Throughout April, the University of Southern Maine celebrated Earth Month with a series of campus events for students, faculty, and community partners to explore environmental issues through hands-on learning and service.
Organized through the Environmental Science and Policy program and campus collaborators, the programming connected classroom concepts to practical action through activities like: plant-based cooking, volunteering, campus cleanups, and educational programs hosted in partnership with USM Libraries and Sodexo Dining Services.
“Earth Month at USM invites us to learn, act and reflect upon our complex relationships with our planet and all of its inhabitants,” said Jamie Picardy, associate professor of environmental science and policy at USM and one of the organizers of the month’s events.
Students in Professor Karen Wilson’s ESP 475 course visited Brooks Cafe on the Gorham campus for “Tasty Solutions: Taking a BITE out of Climate Change,” a plant-based cooking workshop.The session combined discussion with hands-on learning, as students prepared a plant-based meal while exploring the environmental and nutritional impacts of food choices.
“The United Nations estimates that approximately one-third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases that drive climate change are related to our food system,” Picardy said. “With animal-based foods associated with higher greenhouse gases, this workshop offers plant-focused meal planning that helps the health of our planet and ourselves as consumers.”
For Wilson, the experience reinforced course concepts around climate change and mitigation strategies.
“It’s always wonderful to get a hands-on demonstration of concepts learned in class,” Wilson said. “We can talk about meatless meals, but getting to cook and taste them is a completely different experience.”
The workshop was facilitated by Sodexo staff, including Executive Chef Virginia Jordan and District Dietitian Chelsea Champagne, who said the goal was to make sustainable food choices more accessible.
“Plant-based eating does not have to be all or nothing,” Champagne said. “Small, realistic changes, like adding a few plant-based meals each week, can have a meaningful impact on both health and sustainability.”
Beyond the classroom, Earth Month programming also emphasized student leadership and participation. Members of the Environmental Science and Policy Student Group (ESPSG) organized campus cleanups and other events aimed at bringing students together.
“Campus cleanups help promote student engagement as they take place on campus, so students don’t need transportation to a separate location,” said Sam Dunbar, president of the ESPSG.
“I experienced a great sense of community, “said Dunbar. “Several of the people who joined us on our trash clean-up were not environmental science majors but still made the choice to spend their time working together with the ESPSG to improve our campus environment.”
Picardy said collaboration is key in organizing the month’s events, and the bigger goal is to carry this momentum beyond April and into students’ everyday lives.
“I hope that folks feel part of USM and Planet Earth,” Picardy said. “By engaging in these events, participants develop active hope to create a more sustainable and just society.”