University of Wisconsin-Madison

Schedule

Earth Fest events are open to the public, unless otherwise stated. Most events are free; some may require a nominal fee or registration.

This schedule will be updated as new events are added.

Want to be the first to get Earth Fest updates? Head to your favorite social media platform and follow us: @nelsoninstitute or @sustainuw. Not on social? Check your inbox for periodic updates.

Want to be part of Earth Fest? Submit your event

Monday, April 21, 2025

Ecopoetry Workshop

April 21, 2025    
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Ecopoet and nonfiction writer Heather Swan will be hosting an ecopoetry writing workshop.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

UW-Madison Cannabis Conference

April 22, 2025    
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
The UW-Madison Cannabis Conference is a dynamic, multidisciplinary event aimed at expanding awareness, fostering knowledge exchange, and bridging gaps in cannabis research, education, and policy. [...]

Sustainability Research Networking Event

April 22, 2025    
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Join the Sustainability Research Hub for an Earth Fest Networking Event, where researchers, faculty, and sustainability staff will come together to explore critical challenges. This [...]

Volunteering at the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve

April 22, 2025    
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Join students from the Morgridge Center for Public Service and the Actuarial Science Club at UW-Madison to collect litter and clean up a native plant garden.

UW–Madison Renewable Electricity Goals: What Are the Options?

April 22, 2025    
4:30 pm
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin has set an ambitious vision for campus environmental sustainability, including achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2048.

Hot, Hot, Hot: Climate Change, Heat, and Health, an Upcoming Hot Topics in Public Health symposium

April 22, 2025    
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
This symposium will provide an overview of the science behind climate change, heat exposure and health consequences.

Crossroads of Ideas: Toxins at the Tap - Navigating the Future of PFAS and Our Water Supply

April 22, 2025    
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Delve into the world of PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — often referred to as "forever chemicals."

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Ecopoetry Open Mic

April 23, 2025    
11:00 am
Environmental Humanities 113 is hosting an eco-poetry open mic. Bring a poem about the natural world that you love or one you wrote yourself.

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Global Learning, Green Traveling: Sustainable Study Abroad

April 24, 2025    
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Attendees will learn how travel impacts local communities and the environment, and how small changes can significantly reduce global footprints.

Bee Hotel and Little Free Library Celebration

April 24, 2025    
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Stop by Allen Centennial Garden to see the newly installed solar little free library and bee hotel!

Earth Day Trivia Night

April 24, 2025    
7:15 pm - 8:15 pm
The Nelson ambassadors will be hosting trivia in Memorial Union. There will be a variety of trivia categories. Prizes will be awarded to teams who end with the most points.

Friday, April 25, 2025

Volunteering at the Allen Centennial Garden

April 25, 2025    
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Join us at the Allen Centennial Garden to help get the garden ready for spring. Be prepared to work outside and get a little dirty.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Two Wheels, Many Stories: A Graphic Artist’s Journey to Interview Climate Activists Across the U.S.

April 27, 2025    
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
French artist and author Julia Bourdet is currently writing a graphic novel about her seven-month artistic residency in the United States, during which she crossed the Atlantic on a cargo ship and traveled from New York to San Francisco by bike and train.

Spring Wildflowers of the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve

April 27, 2025    
1:30 pm
Celebrate spring with a nature walk in the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve to look for spring ephemeral wildflowers.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Clearer Currents: Rainfall Simulator and Campus Stormwater

April 29, 2025    
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Join the Department of Environment, Health, and Safety and Dane County's Ripple Effects for a demonstration of how groundcover can impact stormwater quality.

Civil Rights Activism and Agriculture: A Family That Kept the Land

April 29, 2025    
5:00 pm
The scholarship on the Great Migration concentrates on those who left the south, yet millions of African American farmer families stayed. Their voices have been overlooked.

All views expressed by the speakers are their own and are not necessarily representative of the views and opinions of the Nelson Institute, Office of Sustainability, or UW–Madison.