The Office of Climate & Sustainability enjoyed a jam-packed Earth Month in April! Our wide range of events included celebrating Earth Fest with a beautiful picnic from Hopkins Dining, inspiring the youngest members of community at the Homewood Early Learning Center, bringing people together to share sustainability research through our 7th Annual Sustainability Symposium, and more.  

We’re grateful to the many partners that make these events possible and for all the hard work of our interns who plan many of our student-focused events. Read on for some highlights of an incredible month! 

The Office of Climate and Sustainability was thrilled to help celebrate the achievements of our interns and staff at recent awards ceremonies and spotlights!

Swastik Jha and Srigouri Oruganty.

Srigouri Oruganty, Sustainability Engagement intern, was nominated for JHU Student Employee of the Year. Srigouri is the reason that so many of our programs exist including grants for sustainability work for student organizations, our annual EarthFest, and a series of events focused on Environmental Justice in Baltimore co-developed with a number of campus partners. Her work with our office over the last three years has been crucial to our successful student engagement and embodies the best of what it means to be a student employee. 

Secondly, Sustainability in Admissions Branding intern Eva Breiland won the Dean of Students' Christopher B. Elser Prize. The prize is awarded to a junior or a senior who was a record of active participation and leadership in campus life and campus activities; demonstrates active participation and commitment to community service; and a demonstrated passion for athletics and recreation. Eva's hard work and leadership as part of the soccer team, her internship with our office, and her work with planetary health, food equity, and research on the climate impacts of food make her a perfect winner of this award! 

Eva Breiland and supervisor Claire Runquist.

Swastik Jha, Facilities Management Sustainability intern at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, was nominated for student employee of the year in recognition of his thoughtful, analytical, and highly impactful work at the School of Public Health. Swastik led LEED O+M feasibility and planning efforts for the Wolfe Building, developed data-driven strategies to improve laboratory energy efficiency through analysis of more than 200 ultra-low temperature freezers, and helped launch pilot programs focused on measurable energy savings and operational improvements. He also played a major role in improving utility and waste data systems to support clearer reporting and long-term sustainability planning. His technical expertise, initiative, and collaborative approach made him an invaluable member of the team this year. 

Carly Hinton.

In addition to our wonderful students, one of our staff members, Carly Hinton, was nominated for supervisor of the year. Carly works as Sustainability Manager for the Bloomberg School of Public Health and was nominated for her excellent support and mentoring of a BSPH intern over the last two years. Whether providing leadership opportunities for her intern, or providing context and background for all the operational work going on at BSPH, Carly is always ready to be a supportive supervisor.  

And OCS’s Ryan Weeks-Rutan, Senior Sustainability Specialist, Green Labs and Zero Waste, and Krieger School of Arts & Sciences alumni, was highlighted in the Arts & Sciences Magazine and on KSAS social media for his work building the Green Labs program and making labs more sustainable and efficient across the university. Read Ryan’s full interview here. 

Congratulations to Srigouri, Eva, Swastik, Carly, and Ryan! 

Ryan Weeks-Rutan.

Hopkins Dining is partnering with Richfield Farm, a local family-owned farm committed to supporting regional agriculture. Through this collaboration, students, staff, and faculty can meet the farmers behind their food and experience a more connected approach to fresh, sustainable eating. 

Located on a popular thoroughfare outside of Levering Hall, the farm stand has already begun to spark curiosity and conversation. Tables filled with beautiful plants, fragrant herbs, and seasonal produce naturally draw attention, turning everyday movement across campus into moments of discovery. What often begins as a quick stop becomes an easy exchange between members of the campus community and the people who grow their food. 

Upcoming Spring & Summer 2026 Farm Stand Dates 
Location: Levering Courtyard 
Time: 11:00 AM– 2:00 PM

The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) Farmers Market is back in East Baltimore for 2026! Stop by Jefferson Pathway on Thursdays from 10 AM to 2 PM to enjoy fresh produce and other healthy eating options. The market is sponsored by JHH Food and Culinary Services; please email foodandculinaryservices@jhmi.edu with any questions.

