Whether you are attending an event, joining a student organization, educating yourself, or applying for funding, we invite you to participate in Earth Month to celebrate the university’s steps to achieve its sustainability goals. Earth Month is just one of many initiatives to support Assignment: Earth, USC’s commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change and creating a more sustainable future.
Take Action
Image of Earth
Take the Sustainability Survey by April 16
Help USC advance its sustainability initiatives.
student-training
Starting April 17, students take the Student Sustainability Training
Explore the steps USC is taking towards becoming a greener campus and learn what you can do.
littlegalen
Check out the Zero Waste Zone at Little Galen
No more landfill – everything you can buy at Little Galen is now compostable or recyclable!
Read the Latest Earth Month News
- Crafting a Superstar Enzyme that turns CO2 Emissions into Useful Products
Mork Family Department Assistant Professor Shaama Sharada was recently awarded a Sloan Fellowship and a Scialog grant for her CO2 reduction research. - USC Sea Grant celebrates 50 years, leads new efforts to assess impact of toxic pesticide DDT in ocean near LA
A recent discovery of nearly 800,000 pounds of the banned chemical near Santa Catalina Island sparks new research for an institution that has spent five decades helping Southern California manage its coasts. - USC Aquaculture lab wows South Los Angeles high school students
Learning about the blue economy and aquatic farming enables students from King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, some of whom have never visited the ocean or a lab, to see science career possibilities. - Meals off the Metro: A guide to global cuisine for Trojans staying local
If you find yourself at USC this Spring Break, take a tour of the global cuisine offered around L.A. using the city’s robust public transportation system.
Attend an Event
A Special Theatrical Screening of the new AppleTV+ Series
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 7 p.m.
Ray Stark Family Theatre (SCA), 108
USC ESA presents an Evening with Intersectional Environmentalist Leah
Thursday, April 20, 2023 6 p.m.
Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), Ballroom
2023 Student Sustainability Town Hall
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), 450
Arts & Climate Collective Festival: Imagining a Fossil-Free LA
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 1 p.m.
Founders Park
Plan An Event
April 1-30, 2023
- Community Conversations
- Trivia Games
- Lunch & Learn
- Networking Opportunities with alumni, professors, professionals
- Wellness Workshops
- Submit each event to calendar.usc.edu
- USC Calendar How to (visual guide)
- To Add Events to the USC Calendar
- Navigate to calendar.usc.edu.
- Click on “Submit Event” in the top right of the page.
- Login with USC credentials and follow the form prompts.
- Event Type: select “Sustainability”
- Department field: select your department
- Tag Field (for calendar admins): add “Sustainability”
- Each event is reviewed and approved before it appears on the calendar.
- Recognized Student Organizations & Student Affairs Departments should also submit events to EngageSC.
- EngageSC Calendar How to (visual guide)
- Marketing Materials:
- Add the Assignment: Earth logo to your graphics.
- Download Assignment: Earth Marketing Material.
- If in person events are allowed, remember to reserve space with the appropriate department. Each department will provide information about capacities, protocols, etc as it becomes available.
- Trojan Event Services manages space reservations for TCC, Bovard Auditorium, Ground Zero, Tommy’s Place and most outdoor spaces. For spaces not managed by Trojan Events, contact the respective academic unit in which that space resides.
- Ensuring all participants can fully access your events is crucial to ensuring an equitable experience for all.
- USC’s Disability Services and Programs office has created helpful guides to help you create accessible content and host accessible programs.
- Event planners should include in their materials the following event accessibility statement:
- “Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact [insert event sponsor’s name, phone, and email address]. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least 7 days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.”
- “How To Make Your USC Event Sustainable” Guide
- USC Single Use Plastic Bottle Policy toolkit has a vendor compliance checklist, visual aids, and a contact for additional assistance.
- For catering or other event needs, consider supporting diverse and local small businesses at Trojan Shop Local.
- The USC FPM Events checklist. See pages 7-8 for pre- and post-event steps you’ll need to take to ensure that your event is zero-waste. You also can reach out to USC’s Waste Diversion Supervisor at gwhisena@usc.edu for general support.
- Prioritize using reusable service ware – provide communal beverage dispensers with reusable cups.
- If reusables will not work for your event, compostables and products made from more sustainable materials such as aluminum or glass are the next best alternative. Note: Products in cartons – such as boxed water – have a plastic lining that renders them un-recyclable, which means they go to landfill.
- Ask guests to bring refillable water bottles and share the map of campus hydration stations
- Prioritize plant-forward menu choices over meat-based meals, and when appropriate, encourage guests and colleagues to take surplus food so it doesn’t get thrown away.
- Finally, please ask your event attendees who are USC faculty, student, and staff to take the the annual USC Sustainability Survey. It gauges sustainability literacy, culture, and behavior, takes less than 15 minutes to complete.
Email us at sustainability@usc.edu