Events

Sustainability in Welcome Week 2021
Aug. 19th - 22nd, 2021
The UofL Sustainability Council will welcome new students to campus with a variety of events designed to engage your passion! Events will include:

• Thursday, Aug. 19
  Garden Commons Salsa Party
  3:00 - 4:00pm
  Garden Commons (southwest corner of Strickler Hall)
  Stop by UofL's organic, student-run Garden Commons to sample some of the delicious fresh produce we've grown together over the summer and discover how you can get involved and learn how to grow your own food right here on campus! Sponsored by the UofL Sustainability Council and the Office of Health Promotion.
• Thursday, Aug. 19
  Cardinal Frenzy
  7:30 - 11:00pm
  BAB Quad
  Stop by the UofL Sustainability Council booth for some fun, engaging activities designed to inform and inspire your green living on campus!
  
• Friday, Aug. 20
  Garden Commons Workday
  12pm-1pm
  Garden Commons (SW corner of Strickler Hall)
  All are welcome at our weekly group workdays in UofL's organic Garden Commons! Join us to learn (by doing) how to grow hyper-local, super-delicious vegetables, herbs, and fruits! Anyone can work in the garden any time, but we gather weekly to plant, weed, water, and harvest together. No prior experience necessary. Tools & gloves provided. The Garden Commons is open to participation any time from students, staff, faculty, and community members. Everyone who comes is welcome to share in the harvest! Connect with us and get all the details on Facebook or Instagram.
  
• Friday, Aug. 20
  Free Store Friday
  5:00 - 7:00pm on the SAC South Plaza
  The UofL Free Store and Cardinal Cupboard will be holding a pop-up shop where everything is FREE. These student-run services are available year-round to help keep useful stuff out of the landfill while lowering your bills. The Free Store is a place for free exchange of clothing, shoes, accessories, linens, kitchen & housewares, cleaning & school supplies, and much more. The Cardinal Cupboard is our on-campus food pantry offering both fresh and packaged foods whenever you need.
• Saturday, Aug. 21 - S.O.U.L. Service Projects
  10:00am - 1:00pm, various sites
  By volunteering at SOUL, you’ll have the opportunity to help local community organizations that benefit the environment, nature, houseless populations, youth, and many more groups and communities. The Sustainability Council is offering on-campus volunteer sites for SOUL, including the Garden Commons and UofL Community Composting project, in addition to the many other community service projects! Get to know fellow students and UofL faculty and staff while exploring diversity on campus and in the Louisville community. Discover how to make the most of UofL service and leadership opportunities, then work alongside those you met to learn first-hand about the many facets of our “Possibility City.” Register to volunteer here.
• Saturday, Aug. 21
  Louisville Sustainability Bike Tour
  2:00 – 4:00pm meet up outside the SRC
  Take a fun afternoon bike ride with the Student Cycling Coalition and UofL Sustainability Council! Explore your new community through the lens of environmental stewardship and social justice. Don’t have a bike? Check one out from the SRC through UofL’s Bikeshare Program or take a spin on a free LouVelo bike for the day. Check out our route here.
• Sunday, Aug. 22
  UofL Community Composting Volunteer Day
  Every Sunday noon-2pm (250 E. Bloom St. just one block north of Cardinal Blvd. between Brook and Floyd Streets)
  Come help us turn “trash” into treasure as we manage UofL’s volunteer-powered community composting operation. Dress to get dirty. Tools provided. Learn about worm composting and becoming a UofL EcoRep!

Cards Commuter Challenge 2021
August 30 - September 30, 2021. University-wide
UofL wants you to save money, burn calories, put an end to pollution, and win prizes…all by simply choosing to get to campus in a new way! Record your trips throughout the Cards Commuter Challenge (August 26 - September 30) and each week you'll have the chance to win fabulous weekly prizes or be the Grand Prize Winner who takes the most trips by means other than driving alone and you'll receive the grand prize!

Step 1: Join the Challenge online!

• Students: Register free on to the Cardinal Directions trip-finding and carpool-matching platform
• Faculty & Staff: Register free on the Every Commute Counts platform.

Step 2: Challenge yourself (and your friends!) to get to campus differently!
Try these life-affirming alternatives to the expense, road-rage, pollution, and parking hassles of driving alone:

• BUS: Ride any TARC route free with UofL ID (just swipe your card as you board - any time, anywhere).
• CARDpool: Organize your own carpool with friends, family, colleagues, or classmates; or find rides & offer rides online through Cardinal Directions or Every Commute Counts.
• WALK, SKATE, or BIKE: Get your workout just by getting where you need to go under your own power! If you don't have your own bike, borrow one free from UofL Bikeshare or join LouVelo citywide bikeshare for half-price with your @louisville.edu address ($7.50/month gets you unlimited trips of up to one hour without any additional charges).
• VANPOOL: Employees can get in on a vanpool, get your ride home guaranteed, or enter to win additional monthly prizes with Every Commute Counts.
• SKIP THE COMMUTE: Work or study from home for maximum convenience, savings, and safety!

* NOTE: Though certainly better than driving, getting around via lazy, coal-powered electric scooters does not qualify for this Challenge. Skip the dirty electricity and use your muscles to qualify!

Explore all of UofL's Sustainable Transportation Options.

Step 3: Log your trips to win!
The only way to be in the running for prizes is to log all of your commute trips online with Cardinal Directions or Every Commute Counts.

Connect with us, trash-talk, and post about your commute on Facebook (event link to come).