2026 Farmers Market Schedule 
Thursdays, April 30 – October 29 
Location: Jefferson Pathway, between Watkins Outpatient & CRB buildings 
Time: 10:00 AM– 2:00 PM 

JHU’s new Climate & Sustainability Progress Report was published last month, detailing the university's progress towards the goals of our Climate Action and Sustainability Plan. Highlights include: 

🚌 5 new electric buses purchased 

📉 Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 21% 

🏢 JHU's High-Performance and Healthy Buildings Requirements established 

🌍 Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health launched 

🌱 37% of waste diverted from incineration and landfill 

🔎 10 teaching and research projects awarded in inaugural cycle of Campus as a Living Lab program 

🍎 30% of Hopkins Dining food was locally-sourced within 250 miles of Homewood campus 

Check out the full report to learn more about the university’s efforts.

Diana Murtaugh is an undergraduate junior majoring in Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and English at the JHU Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. She conducts undergraduate research in Dr. Daniel Viete’s Tectonics, Metamorphic Petrology, and Orogenesis (TeMPO) Lab. Her project on the geologic formation of the Northern Appalachian Mountains will become her senior honors thesis. 

We sat down with Murtaugh to learn more about her research experience and the importance of environmental research. 

On April 28, the launch of the documentary series Polluted by Design: Histories of Waste and the Struggle for Environmental Justice in South Baltimore brought together more than 50 attendees, including representatives from the Baltimore City Council, academics, organizers, community members, and students. The event featured a screening of the series and panel discussions highlighting the community experiences and advocacy efforts shaping environmental justice work in South Baltimore.  

The full film series is now available to watch at sbclt.org/polluted-by-design and on YouTube. We encourage you to take time to view the episodes and share them with your networks. This documentary series was created by students in the fall 2025 Environmental Justice Workshop at Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University, in partnership with the South Baltimore Community Land Trust (SBCLT). 

JHU has partnered with Neighborhood Sun Benefit Corp., a Certified B Corporation and local Maryland-based business, to help provide our community members with a means to support local renewable energy – all without changing utility companies, paying extra costs, or worrying about expensive installations. If you get your electricity through BGE, Pepco MD, Potomac Edison, or Delmarva Power & Light, you can subscribe to community solar today to start saving money and reducing pollution every time you pay your electricity bill.  

If your organization or department is planning a climate- or sustainability-related event, please send it our way (sustainability@jhu.edu) so we can add it to our calendar of events.

Exhibit | Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies, & Bees 

With Evergreen Museum and Library 

Jan 21 - Aug 23

Laboratory to Launchpad Conference: Bringing Your Energy IP to Life 

With Carey Business School, Whiting School of Engineering, and Applied Physics Laboratory 

Jun 11 | 9 AM – 6 PM | Bloomberg Center (DC)

Flock Farm Stand 

With Hopkins Dining 

Jun 16 | 11 AM – 2 PM | Levering Courtyard 

Air Quality Research Hub Happy Hour 

With Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health 

Jun 18 | 5 – 7 PM | R. House

Compost Workshop 

With Baltimore GROW Center 

May 27 |5 – 6:30 PM | Govans Farmers’ Market

What Trees Remember: Climate, Water, and Change in Western Maryland 

With Natural History Society of Maryland 

May 28 | 7 – 8 PM | Virtual 

Catch, Create, Celebrate: A Black Birders Week Art Event 

With Masonville Cove Partnership 

May 29 | 5 – 7 PM | Masonville Cove 

The Mending Studio 

With Enoch Pratt Free Library 

Jun 02 | 6 – 8 PM | Central Library 

Natives at Noon | Non-native Earthworms and Their Effects on the Soil Ecosystem 

With University of Maryland Extension 

Jun 03 | 12 – 1 PM | Virtual 

Friday Night Hike: Twilight Tones – Nature Sound Bath 

With Baltimore City Recreation and Parks  

Jun 05 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM | Carrie Murray Nature Center 

Baltimore’s Annual Sustainability Open House 

With Baltimore Office of Sustainability 

Jun 06 | 12 – 4 PM | Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center 

JSQ Garden Club 

With The 6th Branch 

Jun 09 | 1 – 3 PM | Johnston Square Farm & Garden 

Spring 2026 Weed Warriors | Pathway 2: Advanced Urban Ecosystems 

With Baltimore City Recreation and Parks 

Jun 17 | 6:30 – 8:30 PM | Virtual

Open Positions:

Volunteer Opportunities: