Earth Month at MIT

Earth Month at MIT

 
MIT departments, labs and centers will celebrate Earth Day throughout the month of April. See below for a current listing of environment, sustainability and climate change-themed events in April 2023.
K-12 Climate Action and Education Conference

Saturday, April 1, all day, at the MIT Sloan School of Management

Host: MIT Climate Action Through Education (CATE)

An MIT CATE collaboration with the Mass Teachers Assoc. Climate Action Network (MTA CAN) and Earth Day Boston, this event welcomes high school students, K-12 teachers, and select MIT students to engage with local and MIT-based climate education groups and resources. The day will offer an exclusive look at CATE’s MIT-influenced high school climate curriculum with materials for English, History, Math, and Science classrooms – launching Fall 2023 – as well as challenging attendees to consider the role of education in the climate crisis.

MIT Symposium for Advancing Climate Education

Thursday, April 6 to Friday, April 7, all day, at the MIT Samberg Conference Center

Host: MIT Climate Education Working Group

A series of expert sessions on teaching climate change in higher education.

MIT Energy Conference

Tuesday, April 11 to Wednesday, April 12, all day, at Westin Copley Place

Host: MIT Energy and Climate Club

The MIT Energy Conference is the largest student-led energy & climate conference in the world.  This year’s conference theme is Transition under Crisis: Technology, Investment and Geopolitics. The conference will address the pressing global energy crisis and discuss solutions in technology, finance, and global policy that will enable a cleaner future.

Climate and the Classroom: Unlocking the Potential of K-12 Education for Climate Action

Thursday, April 13, 1-2 pm online

Host: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

In this webinar, specialists in K-12 climate education will discuss the benefits of climate education in a variety of courses at the high school level and earlier, and the challenges teachers face in finding or creating appropriate climate coursework and bringing it to their classrooms. They will introduce resources for teaching climate, best practices from schools and educational institutions around the U.S., and new ideas to support teachers at every level, and take audience questions.

Decarbonizing Our Oceans

Friday, April 14, 12:00-3:00 pm in Room 32-141

Host: MIT Energy & Climate Club

Please join MITEC in a special ocean sustainability themed speaker event for Earth Month! We will feature perspectives on industries dependent on the ocean and how they are incorporating sustainability and new innovations into their operations. Lunch will be served.

America's Big Year of Climate Action: A TILclimate Liveshow

Wednesday, April 19, 11:00 am-12:30 pm at the MIT Museum

Host: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

Between November 2021 and August 2022, the United States passed a series of bills featuring the largest investments in climate change solutions in history. But the size of these investments is not the whole story. They also commit the U.S. to a new approach to climate: creating large consumer markets, demonstrating new technologies quickly, and manufacturing at a massive scale at home. Join MIT's award-winning TILclimate podcast for our first live event, as host Laur Hesse Fisher sits down with Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds—Lecturer in the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning and former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development in the White House—to understand the new course of American climate action, why it came about, and what it means for the U.S. and the world moving forward. A light lunch will be served after the show.

MITEI Earth Day Colloquium

Wednesday, April 19, 4:00-7:15 pm

Host: MIT Energy Initiative at the Tang Center

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) will present an Earth Day Colloquium on Wednesday, April 19. Speaker to be confirmed. The event will also include a poster session themed MIT research for a changing planet, where MIT students will share their research on water, food, energy, and the environment. The poster session is co-hosted by MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water & Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), and MITEI.

J-WAFS, MITEI, and ESI Earth Month Student Poster Session: MIT Research for a Changing Planet

Wednesday, April 19, 4:00-7:15 pm at the Tang Center

Host: MIT Energy Initiative, Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab, and MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

In partnership with the MITEI Earth Day Colloquium on April 19th, J-WAFS, MITEI and ESI are hosting a poster session in Ting Foyer before the event from 4:00-5:15 pm, and then after the event (with a reception) from 6:15-7:15 pm. There will be approximately 20 posters featured with themes ranging from water/food to energy to environmental topics.

Choose to Reuse

Monday, April 24, 8:00 am-1:00 pm at the Stata Center

Host: Working Green Committee and Department of Facilities

An opportunity for the MIT community to reduce our impact on the planet by sharing good stuff instead of buying new. Bring items you don't need and pick up items you do!

Exploring Climate Change & Emotions: From Distress to Wellbeing

Monday, April 24, 4:30-6:30 pm at the Hayden Library Nexus

Host: MIT Office of Sustainability and MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

At MIT, we are working toward solving the world’s most urgent problems, including climate change. As we embark on this important work, many of us feel anxiety, grief and distress about issues related to climate change, especially as they impact people in disproportionate ways locally and across the globe. In addition to feeling difficult emotions, there are also opportunities to feel joy and optimism, as well as to take steps toward finding community and participating in climate action. This Earth Day, join us in conversation (and practice) as we explore the ways in which climate change intersects with complex issues related to wellbeing, justice, and the actions needed to build a more sustainable and just world.

Legacies of Coal: In Search of a Just Transition

Tuesday, April 25, 11:30 am-1:30 pm at the Hayden Library Nexus

Host: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and MIT Anthropology

The Environmental Solutions Initiative and MIT Anthropology welcome the MIT community and the broader public to explore just energy transitions in coal dependent communities during a lunchtime presentation and conversation, featuring ESI presenters, moderator Prof. Amy Moran-Thomas, and invited guests from Greene County, Pennsylvania.

Making Sustainable Design, from the Classroom to the World

Wednesday, April 26, 3:00 pm at the MIT Museum

Host: Morningside Academy for Design

How can design address different dimensions of sustainability? We will explore this question through three dialogues, ranging from the design of solar-powered vehicles, to the definition of analytical and sensing mechanisms to improve buildings’ thermal performance, to the elaboration of energy-efficient systems to cook. The event will show how sustainable design solutions are possible for every scale and context, and how these solutions can transition from academic experimentation and research to real-world implementation.

MIT Sustainability Summit

Friday, April 28, all day, at the MIT Samberg Conference Center

This year's MIT Sustainability Summit has the theme "De-mystifying Carbon Markets." The event will provide a unique opportunity to hear from experts in the field and discuss the challenges and debates across demand, supply and enablers of carbon markets. The day will culminate with a solution showcase pitch. This will also be our first ever carbon neutral summit.