The Office of Sustainability, along with many other campus and community partners, is excited to bring a full week of events and programming to the community. CC's celebrations for Earth Week will start today, Monday, Apr. 21, and run through Saturday, Apr. 26. We invite you to engage in this week's events.

Trash Peak  

Host: Office of Sustainability Waste Team Time: 12:15-2 p.m. 
Location: Worner Quad 

Kick off Earth Week with an interactive and eye-opening dive into CC’s waste at Trash Peak. Together, we’ll create a “mountain” of trash outside Worner—and then literally dig in to sort it. Learn how to properly divert items from the landfill in this hands-on event, designed to boost your sorting skills and sustainability know-how. Come and get your hands dirty and become a waste-sorting pro!

 

Earth Week Book Display & Raffle 

Host: Tutt Library 
Time: All week with results announced Friday, Apr. 25 
Location: Tutt Library 2nd Floor Research Desk 

Come by throughout the week to check out the library’s Earth Week book display. While you’re there, make sure to enter the raffle! The winners will be announced on Friday, Apr. 25. 

 

BYOM: Coffee & Tea 

Host: Bon Appetit x Office of Sustainability 
Time: All day (while supplies last) 
Location: Colorado Coffee 

Sip sustainably—on us! Bring your own clean, 20 oz. mug to Colorado Coffee and enjoy a FREE tea, drip coffee, or a custom-crafted limited-edition Earth Week beverage!. It’s a small action with a big impact—help reduce waste one cup at a time. Available all day while supplies last, so don’t miss out! 

Bonus tip: Outside of this special event, did you know that bringing your own clean mug to this and other locations gets you a discount any day of the week for drip coffee? 

Outdoor Industry Alumni Career Panel  

Host: Career Center 
Time: 2-3 p.m. 
Location: Career Center Carriage House  

Join us on Earth Day, April 22 at 2 p.m. to learn more about Outdoor Industry careers from awesome alums working in related leadership positions. We will have a panel and open it up to Q&A for students. 

After the panel, we will move outside for treats and games. 

Alums attending include the President and CEO of Palmer Land Conservancy, the Academic Support Coordinator with High Mountain Institute, and the Parks Operations Administrator with City of Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation. 

Conservation in the West Photo Contest Winners  

Host: State of the Rockies 
Time: Noon 
Location: State of the Rockies Website 

The State of the Rockies Project invited students to submit up to three photos taken in the Rocky Mountain West that reflect the importance of conservation—why it matters, how it happens, and what we must do to protect the natural world. Each submission included a short description connecting the image to a key theme from this year’s Conservation in the West poll.  

Winners will be announced at noon—check them out here! 

CC Exchange Spring Pop-Up 

Host: Office of Sustainability CC Exchange Team 
Time: 12:15-1:30 p.m. 
Location: Worner Quad 

Looking to refresh your wardrobe sustainably? Stop by the CC Exchange Spring Pop-Up on Worner Quad and browse a curated collection of cute, colorful, and totally FREE clothing! It’s the perfect way to give pre-loved pieces a second life while keeping textiles out of the landfill.  

The CC Exchange will be open during Weeks 1–3 of this block, from 2–4 p.m. in the Worner Basement next to the CC Pantry. Be sure to stop by while it's open to pick up new items or drop off donations—it will be closing for the summer. 

Sense of Place: Water Treatment Facility Tour 

Host: Colorado Springs Utilities x Office of Sustainability 
Time: 12:45-2:15 p.m.  
Location: Off-Campus 

Join us for an informative behind-the-scenes tour of the J.D. Phillips Water Resource Recovery Facility, located near the Pikeview Reservoir. The facility is fully enclosed to control odors and efficiently process solids, which are sent through the Monument Creek Interceptor to the Las Vegas Water Resource Recovery Facility and further treated at Clear Spring Ranch. Gain a deeper understanding of how this facility contributes to water sustainability and the environment. Today, is the last day to register for this tour.

