Add to Your Calendar:
Earth Month and Kill-a-Watt
- Wed, Apr 01–Thu, Apr 30, 2026
Campus-wide
Submit your Kill-a-Watt Points
What is Earth Month?
Earth month is a month dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues, and celebrating the work we can do to help protect the environment and fight climate change. Here at Calvin, we are running a dorm wide competition to see which dorm can contribute the most towards sustainability. Points can be earned in four ways: Energy Reduction, Lifestyle Challenges, Event Attendance, and Can Recycling. The winning dorm will receive a prize the weekend of exams!
- Energy Reduction: Dorm energy consumption will be measured against past months, and points will be allotted to dorms that show the most energy reduction. Some ways you can save energy are turning off lights, taking shorter/cooler showers, and turning down your thermostat.
- Lifestyle challenges: Participate in various challenges to improve your personal sustainability such as: go vegetarian for a week, use a reusable cup a peets, or go thrifting.
- Event Attendance: The events listed below are events that count towards your dorm's points. To register points for attendance and lifestyle challenges, fill out the form above and select challenges or list which event you went to.
- Can Recycling: Put depositable cans in the red bins in your lobby. Points will be allotted based on the number of cans.
What is Kill-a-Watt?
Kill-a-Watt is a campus wide energy saving competition vs Hope College. Both colleges will be monitored campus-wide to see which campus can save the most energy throughout the latter half of earth month. Hope won last year, so make sure to turn out your lights and reduce energy any way you can!
Track your Completed Challenges and Events
Please complete this form at the end of each week to share which challenges you completed! Your points will be added to your dorm’s total.
Submit your Kill-a-Watt Points
Kill-a-Watt Point Tracker
All Earth Month Events
Wednesday 4/1:
Eco preserve stations of the cross | Bunker Center, 4-5 pm. | A self-guided walk through the ecosystem preserve with art, Scripture, and Lenten meditations.
Thursday (recurring)
Meet the turtles | Bunker Center, 11-11:30 am | Help pet and feed our turtles, Curtis, Lizzie, Donnie, and Gizmo, and meet our amazing student workers!
Tuesday 4/7
Terrarium Workshop | Bunker Center, 4-6 pm | Learn how to make a terrarium in recycled glass jars using natural materials!
Thursday 4/9
Kahoot | Commons Square, 6:30-8 pm | Join the Sustainability Coordinators for a fun competition about environmentally related trivia.
Friday 4/10
FRN Movie Night and Dumpster Diving | Bunker Center, 8 pm | Join the Food Recovery Network for a movie and some “sustainably sourced” food!
Saturday 4/11
PCS Spring event | Library basement, 9 am-12 pm | Work with Plaster Creek Stewards for a morning of community and native plant service projects around campus and Grand Rapids.
SLC service day | Library, Peet’s area, 8:30 am | Come and serve the community in various ways. Open to seniors participating in senior service day, and underclassmen wanting to make a difference.
Monday 4/13
Greenhouse and Grub | Greenhouse, 4:30-7 pm | Join the Preserve Life Houses for a home-cooked meal and volunteering at the greenhouse to help propagate native plants.
Thursday 4/16
Sustainabili-tea | Commons Square, 6:45 pm | Learn from sustainability professionals from the Fulton Street Farmers’ Market while enjoying tea and snacks.
Saturday 4/18
The Sweater Author Event | Bunker Center, 10 am - 12 pm | Meet-and-greet with the author of The Sweater. A book reading will be held, with snacks and crafts will be available.
Monday 4/20
Roots and Reels | Greenhouse, 4:30-7 pm | Transplant native plants with Plaster Creek stewards and watch a fun movie at the same time. Food provided.
Tuesday 4/21
Earth month fair and garden planting | Commons Lawn, Heiminga Courtyard, 3-5 pm | Come purchase food and crafts sold by student vendors, then go get your hands dirty planting a native garden in the Heiminga courtyard.
Thursday 4/23
Solpods seminar | Bunker Center, 5:30-7:30 pm | Hear from a Calvin student about his internship with SolPods, an organization dedicated to students in sustainability leadership, about the LEED certification associated with our Bunker Interpretive Center, and the
Saturday 4/25
Earth Fest | Bunker Center. 9 am - 4 pm
Stewardship work: 9-11:30 am
Food Trucks: 11 am-2 pm
Rock Garden Grand Opening: 12-1 pm
Bioblitz Competition: 12:30-2 pm
Turtle Fest: 2-4 pm
Pondside Unwind: 2-4 pm
Monday 4/27
Intro to Beekeeping | North Hall 120, 4 pm | Learn from Tom Steenwyk about what beekeeping is like, and take a tour of his beehives on Calvin’s Campus.
Tuesday 4/28
Clothing Swap | Cohorts Office, 3-5 pm | Donate used clothing items and find new fits for yourself! Source sustainable clothing while cleaning out your closet at the same time.
Thursday 4/30
Sustainability Showcase | Chapel, 4-5 pm | See what's been happening in sustainability! Come and listen to classes and groups present their posters on various sustainability-related topics.
Earthkeepers final community event | Library Basement, 5:30-7 pm | Celebrate all the good work Earthkeepers has done with good food and community.