April 22 is Earth Day!
Cornell University celebrates all things sustainability during the entire month of April, with dozens of events in climate change leadership, health & wellness, social justice, film & art, fashion, and sustainability topics. 

FEATURED EVENTS

4/9 Sustainabiity Career Night
Join ECO for an evening of networking and career exploration with guest speakers Bruce Monger, Allison Chatrchyan, and Mike Hoffman. Hear about their paths into sustainability, gain advice for students, and take part in a Q&A followed by networking. Refreshments provided. Note: This event will be recorded and a Zoom option is available.

4/29 Sustainable Cornell Mix & Mingle - RSVP April 21st 
Hear from Sustainable Cornell Council and Atkinson leadership, and take the opportunity to interact with some of the university’s latest Living Lab technologies. 
This year you can congratulate recipients of the 2026 Student Sustainability Awards.
Nominate graduate and undergraduate students, teams, events, organizations, projects, faculty and staff advisors, and even yourself with our simple nomination form. Nomination Link -Deadline to nominate is April 16th. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

4/9 - 4/11 Ezra and Cornell Business Impact Symposium 2026 | From Promise to Performance: Sustainability Under Pressure
Join Entrepreneurship at Cornell and the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise for a joint Celebration Ezra + Cornell Business Impact Symposium, featuring entrepreneurs, impact leaders, student competitions, and networking. One registration gives access to all events.

4/16 Dilmun Hill |Student Farm at Cornell™ Celebrating 30 years
Come hear from Dilmun Hill alumni about their reflections on their time at Dilmun and their career journeys since! Dinner will be provided!

4/18 Beyond STEM: Exploratory Climate Careers Panel If you've ever felt like you don't quite fit the typical climate career mold, this event was built for you. Hosted in collaboration with the Wild Center — a nonprofit that sponsors Youth Climate Summits across the country — this free virtual panel spotlights unconventional and diverse paths in climate action, from law and journalism to sustainability strategy, the trades, and creativity and community engagement.

4/18 Plants & Our People: Rooted in Indigenous Community: Keynote Address for the Ivy Native Conference 2026
Join Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell for the Ivy Native Conference 2026 keynote by Indigenous environmental activist Giiwedin. Open to the public. No registration required.

4/22 Earth Day: Planet-Friendly Plates
Celebrate Earth Day at the Sustainability Fair in Willard Straight Hall, with free plant-based samples, vendors, and educational tabling—plus a plant-forward lunch at Okenshields. The fair is free; see Cornell Dining Now for lunch menus and pricing.

4/22 Bowers Earth Day Repair Fair
Bring broken or unwanted electronics—anything with a cord—to repair, reuse, or recycle. Learn about tech’s environmental impacts and explore a laptop’s inner workings during a live teardown.

4/22 Earth Day Astronomy, Astrology, and Numerology: Venus and the Maya 
Fourth Annual Earth Day Organ Recital—a free, electricity‑free concert of foot‑pumped Baroque music and more, featuring Amanda Mole and Cornell organ students.

4/22 Cornell “Organists Unplugged” Earth Day Recital 
Join Cornell scholars to explore how the ancient Maya used astronomy to shape agriculture and daily life—and what those insights can teach us about sustainability today.

4/23 Art in Nature: A Mental Health Lens 
For millennia, nature has been the subject of our artwork. Why is nature such a popular subject? In this third session of our dinner and discussion series, we will explore the mental health benefits of appreciating natural beauty and conclude with a mindfulness journaling or sketching activity. Food Provided (Sandwiches from Wegmans (including gluten free and dairy free options). Registration requested. 

4/25 SpringFest
This spring, help us bring Alice in Wonderland to life with themed activities, playful food, and elegant games. As the year comes to a close, we invite all Cornellians to explore, play, and celebrate together. Come join us—down the rabbit hole!

4/26 Cornell Botanic Gardens’ Elizabeth E. Rowley Lecture by Doug Tallamy, Ph.D.
To attend the lecture by Zoom, pre-registration is required here. In person attendance does not require registration. Recent declines in North American birds show that the loss of common species—not extinction—is our greatest conservation challenge. Renowned ecologist and author Doug Tallamy will share how simple changes to residential landscapes can provide the food and shelter birds need, and why private landowners are essential to saving them.

OTHER EVENTS

4/9 Near the Forest, by the Lake: Discovering Nature Close to Home | Mann Library Room 160 (Cornell University Press, 2025)  is a new collection of essays by Cornell biologist Angela Douglas, exploring the wonders of the natural world close to home.

4/13 - 5/4 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge Series [recurs every Monday]

4/12, 4/19, 4/26 Computer & Equipment Donation Drop off [recurs every Sunday]

4/16 Going to Gone: Earth's Biodiversity Loss and What We Can Do About It
Join us for an opening celebration for these exhibits on Thursday, April 16, with a lecture by Cornell Lab of Ornithology researcher Jordan Boersma on "Finding Hope in the Search for Lost Birds" at 4pm in Mann Room 160, and a reception at 5pm in the Mann Library Gallery. All are welcome!

4/19 Beeswax Wrap Making

4/23 The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet   

4/24 Mindful Botany Walk

4/24 & 4/25 Ho Plaza Truss Days -Habitat for Humanity Cornell Chapter

EXHIBITS

"From the Brink" Exhibit Series   

Re-Imagine: Sustainable Art & Objects

COMMUNITY EVENTS

4/11 Understanding and Optimizing Your Electricity Bill

4/11 An Inconvenient Truth – 29th Annual Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival Saturday Cinemapolis FREE EVENT

3/27 - 4/12 29th annual Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival

4/18 Tompkins County Earth Day Festival

4/25 CCE Tompkins: Compost Fair

How to Host an Event
Anyone can host a sustainability event! Helpful tips on how to get your event listed for the month-long celebration.

Certify Your Event as a "Sustainable Event"
Make sure your event is a sustainable one. Fill out a short checklist and receive a completed certification badge for use in event advertising.
Sustainable Event Certification

Get Connected
Be sure to sign up for the Campus Sustainability Listserv to stay in the know about the latest new opportunities added during April. You can also follow the Campus Sustainability Office on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more event reminders during sustainability month and all year round.