Events

Sustainability events are happening year-round at UofL! Don't miss out!

All UofL Sustainability events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. What did I miss?! Check out our Past Events log.

Date Event
June 5 - Sept. 25, 2025 Gray Street Farmers MarketGray Street Farmers Market
Thursdays, June 5th – Sept 25th, 10:30am‒1:30pm, 400 E. Gray St.
With many unique local vendors and food trucks, you'll find the finest in farm-fresh products, including locally grown produce, honey, jams, pickles, granola, baked goods, desserts, crafts, grab-and-go lunch items, and more. Cash, debit cards, SNAP benefits, and Senior Vouchers accepted! Open rain or shine, lunch-time on Thursdays, June 5 - Sept. 25, 2025. The market is operated by UofL's School of Public Health and Information Sciences in partnership with Catholic Charities’ Common Earth Gardens. Access our collection of delicious recipes for local products. The market is designed to increase access to fresh healthy food and offers several programs:
  • Triple Dollar (SNAP) program - This program makes healthy food more affordable for individuals who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Using SNAP Triple Dollars is simple. Customers visit the GSFM information booth, decide how much they want to spend, and swipe their SNAP cards. The market then matches twice this amount and gives them wooden tokens to spend directly with GSFM vendors. We match spending by the SNAP customer up to $20 per week. Customers can use the tokens to purchase any food for the household, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, breads, canned foods, and more.
  • FreshRx  -- The GSFM offers the FreshRx program in partnership with the Community Farm Alliance. The program serves expectant moms who receive Medicaid. After signing up, FreshRx participants get $26 in tokens each week to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from GSFM vendors.
  • Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SrFMNP) -- Seniors (60+) who qualify are provided with $50 loaded onto a debit card to purchase fresh, unprocessed, locally grown fruits, honey, vegetables and herbs at approved farmers markets. Individuals can sign up for these benefits at Louisville's Neighborhood Places, the L&N Building on Broadway, and at the Nulu/Phoenix Hill Farmers Market. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture serves as the lead agency for SrFMNP.
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) -- The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program helps bring locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables into the homes of WIC participants. Each summer, local health departments issue $30 to eligible WIC recipients for the purchase of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and fresh-cut herbs.
More info: GSFM website; contact Market Manager, Amir Hussein, amhussein@archlou.org, (502) 910-0675; or follow on Facebook.
May 5 - Aug. 14, 2025 Summer Garden Gatherings 2025
Garden Gathering
Mondays, 7pm at the Urban & Public Affairs Garden (426 W. Bloom St., behind Bettie Johnson Hall)
Thursdays, noon
at the Garden Commons (northeast of the Baptist Center)
UofL’s organic campus gardens are great places to relax, reconnect, learn, and savor the sweet taste of sustainability! Students, faculty, staff, and the public are all welcome to come experience the thrill of turning tiny seeds into an abundance of hyper-local veggies, herbs, fruit & flowers. Stop by anytime to sample the goodness and help us keep things watered and weeded. We will gather weekly at both of our campus food gardens throughout the summer to harvest, weed, water & plant. Tools and gloves provided, but bring bags to harvest into! Everyone who comes is welcome to share in the harvest! Connect with us and get all the details on Facebook or Instagram. Facebook Event.
Every Sunday UofL Community Composting Volunteer DaysCompost Volunteers
Every Sunday, Noon-2pm (Add to your Calendar)
250 E. Bloom St. (block north of Cardinal Blvd. between Brook & Floyd Streets, map)

