Office of Sustainability

Black Belt Treasures at Pebble Hill
2024-12-07 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Pebble Hill
Join Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center at this incredible event to experience a holiday market, artist demonstrations, and more! Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center is a non-profit organization based in Camden, Alabama. The organization was started with the objective to stimulate the economy in Alabama’s Black Belt region through the sale and promotion of fine arts and heritage crafts, as well as the provision of arts education opportunities.
Featured artists include Betty Anderson (Gee’s Bend dolls), Billy Baggett (metal sculptures), Duncan Black (pottery), Carole BandyCarson (painting), Angela Fernandez (mixed media), Kristin Law (pottery and mixed media), Andrew McCall (vine baskets and barn wood art), Bud Rogers(woodcrafts), Laura Spencer (goat milk soap and natural skincare), and Elizabeth Taylor (jewelry). Plus homemade fudge and pecan snacks from Flying Bassett Farm!
For more information click here to visit the College of Liberal Arts Webpage.

COSAM Special Community Event
2024-12-10 18:00 - 20:00 | John Emerald Distillery, 706 N Railroad Ave, Opelika, AL, 36801, United States
Join COSAM Outreach and The Auburn Mayfly Project for a special community event. The evening will feature speakers Rowell Guevarra and Jake Vincent, who will discuss efforts to protect, preserve, and restore native fish and their habitats, as well as the work of The Auburn Mayfly Project.
Raffles are now open for this event with exciting prizes, and all proceeds will support The Auburn Mayfly Project. Come enjoy a great evening, learn about conservation efforts, and support a worthy cause!
For more information visit the event here on Auburn Opelika Tourism website.

AWW Stream Biomonitoring Training Registration Deadline
2025-01-14 | Alabama
Training Description: Become a certified Volunteer Monitor through this hybrid (online and in-person) training opportunity! Available certifications include AWW Stream Biomonitoring. You must complete each of the steps outlined below to receive your monitoring certification.
What is Stream Biomonitoring? Read more on the AWWareness Blog
For more information on how to access this training and registration, please visit the Alabama Water Watch website here.
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY JANUARY 14, 2025.

AL Rivers Educator Workshop - AWW
2025-01-24 10:00 - 16:30 | CASIC Building, 559 Devall Drive, Auburn, AL, 36830
Join 4-H Alabama Water Watch Staff and author of the book, Alabama Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge, Dr. Bill Deutsch, in Auburn as we travel down rivers through time to encounter the rich human history and natural wonders that have defined Alabama. Participants will learn to use the Alabama Rivers book and accompanying Educator’s Guide to Alabama Rivers to celebrate Alabama’s magnificent rivers and how they have been shaped by geology over the ages with their students. We will learn about some of the unique plants and animals as well as noteworthy people who have called Alabama home. We will also learn to use resources and activities found in the Guide to challenge their students to restore and protect our rivers for their economic, cultural, and ecological benefits, but most of all because it is the right thing to do.
The curriculum is correlated to the AL Course of Study Standards for Social Studies and Science for grades 4-7, but is also adaptable for upper grades and other subjects.
Participants who complete the Alabama Rivers Workshop will receive:

Certification as Alabama Rivers Educator
Copy of the book Alabama Rivers, A Celebration & Challenge,
Copy of An Educator’s Guide to Alabama Rivers
Access to online digital resources that support activities and lessons
CEUs from Auburn University Office of Outreach and/or PowerSchool

If interested please register here on the Alabama Water Watch website.

AWW Stream Biomonitoring Training
2025-01-25 | Alabama
Training Description: Become a certified Volunteer Monitor through this hybrid (online and in-person) training opportunity! Available certifications include AWW Stream Biomonitoring. You must complete each of the steps outlined below to receive your monitoring certification.
What is Stream Biomonitoring? Read more on the AWWareness Blog
For more information on how to access this training, please visit the Alabama Water Watch website here.
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY JANUARY 14, 2025.

Meet Me at the VIC
2025-01-29 10:00 - 12:00 | Auburn University Student Center, Student Center, 255 Heisman Dr, Auburn, AL, 36849, United States
Auburn University College of Human Sciences’ Cary Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies will host its 6th annual Meet Me at the VIC (Volunteer, Internship, and Career) Fair which will convene dozens of regional nonprofits with AU undergraduate students who seek to help support local, regional, and national nonprofit efforts.
Nonprofits seeking to register for the Meet Me at the VIC may do so via this link.
Contact Brittany Spillman at spillbl@auburn.edu or 334-844-3557 with any questions.
This event is open to Auburn University students and faculty interested in networking with nonprofit professionals throughout the region.

