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 |
|---|---|
| Aug. 25 - Sept. 30, 2025 |
Cards Commuter Challenge 2025 August 25 - September 30, 2025. 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 on Cardinal Directions throughout the Cards Commuter Challenge (August 25 - September 30) and each week you'll have the chance to win one of the $50 weekly prizes or the $250 Grand Prize! Any trip by means other than driving alone increases your chances of winning! Step 1: Join the Challenge online!
Step 2: Challenge yourself (and your friends!) to get to campus differently!
Explore all of UofL's Sustainable Transportation Options Connect with us, trash-talk, and post about your commute on social media @UofLSustainable.
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| Sept. 1-30, 2025 |
 Cycle September 2025 September 1-30, 2025 UofL’s Sustainability Council and Get Healthy Now encourage you to saddle up and ride for Team UofL during Cycle September! Reap the rewards of a healthy lifestyle and show your support for sustainable transportation. Register for Cycle September as an individual to be entered to win fabulous national prizes like: 
Join Team UofL on Strava to log your rides and encourage/compete against your peers. Simply log your trips by bicycle for fun, fitness, or transportation from September 1-30, 2025. Get Healthy Now monthly premium incentive program participants can earn 200 points toward their 2026 $40 GHN monthly incentive for participating in Cycle Septermber! In order to be eligible, simply complete this short form. Check out our online resources for UofL Bicyclists - with handy maps, videos, and tips for getting around town care-free and car-free! And be sure to join us for our Cycle September Kickoff Event:
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| Aug. 18 - Nov. 24, 2025 |
Fall Garden Gatherings 2025 Mondays, 3pm 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 fall (Aug. 18 - Nov. 24) 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. |
| June 5 - Sept. 25, 2025 |
Gray 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:
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| Sept. 11, 2025 |
Walk to Old Louisville Coffee Co-op Thursday, Sept. 11th, 4pm, Meetup outside the Ville Grill Join us for a car-free afternoon coffee run as part of the Cards Commuter Challenge! Meetup at 4pm at the Ville Grill for a 1-mile walk with the Student Sustainability Coalition to the Old Louisville Coffee Co-op at 316 W Ormsby Ave. Old Louisville coffee Co-op is a queer- and worker-owned business that wants to work with other queer and black-owned operations and keep things as local as possible. This coffee shop and its co-owners (the whole staff) carry a fundamental commitment to building up the Old Louisville neighborhood, a fierce dedication to diversity and inclusion, and a deep sense of responsibility to the environment. As soon as you walk through the doors of the Old Louisville Coffee Co-Op you can feel the sense of community, love, and of course — delicious coffee. Located in the heart of Old Louisville and just around the way from the University of Louisville, this coffee shop offers tasty treats, comfy seats, and coffee that’ll make your day. Enjoy the sweet taste of worker justice without a hint of air pollution! Bring UofL ID for 10% student discount! And be sure to log your trip for a chance to win great prizes in the Cards Commuter Challenge! Record your trips on Cardinal Directions throughout the Challenge (August 25 - September 30) and each week you'll have the chance to win one of the $50 weekly prizes or the $250 Grand Prize! Any trip by means other than driving alone increases your chances of winning! Facebook Event. |
| Sept. 13, 2025 |
Student Outreach Uniting Louisville (SOUL) Day Service Saturday, Sept. 13th, 10am-2pm, SAC Ballroom To kick off each year, ELSB hosts SOUL Day of Service, during which UofL students volunteer with organizations across Louisville. SOUL Day of Service serves as an opportunity for students to come together and serve the community that UofL calls home. This year, we will be serving both breakfast and lunch. Students may receive up to four service hours for attending SOUL. The day includes many sustainability-related service opportunities, including some right here on campus. RSVP on Engage. |
| Every Sunday |
UofL Community Composting Volunteer Days 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. |
| Sept. 16, 2025 |
2025 Woodson Lecture: A Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Tuesday, Sept. 16th, 11:30am - 1:00pm, University Club, Registration required.  Add to your CalendarThe 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 Innovation 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. 18, 2025 |
Victory Gardening Then and Now Thursday, Sept. 18th, noon, Garden Commons (at Baptist Center) Join us in UofL's organic, student-managed garden to learn how home gardens played a role in defeating global fascism and how we can harness that power again to undermine autocracy and re-democratize our food system. While the original context was wartime food shortages and supporting troops, modern victory gardens are driven by sustainability, health, and a desire for self-reliance. Today's gardens focus on reducing carbon footprints, promoting organic practices, and fostering stronger local economies. This is part of our fall series of Garden Workshops. The Garden Commons is a shared, collectively-managed space, 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. Facebook Event. |
| Sept. 20, 2025 | 2025 Environmental Justice Conference Saturday, Sept 20th, 10am - 2pm, University Club. Registration required  The 9th annual Environmental Justice Conference hosted by the West Jefferson County Community Task Force (WJCCTF) will be held at the University Club at the University of Louisville. Join us for a day of information with opportunities to ask questions and hear about a variety of topics of environmental interest. Topics will include: PFAS contamination in water; The importance of environmental exposure in clinical diagnosis; Climate change's health effects on women; Policy challenges; and the environmental impact of data centers. Let's work together to address air toxics and their impact on our health in an informative setting. This is a great opportunity to connect with experts, community leaders, and neighbors in the community and make a difference in our futures. The Environmental Justice Conference is free, and breakfast and lunch will be served. Registration is required, scholarships are available, and breakfast and lunch will be served. Community participation is critical to our success. We need to hear your voices about environmental concerns. Stay Engaged and Informed! We hope to see you there on Saturday, September 20th, and that you will join us at future WJCCTF environmental events. Registration required by September 18, 2025. Cost: $44.52 general, $23.18 students, Free for seniors and students in need of scholarships. To be considered for a scholarship, please send a short statement (minimum of one paragraph) to wjcctf.lou@gmail.com with the reason a scholarship is needed and why you should be selected. You will be notified by email or text message before September 20th. If you have been selected, your ticket will be identified at the registration desk as approved. |
| Sept. 26, 2025 |
EcoReps Lunch & Learn - Food Recovery: Meghan Kontic with Glean KY Friday, Sept. 26th, noon, Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement (Belknap Village North room 176) OR Join Microsoft Teams Meeting  Join 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 website. Facebook Event.
