Sustainability Calendar

Note: This event is currently waitlisted, but still accepting RSVPs. If space becomes available, you will be notified via email. Come be a part of Notre Dame's next chapter of the climate action planning (CAP) process! Join Notre Dame's Sustainability, ND Dining, and Building Services teams for an opportunity to have your voice heard and help shape the future of reducing landfill waste on campus. Lunch will be available at 11:45am while supplies last.  Space will be limited.  RSVP to let us know you're coming! RSVP today

Ankur Desai, chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will join the Notre Dame community to discuss the outsized impact land has on local and global climate, although it covers less than a third of the globe. We have a relatively good understanding of human and natural changes to land surface radiation, albedo, and momentum budgets, hydrologic routing, and carbon, water, and nutrient cycle, but do we have a good enough understanding to harness those for mitigation and adaptation to climate change via direct intervention on land-atmosphere interactions? Desai will discuss this and some of the observational and modeling advances and limitations as we move forward towards building resilient communities.  Professor Desai is the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and department chair in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His lab studies and has authored nearly 200 articles regarding ecosystems, weather, and climate. This work spans from Wisconsin to the globe and uses both long-term observations in nature and advanced computer simulations. He received his bachelor's degree in computer science and environmental studies from Oberlin College, earned his master's degree in geography from University of Minnesota, and earned his Ph.D. in meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University. Professor Desai is an American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Notre Dame Seminars on Sustainability Series is a signature lecture series organized by the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative that brings global sustainability leaders and world-class scholars to campus for knowledge sharing and engagement with the Notre Dame community. About Just Transformations to Sustainability As sustainability challenges intensify, their cascading effects on food, energy, water, and infrastructure increasingly threaten the well-being and dignity of people worldwide. Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative is the University’s far-reaching response to these urgent threats. Inspired by Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), the Initiative brings together interdisciplinary scholars, dedicated students, and action partners from around the world to advance transformative solutions for a more just and sustainable future. Originally published at strategicframework.nd.edu.

Every year, Unity Gardens hosts a Growing Summit where community experts teach 24 classes in a day! These classes range in topics such as cooking, gardening, natives, and nature. The majority are aimed towards adults, with one track specifically for kids. Unity Gardens will also host a shopping and informational area with educational vendors.  Learn more and register today This event is hosted by Unity Gardens with partial sponsorship by Notre Dame Sustainability. 

Apply to be a Sustainability in Action Fellow with the Just Transformations to Sustainability (JTS) Initiative! The JTS Initiative aims to cultivate and support a growing network of Notre Dame students dedicated to building a more just and sustainable world both during their time at Notre Dame and through their future careers. To advance this goal, JTS invites applications from undergraduate students across all disciplines who plan to engage in sustainability-focused research, service, or a professional internship during Summer 2026. Why become a Sustainability in Action Fellow? In addition to receiving financial support for their summer activities, Sustainability in Action Fellows will form a multidisciplinary community of sustainability-minded students who benefit from structured mentorship, networking, and peer-to-peer learning. In Fall 2026, the JTS Initiative’s inaugural Sustainability in Action Fall Symposium will provide a platform for Fellows to showcase their summer work to the Notre Dame community and build connections with students, faculty, and alumni. Selected fellows will have the opportunity to receive up to $5,000 to support their planned summer activities. Eligibility The Sustainability in Action Fellowship is open to all Notre Dame undergraduates who will be returning students in the Fall 2026 and plan to engage in sustainability-focused research, service, or a professional internship during Summer 2026. Applications are encouraged from undergraduates from all majors, colleges, and schools. Applicants must have already applied for or been accepted to a formal summer program, experience, or internship. For those who have applied but have not yet been accepted, acceptance into the Sustainability in Action Fellowship program will be contingent upon being accepted into the formal summer program, experience, or internship by March 17, 2026. Requirements In Spring 2026, Fellows will participate in an inaugural cohort meeting designed to enable fellows to meet each other, provide inputs on high-value mentoring, networking, and leadership opportunities, and help shape the objectives and structure for the Fall Symposium. Post-summer deliverables and requirements will include the following:Short blog post summarizing and reflecting on the summer experience (500 words);Fall Symposium Presentation draft, describing the summer experience’s key accomplishments, learnings, and opportunities for future work;Participation in the Fall Symposium;Participation in a Fall Debrief and Feedback session, designed to help the JTS Initiative strengthen and grow the Fellowship program.Application Instructions and Deadline Interested applicants should submit this online application by Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Please direct all inquiries to Brian Wanbaugh via email at bwanbaug@nd.edu. Apply now