"Betsey Scott Harper: The Story of an Auburn First Family" at Pebble Hill
2025-02-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Pebble Hill
Join Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities to celebrate the publication of children’s book Betsey Scott Harper: The Story of an Auburn First Family with author Dr. Terrance Vickerstaff and other Harper descendants at Pebble Hill.
Betsey Scott Harper was enslaved to Nathaniel J. Scott, a founder of Auburn, and together with husband Major Harper, began a family legacy that remains today. The event will feature stories related to their family history, as well as other important examples of local African American history.
The event is free and attendees who pre-register at this link will receive a complimentary copy of the book. To learn more about the story of Major Harper and Betsey Scott’s story, visit this link for Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts.

The Gulf Scholars Scholarship Program Open House
2025-02-03 11:00 - 12:00 | Alabama
The Gulf Scholars program includes a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum. All classes count toward the minor in sustainability studies and various other programs on campus. Students will be invited to participate in co-curricular activities, including field trips to the Gulf, movie nights, social events, volunteer opportunities, art gallery openings and change agentry workshops. Each student will be paired with a community partner to complete a sustainability project. Partial scholarship and travel funding is available to those accepted.
Interested Students can attend the open house via Zoom. For more information visit the webpage for Student Applications Sought for Undergraduate Gulf Scholars Scholarship Program here.

Mobile Bike Shop
2025-02-07 11:30 - 13:30, 2025-02-28 11:30 - 13:30, 2025-03-21 11:30 - 13:30 | Haley Concourse
No registration required. Don’t have time to stop by the Auburn Outdoors bike shop at The Rec? Don’t worry – trained and experienced Bike Techs are on campus to provide repairs, maintenance, and tune-ups on your way to class. Follow @auburnrecwellness on Instagram to see where they will be each month or view our calendar!

"Teacher Making" with The Jule
2025-02-08 13:00 - 17:00 | Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
Join The Jule for the 2025 Auburn Forum for Southern Art and Culture as they examine the environmental and educational intersections of art and craft found in their production, presentation and instruction.
Investigate the impact of pedagogical locus on creative labor and learning through presentations and discussions about craft, architecture and art education in unconventional environments.
Visit the event by clicking here on The Jule Museum’s website to learn more about this event!

Auburn Research Symposium Submission Deadline
2025-02-10 | Alabama
The Auburn Research Symposium gives undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers an opportunity to share their research university-wide. Abstract submissions will be for oral presentations or for poster presentations.
The abstract submission period for the symposium opens December 1, 2024, and closes February 10, 2025. For more information visit the event on the Senior Vice President for Research & Economic Development Page.

Auburn Outdoors Ski Trip Registration Deadline
2025-02-11 | Auburn Outdoors
Ski the East! Ski or snowboard with Auburn Outdoors for Spring Break at West Virginia’s WinterPlace – the # 1 place to learn to ski in the Southeast! On this 5-night, 6-day trip you will ski or snowboard, snow tube, and enjoy the winter weather with other students from Auburn. With an array of trails from green to black diamond, you’ll have your choice of slopes to shred. A required pre-trip meeting will be held on February 11 at 5 p.m. at Auburn Outdoors. Transportation, all meals, helmet rental, 3-day lift pass, lodging, and snow-tubing fee are included in the trip fee.

Registration for this trip is required. Register on RWC Connect: November 29 – February 11

Davis Arboretum Second Tuesday Tours
2025-02-11 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-11 12:00 - 13:00 | Donald E. Davis Arboretum
Experience the Davis Arboretum like never before! Make plans to attend our new “Second Tuesday Garden Tours” beginning Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 12:00 PM! Grab your friends and colleagues and meet us at the Arboretum pavilion for a delightful midday stroll through our beautiful garden as you learn about the wonderful world of Alabama’s native plants.
Tours will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month with additional tours available during the stunning peak bloom and vibrant color change seasons.
Join us as you rediscover the wonder and beauty of Auburn University’s Davis Arboretum!

