Events

Every April, The Office of Sustainability hosts an on-campus project for students and local alumni that focuses on improving the natural campus environment.

In February or March, students promote awareness of climate change by plunging into the frigid St. Mary’s River. Sometimes a fundraiser is also held to provide funds to a group or cause related to climate change issues.

St. Mary’s celebrates Arbor Week with a series of events focused on trees, stewardship, and campus ecology. Activities often include tree plantings, educational workshops, and opportunities for students to engage with the campus landscape in hands-on ways. Arbor Week highlights the cultural and historical significance of trees as places of gathering, symbols of resilience, and living connections to the region’s past, while also emphasizing their ecological importance in supporting biodiversity and improving air and soil quality.

During move out week, The Office of Sustainability rents trailers for seahawks to divert their unwanted furniture and used items to the FreeStore or local charities, rather than throw them away. We also accept cardboard boxes and offer free boxes for move-out (available at the FreeStore in QA).

At least once a year, the entire SMCM community gathers to showcase their up-cycled items, get ideas for creative reusing or repurposing, and trade used items with one another instead of throwing them away. The Community Swap will usually have a focus area to encourage more creative solutions for a specific waste stream.

Every year volunteers host various free sustainable living workshops. Past workshops have included: edible plant walks, DIY laundry detergent, clothing repair & sewing, vegetarian cooking, and repurposing tee-shirts.

During the week of Earth Day and Arbor Day (at the end of April), we celebrate the entire week with workshops, movie screenings, events, clean-ups, tree plantings, and other projects that focus on creating a more engaged and sustainable campus.