Sustainability, conservation are the themes for upcoming Earth Week at MC events
April 8, 2025
Maryville College is gearing up for Earth Week 2025, an exciting series of events designed to engage the campus community in environmental action, sustainability, and connection with the natural world.
Taking place April 14 to 24, Earth Week at MC features a wide range of activities that encourage participation, education, and a deeper understanding of the environmental issues that affect the planet.
“Our take on Earth Week is all about connecting to the world around you in whatever way feels right,” says Jackie Eul ’18, program director of Fit.Green.Happy®, the nonprofit fitness and awareness arm of Mountain Challenge, the College’s on-campus team-building-through-outdoor-programming partner.
“From just taking a mindful walk in nature, participating in a river clean-up, or learning more about eco-friendly alternatives in a lecture hall, there are plenty of opportunities to learn a little more about your habits that impact the planet,” Eul added.
Eul is joined in coordinating this year’s Earth Week activities and events by Dr. Mark O’Gorman, a professor of political science and coordinator of MC’s Environmental Studies program; Adrienne Schwarte, professor of art and coordinator of the Sustainability Studies minor; and Dr. Jay Clark, director of environmental and sustainability initiatives at MC; and Dr. Andrew Gunnoe, associate professor of sociology and president of the Little River Watershed Association.
This year’s activities include collaborations with that organization, as well as with Mountain Challenge, Fit.Green.Happy®, MC student organizations and more. Earth Week at MC is designed to lead into Earth Day, observed nationally on April 22. The first Earth Day was held in 1970 and is credited with initiating the modern environmental movement, but what began as a fight for clean air and water grew into something greater over the decades that followed.
Maryville College’s commitment to sustainability runs deep, shaped by its location near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its long-standing tradition of environmental education. The college has integrated environmental protection and conservation into its curriculum through programs of study such as Environmental Studies, Outdoor Studies and Tourism and the Sustainability Studies minor, which was establish in 2015 and served as the catalyst for the first “Earth Week at MC” events. The observance has been a regular part of MC spring programming ever since.
“Earth Week at Maryville College is a chance for all of us to come together and focus on sustainability and environmental protection,” O’Gorman said. “We are committed to nurturing a future where our students are at the forefront of finding solutions to the pressing environmental challenges we face.”
All Earth Week at MC events are free. For more information, visit https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/about/inside/sustainability/.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Monday, April 14
12:50-1:50 p.m.: Court Street Cleanup. Participants are invited to join students in the College’s Introduction to Environmental Issues and Foundations of Sustainability courses for a clean-up along Court Street, in partnership with Keep Blount Beautiful. Meet outside Bartlett Hall. Materials will be provided.
Wednesday, April 16
- 1-1:50 p.m.: Guided walking tour at Pistol Creek Wetlands Center. O’Gorman will guide a walking tour of the nature preserve on Montvale Station Road. Meeting in the parking lot (1951 Montvale Station Road, Maryville).
- 3:30-6 p.m.: Mountain Challenge Camp4. Scots are invited to participate in activities like climbing and yoga at Crawford House, led by Mountain Challenge volunteers.
- 6-8 p.m.: Heather White lecture. Join Heather White, founder of OneGreenThing.org and author of Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids & Our Future, for an inspiring lecture in the Lawson Auditorium of Fayerweather Hall, sponsored by the MC Environmental Studies and Sustainability Studies programs.
Friday, April 18
Noon to 4 p.m.: Little River Watershed Association clean-up. Gunnoe’s Environmental Sociology class invites interested participants to join them for an afternoon of cleanup along the river. Space is limited and sign-up is required; email Gunnoe to do so at andrew.gunnoe@maryvillecollege.edu.
Monday, April 21
11:45 a.m. to 1:25 p.m.: Environmental education activities. All Scots, faculty and staff are invited to join the ENV/SUS 101 course and the College Environmental Action Team for fun and educational activities on Pearsons lawn.
Tuesday, April 22
Noon to 2 p.m.: Sustainability happenings at MC. Participants are invited to celebrate Earth Day by sampling leeks presented by Clark in the Proffit Dining Room of Pearsons Hall.
Wednesday, April 23
- Noon to 12:45 p.m.: Focus on food. A collaborative session presented by Nourish Knoxville and the University of Tennessee/Agricultural Extension office in Blount County, scheduled to be held in the Proffit Dining Room.
- 3:30-6 p.m.: Mountain Challenge Camp4. Scots are invited to participate in activities like climbing and yoga at Crawford House, led by Mountain Challenge volunteers..
Thursday, April 24
- Noon to 1 p.m.: Mindfulness in nature. A session presented by Fit.Green.Happy.® and the MC Counseling Center will begin at Crawford House, where participants will embark on a mindful nature walk.
- 2-3 p.m.: Mending 101 with Molly Bailey ’26. A hands-on mending workshop in collaboration with Fit.Green.Happy.® and the MC Fashion Club, in the Outdoor Classroom behind the Sutton Science Center. Materials will be provided.
Written by Julia Jeffress ’25