Each year since 1970, people across the globe have banded together to celebrate our planet on April 22, better known as Earth Day. While some confine themselves to just one day, Miami University students are able to celebrate for a week.
Miami’s 2025 Earth Week will be from April 21-27, culminating in the annual Earth Fest in Uptown Oxford on April 26. Before that, the week will be filled with sustainability-focused events for students to attend across campus.
The Student Sustainability Council (SSC), which organizes Earth Week, brings together multiple green organizations to create one week full of activism and education. John Day, a junior psychology and English double major, Secretary for Infrastructure and Sustainability in Miami’s Associated Student Government and president of SSC, said he enjoys the exposure Earth Week provides.
“I really wanted to get exposure to different greener works on campus,” Day said.
This year, the week will kick off with Miami’s Office of Sustainability hosting a LEGO building competition in Armstrong, with prizes for winners including new LEGO sets. That event will be on Tuesday, April 22 in Armstrong 1082 at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, April 23, therapy dogs will be in the Armstrong Pavilion from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to help students cope with climate anxiety. Following that, on Thursday, April 24, EcoReps will host “cards for a cause” and highlight service opportunities on and off campus.
Throughout the week, students can browse second-hand clothes and more at Zero Waste Oxford’s, pop-up thrift shop. The store will be open Monday through Friday across Armstrong’s tech lounge on the first floor.
At the end of the weekend, on Sunday, April 27, Miami Activities and Programming (MAP), Leaders of Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) and Miami’s American Conservation Coalition (ACC) are collaborating to lead a hike in the Marcum Woods. This section of the Miami Natural Areas follows the Four Mile Creek and is bordered by Miami’s Equestrian Center and Ruder Preserve.
Despite changes in higher education that could limit discussion of climate change in classrooms, the environmental traditions at Miami are continuing. Day said he does not see this changing soon, especially as it is spearheaded by students.
“Even if the conversation is stifled in the classroom… our [student] presence on campus will still be here,” Day said.
The main event of Earth Week is the popular Earth Fest, which will be held in Uptown Memorial Park on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. After a unique change during last year's festival, which included circus-like performances and collaborations with entrepreneurial clubs on campus, Earth Fest will return to its traditional roots this year.
This year, the unique event put on by the Miami Environmental Professionals Association (MEPA) that showcases a deep collaboration between the Miami and Oxford communities, will see more organizations in attendance than ever before. MEPA President Anna Finkell, a senior biology major with a co-major in sustainability in the combined master of environmental science program, said she sees these collaborations as special to Earth Fest.
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“Earth Fest really brings together the Oxford and Miami community,” Finkell said. “You know, we have Miami clubs that will table right alongside people from a church or from different organizations in Oxford.”
Live performances are also a staple of Earth Fest, and Finkell said there will be three performers during the three hours the festival is open. An inflatable obstacle course will grace the park for kids – or college students – to enjoy beyond the tables.
Prizes, giveaways and educational opportunities are rampant at the different tables, and Finkell said she sees this as the best way to draw people in. MEPA will be giving away a Hydro Flask, clothing and gift cards. Previous gifts from other organizations in past years have included tote bags and potted plants.
Finkell knows how much the Oxford and Miami communities appreciate the festival, and she said she believes that the unique but fraternizing interaction between college students and townspeople helps create such a special environment.
“A lot of the people that live here just really care about things, and they want their voices to be heard,” Finkell said. “I think Earth Fest kind of gives them a platform to share their organization and share their love of the environment.”
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