Earth Month kickoff

April 22 is Earth Day, but the medical center will celebrate Earth Month throughout April.

Sustainability is important to the med center — both as an internal practice and as a part of the organizational mission “to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities.” The med center has 2030 goals for building emissions, water consumption, waste diversion rate, transportation, campus density and sustainability engagement. Over the years, the med center has taken on a variety of efforts to meet these goals and lead the industry in sustainable practices. Take a look at the Our Journey page to learn more about the past, and view the Dashboard to track our progress.

Check out the list below or go to the LiveGreen Earth Month site to find out how you can participate in our Earth Month celebration. Each item is linked with all the details you need to know.

All month

• Drawdown EcoChallenge: Visit the website to pledge to take a simple action, including educating yourself on a new topic. Join our team to earn points, win prizes, and make the planet better (oh, and help us beat the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s team for the third challenge in a row). Invite your friends and family to participate on our team –the more the merrier.
• Educational campaign and scavenger hunt: Participate in our scavenger hunt to learn more about the resources available at LiveGreenNebraska.com and get entered for the chance to win a free Fontenelle Forest annual membership.

On-campus/virtual med center events

• April 14, noon-1 p.m.: Student webinar co-hosted with the Healthy Earth Alliance (HEAL) and Verdis Group. Join us to learn more about the med center’s sustainability goals, efforts to date and future plans. Open to all but mostly geared toward students. Register here to receive the Zoom link and add this event to your calendar.
• April 22, 11-11:30 a.m.: Join us for a “Living Plastic-Free” webinar with Brian Jefferis, who has almost completely eliminated plastic in his family’s household, and learn more about how plastic is everywhere and what we can do about it. Zoom information will be provided closer to the event.
• April 20, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. and April 21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Personal document shredding and electronic, battery and techno trash recycling, hosted in collaboration with UNO. Seedlings and wildflower seed packs will also be available, courtesy of the NRD. Details on the website.