Sustainability Meets Celebration Across Colgate’s 13 Days of Green

Colgate University's annual celebration of 13 Days of Green, hosted by the Office of Sustainability, began with a bang at a lively kick-off event that brought together different corners of campus. Featuring booths from student organizations and campus partners, the event highlighted the diverse dimensions of sustainability.

"Sustainability is a part of everything, so we try to connect with many campus partners to highlight that," said Julia Sparks, assistant director of sustainability.

The event featured a performance by student band 80k, a reused clothing sale, student organization tabling, and junior Maryan Eniafe's favorite: a flower bouquet-making station.

"It was such a fun event," Eniafe said. "Seeing friends, talking to people, eating ice cream, and manifesting good things for the future was really great."

Fun and connection were major themes of the kickoff, an often forgotten aspect of sustainability amid the many challenges and pressures facing the movement today.

"It's good to know about the severity of climate change and to work hard to mitigate it, but it's also important to celebrate how far we've come and have joy in the process," Sparks said.

This emphasis on connection resonated with those in attendance.

"I'm from a much warmer place, so I sometimes struggle with not being outside every day," said Lawrence Caro '26. "It was very nice being with people who also appreciate connecting with nature."

Thirteen Days of Green continued with more engaging events, including a career panel featuring alumni across different sustainability sectors, an enchanted forest fairy home-making event hosted by Chapel House, and the viewing at Colgate's Longyear Museum of Anthropology of the Tempestry project, which invited crafters from the Colgate community to create knitted and crocheted pieces that represent local climate data. The celebration culminated in the inaugural Earth Day 5k run on April 22, closing out the program with a commitment to protecting the planet.