Junior Zuri Bethel talks with a student on road salt polluting water at the Mississippi River clean up event on April 26, 2025. The University of St. Thomas held various events to celebrate Sustainability during the week of April 22-27. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest) 
Senior Bridget Brown picked up trash along the pathway. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest) 
Junior Sabrina Sandholm spoke to students on microplastics in the ecosystem. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest) 
Participants enjoyed snacks and drinks and received bags to pick up trash along the Mississippi River. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest)
The Office of Sustainability Initiatives partnered with 15 other St. Thomas departments and organizations to host its annual Sustainability Week from April 22 to 27, providing community members with opportunities to explore sustainable living options.
Rachel Schauer, the program manager at the Office of Sustainability, said that this event aimed to celebrate campus sustainability efforts through over 20 self-guided activities, on-campus events and off-campus excursions.
“My hope for Sustainability Week is that … each person that comes to an event has one experience that’s meaningful to them, whether it’s that they learn one new tip about how they can incorporate (sustainability) into their daily life, or they join the Sustainability Club,” Schauer said. “Even those small impacts build over time.”
Kicking off the week on April 22, Earth Day, a new event focused on the sustainability arts initiative: Weaving with Repurposed Materials featuring local artist Jessica Turtle, who previously partnered with St. Thomas to create two murals on campus. Hosted in the create[space], this event allowed participants to upcycle usable items from Tommie’s Closet into personal creations.
Wednesday welcomed the Global Justice Movement’s collaboration with the Office of Sustainability in the form of climate justice storytelling collages. Students underlined environmental injustice and highlighted solutions using dried flowers, clothing scraps, recycled paper and other magazines to create collages about environmental issues.
Junior Madelyn Orr, a GJM intern, also presented a story of hope from the Philippines. The GJM works with Catholic Relief Services to raise awareness and help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. CRS has worked to restore mangrove trees along the coast, which act as a natural barrier to help mitigate the disastrous effects of tsunamis and floods.
“I’ve always been interested in global issues … and (Catholic Relief Services was) helping the poor overseas and involved in conflict areas and communities that have been dealing with the climate crisis … and I just like that,” Orr said.
Throughout the week, an office supply swap took place on the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. Students, staff and other faculty could donate or collect office materials, encouraging sustainable practices in the workplace. Students could also earn digital badges, which educated them about sustainable practices and how to identify pollinators and types of flowers.
Wednesday and Thursday featured plant-based meals at the two dining halls on the St. Paul campus. The View served scratch-made falafel and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern side dishes. The Northsider prepared an Italian-Argentinian fusion dish, including gnocchi with meatless chorizo crumbles and a chimichurri pistou.
Friday’s first-year event, Pot-A-Plant and Dirt Cups, served up “dirt cup” treats and sustainable living advice. St. Thomas Activities and Recreation then showed first-year students ways to be sustainable on- and off-campus while students potted their own house plants.
Schauer mentioned the importance of student participation in sustainability, saying:
“The idea is that college students can participate … and for them to have the opportunity to get involved and address these environmental issues and environmental justice,” Shauer said.
The Mississippi River Cleanup on Saturday, which Shauer referred to as one of the “Tommie traditions,” welcomed local community members to clean up areas around the Mississippi River. Occurring since the 1990s, this event was hosted by three different organizations: the Sustainability Club, the Office of Sustainability Initiatives and Shadow Falls Park Facilities Management.
The week closed with Students for Justice and Peace presenting a “How to use the Metro” tutorial. Students used Metro Transit to attend the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s “Art in Bloom” exhibits. The four-day festival showcased floral interpretations of art from the Mia’s permanent collection with works from over 100 florists.
Schauer emphasized the importance of finding a personal conviction for sustainability, one that will last beyond the end of Sustainability Week:
“I want to invite people in to think about how sustainability connects to them because … you’re doing these things not only for the common good, but also for yourself … Sustainability Week is something … we want all people to be involved in,” Schauer said.
Grace Woelfel can be reached at woel8456@stthomas.edu.