Alabama Water Watch: Understanding and Advancing Your Water Chemistry Monitoring
2025-02-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Online Event
Learn how to interpret water chemistry water quality test results and adapt a monitoring plan to better identify sources of nonpoint source pollution.
Join AWW for this one-hour webinar where they will discuss how to adapt your water monitoring plan when you find a water quality issue through water chemistry testing. They will provide an overview of how to use the Online AWW Water Data Tools to understand AWW water chemistry monitoring data, how to conduct strategic sampling to narrow down potential pollution sources, and how you can seek out solutions to water quality issues.
This webinar will be most applicable to AL Water Watch Water Chemistry Monitors and members of their watershed groups who utilize the data. However, anyone wanting to learn more about how to use water data to identify and pollution issues in their watersheds will benefit.
To register for this webinar or learn more please click here to visit the event on Alabama Water Watch’s website.

Weaver Lecture: Transformative Change and Global Sustainability
2025-02-18 15:30 | School of Forestry and Wildlife Science – Room 1101, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL, 36849, United States
Join the Weaver Lecture and Seminar Committee and College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment for the Spring 2025 Weaver Lecture with Dr. Arun Agrawal as the speaker and distinguished guest at the with the lecture “Transformative Change and Global Sustainability”. Dr. Agrawal is Samuel Trask Dana Professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences. His recent research interests concern the relationship of climate change with health and conflict. Dr. Agrawal will be hosted by Dr. Li An and sponsored by the International Center for Climate and Global Change Research.
This will be a big campus-wide event where Dr. Agrawal will also spend time with students around the topic “international issues in natural resource policy” in a student-focused session.
For additional information please visit the event on the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment webpage.

Science Cafe: Black History Month
2025-02-20 17:30 - 18:30 | Well Red, 223 Opelika Rd, Auburn, AL, 36830, United States
COSAM Outreach invites you to join them for this month’s Science Cafe, celebrating Black History Month at Well Red: Second Story. They’ll have two incredible speakers: Jalaan Avritte, a Postdoctoral Plasma Researcher in the Department of Physics, and Destini Thornton, a PhD student in Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Drug Development and Discovery at the Harrison College of Pharmacy.
Come out for an evening of fascinating research and great conversation!
This event is free and open to all ages.

The Gulf Scholars Scholarship Application Deadline
2025-02-21 | Alabama
The Gulf Scholars program includes a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum. All classes count toward the minor in sustainability studies and various other programs on campus. Students will be invited to participate in co-curricular activities, including field trips to the Gulf, movie nights, social events, volunteer opportunities, art gallery openings and change agentry workshops. Each student will be paired with a community partner to complete a sustainability project. Partial scholarship and travel funding is available to those accepted.
For those interested in applying for the scholarship for this program, applications are Due on February 21, 2025!
For more information visit the webpage for Student Applications Sought for Undergraduate Gulf Scholars Scholarship Program here.

Parkerson Mill Creek Litter Cleanup
2025-02-28 09:00 - 11:00 | Parkerson Mill Creek Outside of Wellness Kitchen, 370 S Donahue Dr, Auburn, AL, 36832, United States
Join Auburn’s Risk Management and Safety and the City of Auburn to address litter issues along Veterans Blvd. in Auburn. They will provide gloves, trash bags, buckets, and grabbers to support this cause. If you have a safety vest, please wear it. If not, wear a bright color (orange is always welcome). Help work to protect Parkerson Mill Creek and the community!

Location and Parking:
Veterans BLVD runs across Parkerson Mill Creek into the Auburn Technology Park just off South College Street near South College Veterinary Clinic.
Parking can be done in a couple of ways. You can park alongside Veterans Blvd, or you can park in the parking lot at in front of the Military Recruiting Station. Please use the spots closest to College Street.

FILM: Southern Exposure (Now indoors!)
2025-03-06 18:00 - 20:30 | Pebble Hill
Still bring your mug for a warm drink! We are still having s’mores, popcorn, tea, and cocoa!
Join the Office of Sustainability, Alabama Rivers Alliance, the Alabama Water Resources Center, and Auburn Outdoors for a unique outdoor film screening! Short documentary films created as part of the 2024 Southern Exposure Film Fellowship will be shown. These films were created over the Alabama Rivers Alliance’s 6-week summer program and present vibrant, inspiring stories of how Alabama citizens have worked to preserve their state’s rich biodiversity.
This screening will be held at 6:00pm inside at Pebble Hill on Thursday, March 6, with a post-film Q&A at 8:00.
To learn more about Southern Exposure, visit their website here!