Outdoor Cultivation 

Host: Project Mush Club x CC Student Farm Club   
Time: 3 p.m.  
Location: TCC Farm 

Get your hands dirty at a joint inoculation day. Work with the CC Student Farm Club and Project Mush Club to cultivate plants and grow something new down at the CC Farm.  

Llamapalooza Merch Screening Printing Event

Host: Llamapalooza Planning Committee 
Time: 12-2 p.m.
Location: Worner Quad 

Come chill with the Llamapalooza Planning Committee for a Merch Screen Printing Event. Bring your funkiest, most fabulous clothes to have a Llama logo printed directly onto the item, because nothing says festival-ready like custom merch! See you there.

Timothy C. Linnemann Memorial Lecture 

Host: Environmental Studies & Science Program 
Book Signing Time: 5-5:45 p.m. 
Lecture Time: 6-7:30 p.m. 
Location: Kathryn Mohrman Theatre  

Join Dr. Hi'ilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart for “Where Hawai'i Ends.” Grounded in the Indigenous environmental politics of stewardship and care, this talk emphasizes the economic and ecological debts that are set into motion when fresh lands are brought to the surface.  

Arbor Day  

Host: Facilities Services’ Landscape & Grounds Crew x Office of Sustainability 
Time: 12:30-2 p.m. 
Location: Behind the Office of Sustainability (1004 N Weber)  

Join us for an Arbor Day planting event hosted by CC’s Landscape & Grounds Crew. You'll work alongside the crew to plant trees and native plants behind the OoS office. These plants will represent the diverse landscapes of Colorado, from the plains to the mountains. 

Put in some hard work while helping to enhance our campus environment. Free sandwiches and t-shirts will be available while supplies last, so come early, get your hands dirty, and celebrate sustainability with us! 

Pride Outside 

Host: Outdoor Education 
Time: 2-5 p.m.  
Location: Yampa Field 

Stop by for music, food, and activities. There will be student-led learning opportunities including clinics on skills like how to pitch a tent, build a fire, light a stove, water color in the outdoors, and more. There will also be other fun activities like an obstacle bounce house and a gear sale.  

Earth Week Book Display & Raffle Closes 

Host: Tutt Library 
Time: Results announced today! 
Location: Tutt Library 2nd Floor Research Desk 

This is the last day of the Earth Week book display. Make sure you stop by before it’s too late to enter the raffle. Winners will be announced today, so don’t miss your chance to participate and win some great prizes.  

Breakout Trip: Ithaka Housing Volunteering

Host: CCE 
Time: 9:30 a.m-12:30 p.m. 
Location: Location will be sent after registration, transportation is provided. 

Ithaka Housing works to help people escape the cycle of poverty and homelessness, secure stable long-term housing, and achieve a self-determined vision for their lives. Activities may include landscaping and painting. Students can register here and will be sent meet-up information from the trip leader. 

Sustainable Speaker Series 

Host: University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Date: Tuesday, Apr. 22 
Time: Varying events from 4:30-8:30 p.m. 
Location: UCCS Berger Hall   

Join UCCS for an engaging panel discussion, where you'll have the chance to hear diverse perspectives and participate in a dynamic audience Q&A. Enjoy light refreshments throughout the event while connecting with fellow attendees. Plus, don’t miss your chance to win a prize basket worth up to $60! Please register using this link.

Host: OCC Trash Fairies 
Date: Saturday, May 3 
Time: 9 a.m. 
Location: West Side of Vermijo Park 

The OCC Trash Fairies, a local non-profit dedicated to preserving our precious waterways, is partnering with Westside Cares for a creek clean-up. Together, they will head out to clean up the section of Fountain Creek (from 25th to Ridge Rd.) and protect these vital ecosystems for future generations. Participants never know what hidden treasures they might discover along the way.

The group will meet at the west parking lot of Vermijo Park by the community garden, with a safety briefing starting at 9 a.m. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Refreshments will be available at the end of the clean-up.