Apply to be a Sustainability in Action Fellow with the Just Transformations to Sustainability (JTS) Initiative! The JTS Initiative aims to cultivate and support a growing network of Notre Dame students dedicated to building a more just and sustainable world both during their time at Notre Dame and through their future careers. To advance this goal, JTS invites applications from undergraduate students across all disciplines who plan to engage in sustainability-focused research, service, or a professional internship during Summer 2026. Why become a Sustainability in Action Fellow? In addition to receiving financial support for their summer activities, Sustainability in Action Fellows will form a multidisciplinary community of sustainability-minded students who benefit from structured mentorship, networking, and peer-to-peer learning. In Fall 2026, the JTS Initiative’s inaugural Sustainability in Action Fall Symposium will provide a platform for Fellows to showcase their summer work to the Notre Dame community and build connections with students, faculty, and alumni. Selected fellows will have the opportunity to receive up to $5,000 to support their planned summer activities. Eligibility The Sustainability in Action Fellowship is open to all Notre Dame undergraduates who will be returning students in the Fall 2026 and plan to engage in sustainability-focused research, service, or a professional internship during Summer 2026. Applications are encouraged from undergraduates from all majors, colleges, and schools. Applicants must have already applied for or been accepted to a formal summer program, experience, or internship. For those who have applied but have not yet been accepted, acceptance into the Sustainability in Action Fellowship program will be contingent upon being accepted into the formal summer program, experience, or internship by March 17, 2026. Requirements In Spring 2026, Fellows will participate in an inaugural cohort meeting designed to enable fellows to meet each other, provide inputs on high-value mentoring, networking, and leadership opportunities, and help shape the objectives and structure for the Fall Symposium. Post-summer deliverables and requirements will include the following:Short blog post summarizing and reflecting on the summer experience (500 words);Fall Symposium Presentation draft, describing the summer experience’s key accomplishments, learnings, and opportunities for future work;Participation in the Fall Symposium;Participation in a Fall Debrief and Feedback session, designed to help the JTS Initiative strengthen and grow the Fellowship program.Application Instructions and Deadline Interested applicants should submit this online application by Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Please direct all inquiries to Brian Wanbaugh via email at bwanbaug@nd.edu. Apply Now

David Sedlak, a professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, will join the Notre Dame community to discuss how population growth, economic development, and climate change are causing water crises worldwide. Increasingly, the effects of climate change are placing additional stress on water systems. As a result, water systems are undergoing a transformation. A key insight into this process is that crisis drives change. Considering the institutions that manage water, it is evident that six interlinked water crises bring about change. These crises can have profound impacts on human health, economic development, the food supply, and ecosystems. By understanding the institutions responsible for water management, the technologies that can be deployed to improve water systems, and the ways that innovative solutions have already been achieved, a Just Transformation that taps into innovation, cooperation, and empathy on the quest for sustainable water systems can become a reality. Professor Sedlak's research addresses the development of new approaches for using engineered and natural systems to improve water quality. He is Director of the Berkeley Water Center and author of Water 4.0 and Water for All.Notre Dame Seminars on Sustainability Series is a signature lecture series organized by the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative that brings global sustainability leaders and world-class scholars to campus for knowledge sharing and engagement with the Notre Dame community.Originally published at sustainability.conductor.nd.edu.

Sera Young, Northwestern University professor of anthropology, co-director for the Center for Water, and the Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, will join the Notre Dame community to discuss the Water InSecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales. Professor Young will describe how WISE Scales, the first cross-country equivalent way of measuring water access, can be used to estimate the prevalence of water insecurity, make decisions about targeting resources, and evaluate the impact of water interventions. She will lay out the evidence to date about how water insecurity shapes poor nutrition, mental health, and physical health, and the implications of water insecurity in the face of climate change. She will conclude by describing real-world policy-relevant implications for measuring human experiences with water from around the globe. Professor Young has dedicated her career to understanding how women, especially in low-resource settings, cope to preserve their health and that of their families. She is also co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Water. Notre Dame Seminars on Sustainability Series is a signature lecture series organized by the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative that brings global sustainability leaders and world-class scholars to campus for knowledge sharing and engagement with the Notre Dame community. Originally published at sustainability.conductor.nd.edu.

Earth Month will begin on April 1. If you're planning an event that coincides with Earth Month, let us know! We can share and help promote your event. Submit your event here

Join Notre Dame Sustainability for a walk around campus to experience the beauty of Notre Dame. Participants will learn about some of the sustainability initiatives and investments happening at the University that may otherwise go unseen! Only 20 spots are available, so don't wait to sign up! This event is open to the public and will be weather permitting. Please be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Register today

The 2026 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs, is taking place April 10-11, 2026.  All events will take place in person at the University of Notre Dame. This year’s conference will be free, but we do require pre-registration. Information about the call for submissions, keynote speaker, and session schedule will be announced very soon. Please check back frequently at the Kroc Institute's website for more details. The Notre Dame Student Peace Conference is an annual academic conference organized by peace studies undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame to make space for meaningful academic and professional dialogue on peacebuilding, justice, and conflict transformation.

