Earth Week 2026

SICJS Speaker Event Featuring Al Motel (Waste & Recycling Manager at Villanova)

Time: 12 pm EST

Location: Falvey Library Speakers' Corner

Time: Anytime between 1 and 4 PM  

Location: Meet in the parking lot near the pond by Picotte Hall (which ALSO happens to be near the new Community Garden).

Join us Tuesday, April 14^th, anytime between 1-4 for an invasive plant removal project (partnering with the grounds department) as we better our West Campus Meadow area. Come learn about the impact of invasive species on the meadow and help us prep for a new educational/fitness trail installation. We’ll be walking south from there toward the meadow area and removing Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) which has established dense thickets near the stream.  Other culprits include celandine, grasses, garlic mustard, and the like.  Please bring gloves, water, and an adventurous spirit. Classes are welcome. Email Kimberli.Scott@villanova if you have any questions or want to let us know you’re coming. 

Time: 12 - 1 PM

Location: Meet at Rosie's Cafe

Hosted by: Falvey Library

Join a Valley Forge Audubon Society guide to learn more about bird watching, local bird species, and citizen science tools like Merlin!

Time: 

Location: The campus garden is located on west campus behind tennis courts. Its near Picotte Hall and next to the old barn. Look for the large pond and head into parking lot. You'll see us!

Registration: Coming Soon

Join us for an Earth Day of Service at Villanova’s new community garden. Help care for and enhance this shared space through hands-on activities such as planting, weeding, and mulching (tasks will be assigned based on current garden needs). This is a great opportunity to get outside, connect with others, and contribute to a growing campus resource rooted in sustainability and care for creation. No prior experience needed—all are welcome! Wear closed toe shoes, comfortable clothing you dont mind getting dirty, sunscreen, and bring water!

Time: 6 - 7:15 PM EST

Location: Virtual Webinar

Description: In 2026, humanity’s energy needs—and access—are changing day by day. The world continues to cope with global demands on a limited oil market, which have been particularly challenged by recent restrictions on oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Our modern lifestyles, including the rise of AI technologies, demand an unprecedented power supply. At the same time, advances in renewable energy offer possibilities of a post-fossil fuel future. How might we compare these times to other moments of industrial and geopolitical upheaval? Join us for a virtual discussion on the energy crisis in context. We’ll compare today’s issues with the 1973 Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries oil shock, including their similarities, lessons and downstream effects—and where renewables can create their own history. Featuring: - Robert Lifset, PhD, University of Oklahoma - Julie Cohn, PhD, Rice University - Tyler Priest, PhD, University of Iowa This event will be moderated by Associate Professor of History Andrew B. Liu, PhD.

Time: 4 PM

Location: FreeStore (Falvey Basement)

Hosted by: Patricia Rutter

A hands-on sustainability workshop that transforms everyday materials into something meaningful. Using repurposed book pages, maps, and paper, participants will create beautiful honeycomb ornaments - turning flat materials into unique three-dimensional designs. This experience highlights creativity, resourcefulness, and the power of giving new life to materials that might otherwise be discarded.

Join our largest and most iconic event of the week featuring vendors, activities, research presentations, free food, arts & crafts, and various giveaways!

Time: 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Location: Oreo/Connelly Plaza

Time: 12:05 PM  

Location: Corr Chapel

Villanova’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Rev. John Abubakar, OSA, PhD, will be presiding over Earth Day Mass.

Time: Book siging at 5pm. Talk begins at 5:30 PM

Location: Driscoll 132

Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation is our keynote speaker. The title of her talk is "Resilient Roots: Sustaining Gullah/Geechee Culturally & Environmentally" and it will focus on how the Gullah/Geechee Nation centers cultural heritage continuation in their sustainability and adaptation. Queen Quet will provide examples of a wide array of methods that help engage community members and supporters to work to protect the coast while valuing traditional ecological knowledge as well as mainstream science.

Time: 12:30 - 2 PM

Location: Campus Garden (West campus by Picotte Hall, Dundale, and pond). 

Hosted by: Dr Mary-Angela Papalaskari

Fragments is a collaborative art project that uses shards of glass collected after the 2020 Philadelphia protests to catalyze community dialogue and reflection on justice and healing. In this workshop, participants will use these glass fragments to design cyanotype prints at Villanova’s new sustainability garden. Cyanotype is a historic photographic process that creates striking blue-toned images using sunlight. After a brief introduction, you’ll compose your own design and take home a printed cyanotype card.

Hosted by the Student Sustainabiliy Committee (SSC). 

Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM

Location: Oreo & Connelly Plaza

Wildcat Thrift is Villanova’s once-a-semester pop-up thrift store. Organizations and individuals will have tables set up with second hand items for purchase. Support a circular economy and join us for sustainable shopping. The planet cant afford fast fashion. 

Participate as a vendor: Register here

- Purchase a table

- You keep the profits.

- Encourage group participation: Gather friends to create tables together.

- Unsold clothes can be collected for donation by us.