March 2025 Newsletter

March 27

Addressing Extreme Heat through Faithful Community Resilience

Through March 28

Duke Oceans Week

March 28 Summit -
Ocean to Table: Climate-Resilient Innovations for Sustainable Blue Foods

Through March 28

Colloquium on the Climate, Geologic, & Biologic Evolution of the Amazon

March 28

17th annual Duke Arbor Day Tree Planting Celebration

March 28

Community Work Day at Duke Campus Farm

March 29

African American Legacy in Gardening and Horticulture Symposium

April is Earth Month! Earth Day has been commemorated on April 22 for the past 55 years. This year, the Duke community continues to celebrate with special events, opportunities and features throughout the month. We are sharing a list of campuswide programming, with more information added regularly on the Duke Climate Commitment website.

How are you planning to celebrate Earth Month? Tag @sustainableduke on Instagram in a photo by Earth Day. We want to hear from you and invite you to join us.

Dean Mary Klotman with the Duke School of Medicine interviewed Asiya Gusa about research at the intersection of climate and health. The discussion delves into the groundbreaking research being conducted at Duke University and its implications for public health. 

Get Involved:

April 8 - Innovative Strategies for Addressing Climate-Related Health Challenges

April 23 - Duke Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Climate Action Day

Duke University’s third Climate Leader in Residence has been announced! Hosted by the Duke University School of Nursing, Jessica Castner, PhD, RN-BC will spend the next year collaborating with leaders across the university and health system to accelerate Duke’s leadership on climate and health. The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability oversees the CLIR program.

Get Involved:

April 10 - Duke School of Nursing Planetary Health Fair (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. DUSON Atrium)

Duke is equipping students to respect differing viewpoints in a variety of ways, including conversations about climate. This Duke Today feature examines the decline in civil discourse and Duke’s efforts to improve campus dialogue. 

Photo of students dining together during the course "Let's Talk about Climate Change."

Get Involved:

Spring 2025 - Climate Cafes

Researchers interviewed almost 500 farmers in Madagascar - the heart of vanilla country - about the challenges to their livelihood and what they’re doing to cope in erratic weather changes. 

Photo: Voahangy Soarimalala

Duke's Environmental Law and Policy Clinic is working to cut plastic waste and the harm it causes to humans, wildlife and marine life, and the ecosystems on which they depend. The clinic has focused much of its work in recent years on plastic pollution, identifying interventions and policy solutions for different points in the plastics lifecycle — from production to use to disposal — to eliminate, reduce, or mitigate the harms of plastics.

Get Involved:

Watch a recent reel from Law student Indya Woodfolk

During the launch of the Duke Campaign Made for This, Duke researchers and students highlighted ways to achieve global energy goals and create a more equitable and sustainable world.

Get Involved:

April 8 - Energy and Climate Ventures Reception + Talks

April 9 - From Billions to Trillions Summit

Corals are what ecologists call “foundation species,” integral to habitats and food webs. Understanding ecological factors that shield coral reefs from harm could inform conservation and restoration efforts. New research highlights how a reef-dwelling crab can benefit corals, especially when a coral is wounded or facing heat stress.

First author Julianna Renzi conducted the research as a graduate student at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, part of the Nicholas School of the Environment.

Photo of Duke Marine Lab. 

Lori Bennear, a longtime Nicholas School faculty member, has been selected as the next Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment effective July 1.

Duke University was honored March 26 by ACR at the Carbon Market Awards for enduring and innovative commitment to climate action. Duke received the 2025 Organizational Excellence Award for achieving its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2024, including a 31% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2007.

ICYMI: Duke Gardens is listed as #8 on USA Today’s list of Best Botanical Gardens in the U.S. Congratulations, Duke Gardens, and thank you to everyone who voted for this campus beauty to make the list!