Kathleen Segerson, University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Economics, will join the Notre Dame community for a lecture examining a central paradox of environmental policy. Despite growing recognition that human well-being depends fundamentally on the services provided by nature, ineffective government policies often leave individuals and firms with little incentive to protect or restore the environment. This is especially true when environmental degradation or resource exploitation offers short-term economic gains. Professor Segerson's  research focuses on the incentive effects of alternative environmental and conservation policies, with applications to groundwater contamination, hazardous waste management, land use regulation, climate change, agricultural pollution, and protection of marine species. Dr. Segerson is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and a fellow at the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics in Stockholm. Notre Dame Seminars on Sustainability Series is a signature lecture series organized by the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative that brings global sustainability leaders and world-class scholars to campus for knowledge sharing and engagement with the Notre Dame community. About Just Transformations to Sustainability As sustainability challenges intensify, their cascading effects on food, energy, water, and infrastructure increasingly threaten the well-being and dignity of people worldwide. Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative is the University’s far-reaching response to these urgent threats. Inspired by Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), the Initiative brings together interdisciplinary scholars, dedicated students, and action partners from around the world to advance transformative solutions for a more just and sustainable future. Originally published at strategicframework.nd.edu.

Join Notre Dame Sustainability for a walk around campus to experience the beauty of Notre Dame. Participants will learn about some of the sustainability initiatives and investments happening at the University that may otherwise go unseen! Only 20 spots are available, so don't wait to sign up! This event is open to the public and will be weather permitting. Please be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Register today

James Balog (American, b. 1952), Greenland Ice Sheet, 14 July 2008, Bubbles of Ancient Air, Possibly 15,000 Years Old, Are Released as the Ice Sheet Melts from ICE: Portraits of Vanishing Glaciers, 2008, Digital pigment print. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame. Humana Foundation Endowment, 2017.055What does art tell us about the future of our water alongside climate change? This Earth Month, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art is opening their private storage to share a curated selection of water-centric artworks that aren't currently on display. After an up-close look at these specially selected works, Museum staff will guide us in a discussion to share our perspectives, questions, and ideas. Come for the art, stay for the dialogue, and leave with a deeper connection to the element that sustains us all. Space is limited. Register today to save your spot! RSVP Here

The 2026 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs, is taking place April 10-11, 2026.  All events will take place in person at the University of Notre Dame. This year’s conference will be free, but we do require pre-registration. Information about the call for submissions, keynote speaker, and session schedule will be announced very soon. Please check back frequently at the Kroc Institute's website for more details. The Notre Dame Student Peace Conference is an annual academic conference organized by peace studies undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame to make space for meaningful academic and professional dialogue on peacebuilding, justice, and conflict transformation.

Join Notre Dame Sustainability for a walk around campus to experience the beauty of Notre Dame. Participants will learn about some of the sustainability initiatives and investments happening at the University that may otherwise go unseen! Only 20 spots are available, so don't wait to sign up! This event is open to the public and will be weather permitting. Please be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Register today

On April 16, join the Notre Dame Sustainability team for a walk around Saint Mary's Lake to pick up trash and help keep our campus ecosystem litter-free! In previous litter pick-ups, we've found interesting items like TVs and bowling balls! Trash grabbers, gloves, bags, and snacks will be provided. Together, we can care for our common home! There is no limit on the number of participants. The more folks in attendance, the better! Registration is not required, but encouraged, so that we may prepare materials.  Register today

Jianguo "Jack" Liu, the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, and founding director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, will join the Notre Dame community to discuss how global sustainability challenges, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, deterioration of ecosystem services, environmental injustice, are increasingly shaped by human–nature interactions among places. This seminar introduces the metacoupling framework, which integrates human–nature interactions within and across adjacent and distant places. It also presents the framework’s applications to address sustainability challenges worldwide.  Professor Liu is a pioneer in systems integration for global sustainability. Hee is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Notre Dame Seminars on Sustainability Series is a signature lecture series organized by the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative that brings global sustainability leaders and world-class scholars to campus for knowledge sharing and engagement with the Notre Dame community. About Just Transformations to Sustainability As sustainability challenges intensify, their cascading effects on food, energy, water, and infrastructure increasingly threaten the well-being and dignity of people worldwide. Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative is the University’s far-reaching response to these urgent threats. Inspired by Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), the Initiative brings together interdisciplinary scholars, dedicated students, and action partners from around the world to advance transformative solutions for a more just and sustainable future. Originally published at strategicframework.nd.edu.

Join Notre Dame Sustainability for a walk around campus to experience the beauty of Notre Dame. Participants will learn about some of the sustainability initiatives and investments happening at the University that may otherwise go unseen! Only 20 spots are available, so don't wait to sign up! This event is open to the public and will be weather permitting. Please be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Register today

Join Notre Dame Sustainability for a walk around campus to experience the beauty of Notre Dame. Participants will learn about some of the sustainability initiatives and investments happening at the University that may otherwise go unseen! Only 20 spots are available, so don't wait to sign up! This event is open to the public and will be weather permitting. Please be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Register today

Join us for an evening to celebrate sustainability at Notre Dame, connect with fellow sustainability champions, recognize partners, and see what’s on the horizon for campus sustainability. Detailed agenda coming soon.**If you downloaded this event to your Google Calendar, check back to confirm the most up-to-date information by visiting green.nd.edu/events.