaging with topics such as sustainability, civic engagement, and social responsibility. Through interactive workshops and structured reflection, participants gain the tools to lead ethically and collaboratively in their professions and communities.  This year, four core tracks will be offered, including Sustainability Leadership.

Join by registering at this link or learn more here. Questions? Email the Office of Intercultural Leadership and Engagement at ILE@umaryland.edu.

Environmental Law Students Go Global

Students from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law program participated in the 22nd annual Colloquium of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Academy of Environmental Law in Peru. The colloquium theme surrounded the achievements and challenges of sustainable development goals and environmental law.

Learn more about their experience in The Elm.

Wendell Berry, Poet

Wendell is an American author whose work is rooted in his experiences as a farmer. He focuses on environmental responsibility and how important the human connection to the environment is.

Here is his poem, "The Peace of Wild Things":

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

You can learn more about Wendell Berry and read more of his work here.

Climate Anxiety Resilience Hub

As the impacts of climate change continue to increase in severity and frequency it is crucial to find tools and methods to manage climate anxiety. The hub on our website includes resources like NatureRx at UMB, breathing techniques, healthy recipes, and other tips.

Visit the Climate Anxiety Resilience Hub using this link.