Earth Day and Arbor Day

We invite you to celebrate with us during our joint commemoration of Earth Day and Arbor Day every year, highlighting the interconnections between climate, environment, and society.

The holiday we now celebrate as Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. In the 1960's events such as Cleveland's Cuyahoga River fire and the publishing of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" began creating an environmental fervor. Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired to create a holiday that would focus on mobilizing the public. More than 50 years later we are still celebrating this holiday in a time when sustainability is more important than ever. Here at Purdue we have many events tied to community engagement and education on Earth Day. Purdue staff, faculty, and students are all encouraged to participate.

During Earth Day celebrations, you can attend movie/documentary screenings, open house discussion sessions, academic conferences, tree planting events, recycling drives, and community outreach/service, as well as many other projects organized by faculty, students, and service groups/departments like the Center for the Environment, Boiler Green Initiative, and the Office of Campus Master Planning and Sustainability (CMP&S).

Due to our commitment to Arbor Day initiatives, Purdue has been granted the designation of “Tree Campus USA” for the fifth year in a row. This honor recognizes the size, scope diversity, and maintenance of Purdue's 8,000-tree arboretum, which spans the entire campus. As per the program, Purdue has been recognized for:

• effectively managing our campus trees
• developing connectivity with the community beyond campus borders to foster healthy, urban forests
• engaging our student population through service learning opportunities centered on campus and community forestry efforts

To get involved, email us at sustainability@purdue.edu.