Join UAB Sustainability this Earth Month to gain a holistic view of sustainability through a lecture, fundraiser, lunch and learn and a wellness activity.
April is Earth Month, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s vision is to embed sustainability as a fundamental value through the development of sustainability literacy, solutions and leadership.
The theme for this year’s Earth Month is “Invest in our Planet,” and driving guidance from UAB’s Strategic Plan, UAB Sustainability is encouraging communities to be responsible stewards of resources and to use educational, operational and research activities to promote global thinking and local action.
This Earth Month, UAB Sustainability’s events include:
A lecture by an Amerindigenous scientist
Joseph Yracheta, a scientist at the Native BioData Consortium within the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation, will present about Amerindigenous health disparities in the light of laws, ethics, policies, genomics, omics, health outcomes, epidemiology, disease prevention and allostatic load from systemic racism on Tuesday, April 4, at 5 p.m. His lecture, “Dangerous Big Data Currents: Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Harnessing Indigenous Community Engagement for Raising the Civic Consciousness,” at the Hill Student Center’s Alumni Theatre will share an important message about racial justice, genomic equity and data equity.
Earth Month fundraiser
The fundraiser will take place Thursday, April 6, from 4-9 p.m. at Rojo in the Highland Park neighborhood to raise money for the Solar House and Sustainable Community’s habitat gardens. The fundraiser is part of the restaurant’s 10 Percent Days, which donates 10 percent of sales; takeout food counts toward the donation. The UAB Solar House will be greeting customers on the patio with UAB Sustainability Earth Month information. Artist Véro Vanblaere will have a special Earth Month exhibit for patrons to experience.
Earth Month Lunch and Learn
At the Planting Your Spring Garden: Earth Month Lunch and Learn, guests will bring their own lunch and learn the basics of spring gardening from Bethany O’Rear, regional extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University, on Wednesday, April 12, from 12-1 p.m. at the UAB Gardens. This outdoor event is an opportunity for soaking in the spring weather and learning about native planting and best practices to enhance home gardens.
Yoga at the UAB Solar House
A University Recreation Center yoga teacher will lead an evening of yoga practice at the UAB Solar House on Monday, April 17, at 6 p.m. The purpose of this event is to remind people that physical and mental well-being is an integral part of sustainability. There will be free doughnuts for everyone, and the first 30 participants will be provided with yoga mats.