Dear AU Community, 

Today—April 1—is the start of Earth Month, the annual month-long observance to raise awareness about environmental issues, inspire action to protect the planet, and recognize progress. Earth Month will culminate on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. We invite everyone in the AU community to participate in the spirit of Earth Month by taking part in the planned events listed below, as well as by taking action individually. 

Progress in the face of challenges

Sustainability progress always involves challenges and this year included more than its share. Yet despite the changing landscape, AU continued to achieve progress as we: 

• Opened the Meltzer Center/Sports Center Annex (SCAN), designed for LEED Platinum and net zero energy;  
• Expanded renewable energy use with AU’s first ground-source heating and cooling system; added an additional 1,334 solar panels to campus on the roofs of Meltzer Center, SCAN, and Bender; purchased Renewable Energy Credits to offset Kogod's use of energy for AI; 
• Won the inaugural Clean Energy DC Award at the DC Sustainability Awards;  
• Ranked #2 for the second year in a row in the Top Green Colleges list by The Princeton Review; 
• Hosted more than 600 people on sustainability tours;  
• Avoided 271 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through conservation during winter break; and 
• Donated six tons of food.

A call to collective action

As we end the academic year, one area that we can all focus on and take collective action this month—and throughout the year—is keeping waste out of landfills through reducing, recycling, composting, and reuse. The data gathered during the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition—in which we currently rank 15th out of 41 participating universities, with final rankings due in mid-April—shows that, on average, AU generates about a ton of trash every eight hours. That is about the weight of a small car and amounts to almost 2.2 million pounds of trash a year! 

During Earth Month, join us to celebrate at the following events:

•  April 1 – Sustainabili-Tea Zero Waste Tour (for faculty and staff!): Tour the AU campus, as the Facilities Management team explains how we sort waste on campus and where it ends up. To join the tour, fill out the registration form.  
• April 7 – Campus Beautification Day: Volunteer with American University faculty, staff, and students to beautify our campus.
• April 8 – Earth Month Teaching Kitchen: Join the Office of Sustainability and Chartwells in Terrace Dining Room (TDR) to learn about sustainable food options for Earth Month! RSVP here. 
• April 14 – Earth Day Crafting: Be creative and make crafts from found materials and jewelry wire. Supplies and light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.  
• April 22 – Sustainability Symposium: Join the Office of Sustainability and faculty from across AU on the 56th Earth Day for a robust program covering the breadth of sustainability work throughout U.S. history. RSVP here. 
• April 29–May 7 – Project Move Out: Volunteer for AU’s annual initiative to collect donated items from students as they move off campus for the summer to help keep perfectly usable items out of the landfill. Sign up here to volunteer. Faculty and staff are welcome to volunteer. 
• Any day: Help us plan for the future by taking this survey to provide input into future sustainability efforts on campus. 

Thank you for participating in this year’s Campus Race to Zero Waste competition. We hope to celebrate with you at one of our upcoming events, and we look forward to continuing to work together to achieve our campus sustainability goals during Earth Month and beyond. 

Megan Litke
Director of Sustainability