Auburn Outdoors Ski Trip
2025-03-08 - 2025-03-13 | Auburn Outdoors

Third Thursday Poetry Series
2025-03-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Pebble Hill
Join the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, Department of English, and Southern Humanities Review in the College of Liberal Arts at Pebble Hill for the Third Thursday Poetry Series featuring Julia Phillips & Rodney Leonard.
Julia Phillips is the author of the bestselling novels Bear and Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year.
Born in Nixburg, Alabama, Rodney Terich Leonard is the author of Sweetgum & Lightning (Four Way Books). His next collection, Another Land of My Body, is forthcoming from Four Way Books.

AWW Bacteria & Water Chemistry Training - Oxford
2025-03-22 09:00 - 16:00 | Alabama
Training Description: Become a certified Volunteer Monitor through this hybrid (online and in-person) training opportunity! Available certifications include AWW Water Chemistry Monitoring and Bacteriological Monitoring. You must complete each of the steps outlined below to receive your monitoring certification.
Check out Alabama Water Watch’s blog to learn more about Water Chemistry Monitoring and Bacteriological Monitoring.
For more information on how to access this training, please visit the Alabama Water Watch website here.
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY MARCH 4TH, 2025.

AU Climate Symposium
2025-03-25 09:00 - 13:30 | Melton Student Center Ballroom, 255 Heisman Drive, Auburn, AL, 36849, United States
AU Climate Symposium 2025: Creating a Healthier Environment for Everyone is the 4th annual AU Climate Symposium for faculty, graduate students and stakeholders doing climate related research. The goal of the event is to share and communicate climate research to promote future collaboration.
The event begins with Research Lightning Talks for researchers & practitioners in many different disciplines and sectors. The half day event also includes two Student Poster Sessions, Stakeholder Panel with Q&A and a session of Table Discussions with stakeholders, faculty and students. The symposium concludes with a Networking Luncheon for all participants with a climate journalist speaker.

Beyond the Farm
2025-03-26 11:00 - 14:00 | Student Center Greenspace
Join the Ag Council for the 2024 Beyond the Farm event! Come by to learn more about agriculture and to interact with the different offices, groups, and organizations that will be tabling!

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day
2025-03-29 09:00 - 13:00 | Environmental Services Department Complex, 4277 Wire Road, Suite 100, Auburn, AL, 36832, United States
The City of Auburn is having a spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day to gives Auburn residents the opportunity to drop off hazardous materials that are illegal to dispose of during weekly garbage collection.
Acceptable items include household chemicals, pesticides, paints, batteries, automobile fluids and more. Computers and electronics will be accepted for recycling, and there will be a shredder on site to safely and securely get rid of old paper documents.
Participants should load the materials they wish to drop off in the trunk or rear of their vehicle. Residents may bring up to 20 pounds of material per household for disposal at no charge. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day is only open to Auburn residents.
For a list of accepted items, a link to register and more information, click here to visit the City of Auburn’s website.

Fall Break Trip with Auburn Outdoors
2025-03-29 09:00 - 2025-03-30 17:00 | Auburn University Recreation and Wellness Center
Join Auburn Outdoors for a 2-day, 1-night backpacking trip to Mount Cheaha – the highest point in Alabama. During this trip, you’ll meet other women interested in getting outside, and hike 7 miles among beautiful vistas. Whether it’s your first experience in the backcountry or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll find community and new experiences on this trip. Check yes to touching the grass this March with Auburn Outdoors.
A required pre-trip meeting for participants will be held on March 25th at 5 p.m. at Auburn Outdoors. Transportation, meals, and gear are included in the trip fee.
Participants should register on the RWC Connect website.

NAIA Spring Cultural Festival
2025-03-29 10:00 - 16:00 | Campus Green, 500 Heisman Dr, Auburn, AL, 36849, United States
The Native American & Indigenous Alliance is having their biggest event ever: The NAIA Spring Cultural Festival! Come to the Campus Green on March 29th to enjoy this free event! There will be Native food, art vendors, demonstrations, cultural dancing, and drumming! This event is free to everyone!