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| Sept. 30. 2025 |
Distinguished Lecture Series – The Last Decade of Life and How to Spend it Outside of the Hospital Tuesday, September 30th, 4:30pm reception / 5:30pm lecture, The Filson Historical Society (1310 S. 3rd St.)  Presented by the University of Louisville’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute in collaboration with the Filson Historical Society. A reception will be held from 4:30-5:25pm, followed by the lecture at 5:30pm. This lecture offers a timely and important exploration of how we can live healthier, disease-free lives. Centered around the concept of healthspan—the portion of life spent in good health, as distinct from total lifespan—the session will challenge us to think differently about what it means to pursue health, rather than merely reduce disease risk. Leaders from the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute will reflect on their multiyear journey shaping a research agenda that reframes medicine around the foundations of well-being. Drawing from robust scientific evidence, the talk will highlight key building blocks of health—including nature, nutrition, and community—and why these require renewed attention in medical research and health systems. The presentation will also offer practical insights into what individuals can do now to promote their own healthspan. Local examples, especially in nature-based interventions and the possibilities of diet, will help ground these ideas in real-world impact.Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar is the Smith & Lucille Gibson Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Environmental Medicine, and Director of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville. A Fellow of the American Heart Association, he is recognized as a pioneer in the field of environmental cardiology. His research explores how oxidative stress from internal and environmental sources contributes to cardiovascular disease. Dr. Bhatnagar leads major initiatives such as the Green Heart Louisville Project and has authored hundreds of scientific publications while mentoring a large research team. He will be joined by colleagues from the Envirome Institute as part of the presentation and discussion. Register here. |
| Oct. 15-21, 2025 |
UofL Sustainability Week - Oct. 15-21, 2025
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| Oct. 15, 2025 |
18th Annual Campus Sustainability Day Fair Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 10am-2pm, Humanities Quad  Stop 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!
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| Oct. 15, 2025 |
Cupcakes & Composting Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 5-7pm, Red Barn ELSB Green Initiatives is teaming up with the Garden Commons and the UofL Community Composting Project for this fun event to kick-off UofL Sustainability Week! We'll feast on cupcakes as we learn about he importance of composting and it's essential role in organic gardening and urban agriculture. You'll also have the opportunity to participate in the UofL Sustainability Council's our Free Compost Caddy Program which offers a free subscription service for anyone on campus who wants to begin collecting compostables in their dorm, apartment, or office (you'd be responsible for dumping the bin at one of our sites weekly and rinsing it out). This is a UofL Sustainability Week event! |
| Oct. 16-18, 2025 |
Ohio River Basin Confluence 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! |
| Oct. 17, 2025 | Zero Waste Pumpkin Carving! |
| Oct. 31, 2025 |
EcoReps Lunch & Learn: Industrial Composting with Smith Creek Friday, Oct. 31st, noon, Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement (Belknap Village North room 176) OR Join Microsoft Teams Meeting Join us for our monthly EcoReps workshop featuring locals making a difference in sustainability and a free vegetarian lunch! Our guest on October 31st will be Laura Veldman, the Senior Sourcing Manager at Smith Creek in Borden, Indiana. Smith Creek manages the industrial-scale composting operation where all of the food scraps from UofL Dining end up. Come learn what they are doing to keep organics out of the landfill and turn a problem into "black gold!" 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 website. Facebook Event. |
| Nov. 15, 2025 |
Pop-Up Drop-Off Community Recycling Event Saturday, Nov. 15th, 10am-2pm, UofL Shelby Campus Pop-Up Drop-Offs are free recycling and large item disposal events for residents of Jefferson County.
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. |
| Nov. 20, 2025 |
Holiday Wreath Making Workshop Thursday, Nov. 20th, noon, Garden Commons (next to Baptist Center) Join us in UofL's organic, student-managed garden to get in the holiday spirit! Come learn how to make your own beautiful wreath using a variety of plant materials from campus and herbs from our garden. It's easier than you might think, and you'll take home something beautiful, great smelling, and unique! This is the last in our fall series of Garden Workshops. The Garden Commons is a shared, collectively-managed space, 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. Facebook Event. |
| Nov. 21, 2025 |
EcoReps Lunch & Learn: Louisville Climate Action Network Friday, Nov. 21st, noon, Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement (Belknap Village North room 176) OR Join Microsoft Teams Meeting Join us for our monthly EcoReps workshop featuring locals making a difference in sustainability and a free vegetarian lunch! Our guest on November 21st will be Sarah Lynn Cunningham, Executive Director of the Louisville Climate Action Network. LCAN is the go-to source for reliable, action-inspiring information on climate change, its impacts and its many solutions. They work collaboratively for a healthy climate, operating efficiently, on sustainable energy -- equitably distributed and used, utilizing strategies and tactics that are inclusive, democratic, equitable and resilient. 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 website. Facebook Event. |
Accepted Items:What did I miss?! Check out our Past Events log.
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