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! All participants are welcome to haul home some rich UofL compost for gardening projects in your own containers/vehicle. This is a weekly service opportunity throughout the year. Contact: Brian Barnes, 502-338-1338.
July 23 - 27, 2025 The 45th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking
Wednesday, July 23rd - Sunday, July 27th, Davidson Hall, Registration required.
The world is swiftly changing, and with each day the pace quickens. The pressure to respond intensifies. The problems we now face, and will increasingly face, require a radically different form of thinking that is more complex, more adaptable, and more sensitive to divergent points of view than traditional thought outfitted for routine and automation. The world now requires that we continually relearn, rethink our decisions, and reevaluate how we work and live. In short, the power of the mind to command itself – to regularly engage in self-analysis and self-evaluation – increasingly determines the quality of our work, learning, and lives. Join us for the world's longest-running critical thinking conference, led by world-renowned experts on the Paul-Elder Approach to Critical Thinking – to date the most comprehensive and robust framework for the analysis, assessment, and improvement of human reasoning ever created. We learn critical thinking by practicing it. Therefore, look forward to dynamic interactions at the conference as you work the ideas of critical thinking into your reasoning framework through discussion and activities. Expect rich interactive sessions filled with stimulating dialogue and exercises, as well as concepts and tools you can immediately apply to your work, life, learning, and teaching. See testimonials for more on what to expect. Brought to you by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. Register here.
Aug. 25, 2025 HRTalks Wellness: Move Sustainably
Monday, Aug. 25th, 1-2pm, Microsoft Teams
Bike on BusGet Healthy Now and UofL's Sustainability Council will be teaming up to discuss shifting gears and thinking outside the car this fall! We'll be sharing tips for moving about our city more sustainably, including walking, biking, transit, and carpooling. We will also be encouraging you to get involved in the Cards Commuter Challenge and Cycle September to stay motivated. Get Healthy Now participants can earn 100 points toward their 2026 $40 GHN monthly incentive for attending. Register here.
Sept. 16, 2025 2025 Woodson Lecture: A Public Health Approach to Gun ViolenceDean's Message from Megan L. Ranney - Spring 2024 < Yale School of Public  Health
Tuesday, Sept. 16th, 11:30am - 1:00pm, University Club, Registration required.  Add to your Calendar
The School of Public Health and Information Sciences is pleased to announce that Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, will be the 2025 Woodson Lecturer. Dr. Ranney, who also holds the C.-E.A. Winslow Professorship of Public Health (Health Policy) and is a Professor of Emergency Medicine, will speak on bringing a public health approach to the nation’s gun violence epidemic. Her research focuses on preventing violence and related behavioral health issues, with particular attention to the role of social media and digital tools. Elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her groundbreaking work in firearm injury prevention and digital health, Dr. Ranney co-chairs the NAM Firearm Injury Prevention Special Interest Group, serves on the planning committee for the NASEM Forum on Gun Violence Prevention, and leads the selection committee for the National Academies' Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication. Join us over lunch for this important and timely conversation. Registration required.
Sept. 17, 2025 Green Drinks featuring UofL’s Center for Transportation Innovationhttps://engineering.louisville.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/centers_cti_featurecomponent_vissim02.jpg
Wednesday, September 17th, 6pm, off-campus venue TBA
The Louisville Sustainability Council’s Green Drinks is a casual monthly meet-up of community members and organizations, featuring different speakers from across the city to educate and inform the community on local happenings, projects, and initiatives. Each presentation is followed by Q&A, discussion, and networking. The September 17th Green Drinks will feature guests from UofL’s Center for Transportation Innovation at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. Come learn more about the Center's work as a focal point for innovative research on transportation-related issues that are of common interest to Louisville, Kentucky, and federal transportation agencies and authorities. The CTI performs innovative and applied research in the following areas: traffic operations and safety, transportation policy and decision making, transportation planning, intelligent transportation systems, smart city, connected and automated vehicles, and transportation-induced air pollution. Green Drinks takes place on the third Wednesday of every other month at 6pm at rotating venues around town. Learn more here.
Sept. 26, 2025 EcoReps Lunch & Learn: Glean KY
Friday, Sept. 26th, noon, Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement (Belknap Village North room 176)
Meghan Kontic - Glean KYJoin us for our monthly EcoReps workshop featuring locals making a difference in sustainability and a free vegetarian lunch! Our guest on September 26th will be Meghan Kontic, the North Central Field Coordinator for Glean KY, a non-profit organization that combats food insecurity and food waste by helping transport excess produce to food pantries in the region. The Sustainability Council’s EcoReps program is designed to move students, faculty & staff beyond talk to action for a more sustainable UofL! We provide basic training & resources, service opportunities, and leadership positions as a point-person & peer-to-peer advocate for sustainability. More info on EcoReps websiteFacebook Event.
Oct. 15-21, 2025

UofL Sustainability Week - Oct. 15-21, 2025
I Commit To... Campus Sustainability Day 2015
A full week of events to celebrate, raise awareness, and engage your passions for environmental, social & economic justice! Events will include:

UofL Sustainability Week is crowd-sourced! If you'd like to add an event to the calendar, please contact Justin Mog!
Oct. 15, 2025 18th Annual Campus Sustainability Day Fair
Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 10am-2pm, Humanities Quad
Campus Sustainability Day 2018Stop by the Humanities Quad for the 18th annual celebration of all things sustainable at UofL and in our community! Learn what campus and community groups are doing to create a sustainable revolution. Sign-up to get involved and leave with some green freebies, great information, and a smile on your face!
  • Take the Cards Go Green Pledge!
  • Fill up your reusable mug with Fair Trade Hot Chocolate and grab some local treats from UofL Dining!
  • Bring your bike for a free tune-up! Learn about all of UofL's Transportation Alternatives, and get hands-on, personalized guidance in how to use UofL's Bike Fix-It Stations!
  • Shop and donate clothing, housewares, and all kinds of free stuff at our Pop-up Free Sale hosted by the UofL Free Store!
This is a UofL Sustainability Week event!
Oct. 16-18, 2025 Ohio River Basin ConfluenceOhio River Basin Confluence 2025
October 16-18, 2025 at the Kentucky International Convention Center
Make plans to join us at the annual meeting of the Ohio River Basin Alliance. This year we are partnering with the Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and the Ohio River Way to present: “The Ohio River Basin Confluence,” a special joint summit on clean water, healthy ecosystems, river recreation, and thriving communities. The summit will be held in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky International Convention Center this October 16-18. This unique and collaborative effort is an opportunity to learn more about our partners and is representative of the momentum in the basin. The summit will bring together academics, government officials, non-profits, NGOs, and the general public to promote celebration, protection, and restoration of the Ohio River Basin.
This is a UofL Sustainability Week event!
Nov. 15, 2025 Pop-Up Drop-Off Community Recycling Event
Saturday, Nov. 15th, 10am-2pm, UofL Shelby Campus (440 N Whittington Pkwy), 

Pop-Up Drop-Offs are free recycling and large item disposal events for residents of Jefferson County.

Pop-Up Drop-OffAccepted Items:

  • Up to 3 electronic items (recycled)
  • Metal & appliances, no refrigerators or any items containing coolant (recycled) 
  • Up to 4 passenger tires (recycled)
  • Household recyclables, follow curbside rules (recycled)
  • Yard waste, follow curbside rules, wooden pallets (composted)
  • Documents for shredding (recycled)
  • Prescription medication (disposed properly)
  • Gently used shoes will be collected for WaterStep - every 3 pairs of shoes collected provides safe water for 1 person for life!

Items must already be separated into categories for easy off-loading so as much can be recycled as possible.

This event sponsored by: Department of Public Works and Assets and the Louisville/Jefferson County Waste Management District.More info.

What did I miss?! Check out our Past Events log.

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