JHU Sustainability

Join us this Wednesday, April 8, at the 7th Annual Sustainability Symposium on research, practice, and education! Register now to join us for all or part of the day.

This event, hosted by the Sustainability Leadership Council and Office of Climate & Sustainability, is open to all JHU students, staff, and faculty, and will be held at the Inn at the Colonnade, a short walk or ride from Homewood campus.

The symposium will start at 8 with breakfast and opening remarks, followed by a packed schedule of presentations and panel discussions by JHU students, staff, and faculty on various sustainability topics, as well as:
🍴 A plenary lunch fireside chat featuring Interim Provost Dr. Lainie Rutkow and former U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
📊 An interactive afternoon poster session, networking social, and tabling
🏢 The opportunity to participate in a small sustainability-focused tour of the Bloomberg Student Center

👉 Learn more & register today at sustainability.jhu.edu/symposium (link in bio)

and are teaming up to host our first joint Earth Month Bash on Friday, April 3rd! 

🍽 Hopkins Dining’s Picnic for the Planet will have a buffet-style dinner featuring local and seasonal food!
🥗 Enjoy a delicious, elevated picnic menu including seasonal veggies, plant-forward options, sweet AND savory s’mores, and so much more! 
🎟 Advanced registration required by Wed., April 1, thru Transact Mobile Ordering App – spaces are limited, so sign up today at bit.ly/jhupicnic! 

🌍 OCS’s Earth Fest will include: tabling JHU clubs and organizations, live music, outdoor games, activities, and more!
ℹ️ Stop by the OCS table to play games & win giveaways, learn more about JHU’s efforts to cut emissions, reduce waste, & other climate goals, and find out how you can get involved. 

📆 Friday, April 3
⏰ 4 - 7 PM
📍 Keyser Quad (rain site: Glass Pavilion & Great Hall)

👉 Register for Picnic for the Planet ASAP by April 1at bit.ly/jhupicnic (link in bio)

This event is part of JHU’s 2026 Earth Month programming – head to sustainability.jhu.edu/earthmonth (in bio) for a full schedule of events!

📣 Register now for the 7th Annual Johns Hopkins Sustainability Symposium! The 2026 Symposium will be held on Wednesday, April 8, at the Inn at the Colonnade, walking distance from the Homewood campus and accessible via JHU and public transit.

The event will feature presentations, panel discussions, research posters, and informational tabling from JHU students, faculty, and staff!

Former Senator Ben Cardin will join us for a lunchtime fireside chat, moderated by interim provost Dr. Lainie Rutkow. The day of impactful content will conclude with a networking event and poster session, plus optional sustainability-focused tours of the new Bloomberg Student Center.

Topics of discussion will include:
🏫 environmental education
⚕️ Planetary Health
⚡ climate mitigation and adaptation
⚖️ environmental justice
🗑️ responsible consumption
📝 environmental policy
❗ and more!

👉 Learn more & sign up today at sustainability.jhu.edu/symposium (link in bio)

Join the Office of Climate & Sustainability and Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health are planning an Environmental Justice Roundtable on March 30th from 5-7 pm in the Bloomberg Student Center MPR 210A. This two-part event will feature a panel discussion and breakout roundtable discussions with the goal of helping students learn how they can be more involved with research for community-centered change related to planetary health and environmental justice.

👉 RSVP at the link in our bio! Food will be provided.

Happy Spring Semester from the Office of Climate & Sustainability! In our first newsletter of 2026 you can find:

📣 the FINAL call for submissions for the 2026 Sustainability Symposium, due TODAY, January 30th!
🌏 some of the latest Planetary Health updates from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health and
📆 save-the-dates for upcoming OCS events – plus highlights of events being held on campus, across Baltimore, and online (see our Events calendar for more!)
🎧 our latest media recommendations
🍎 a spotlight from on one of their local farm partners
📰 climate & sustainability news from across
🌱 our Green Tip of the Month: how to cut food waste!

Check out the full January issue at the link in our bio – and sign up to get the next one delivered straight to your inbox! 🔗

📣 The Sustainability Leadership Council is seeking submissions for the 7th Annual JHU Sustainability Symposium!

The event, which will be held April 8, 2026, will feature dialogue on important sustainability topics through cross-disciplinary presentations, panel discussions, research posters, and tabling opportunities. All JHU faculty, students, and staff are invited to submit presentation ideas.

🗓️ Submissions are due by Monday, January 26, 2026.
❓ Learn more on the symposium web page (link in bio) or email [email protected]. We look forward to your submissions!

Happy Holidays from the Office of Climate & Sustainability! ⛄ Check out our final newsletter of 2025 to learn about:

💻 our latest blog post interviewing student researcher Raghav Agrawal on his project looking at the impacts of Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse on public transit usage
👖 tips on making sustainable clothing (and last-minute gifting!) choices
🚌 the recent debut of 5 new electric buses!
🌱 a highlight of local farm partners
📚 our latest media recommendations
🗞️ JHU climate and sustainability news
📆 upcoming events on campus, across Baltimore, and online – see our Events calendar for more!

Explore the full December issue at the link in our bio – and start off the new year right by signing up for newsletter so you won’t miss out on the next one! 🔗

Happy October and Happy ! In this month’s newsletter, learn more about:

🚌 the launch of 5 new electric buses!
🌱 our team’s weekly events & giveaways for Campus Sustainability Month
🧊 JHU’s 2025 International Freezer Challenge winners
🖊️ the inaugural office supply swap at the Fisher Center
📰 a new sustainability magazine from
💻 our latest interview with Leo Horrigan of
🍄‍🟫 news from on their upcoming farmstand pop-up and a spotlight on , one of our local farm partners through
🎃 our tips for celebrating Halloween without having a scary impact on the planet!

❗ Reminder that applications for our new Student Organization Sustainability Grants are due October 31st! Details at link in bio.

And check out:
📚 our media recommendations
🗞️ JHU climate and sustainability news
📆 upcoming events on campus, across Baltimore, and online – see our Events calendar for more!

Explore the full October issue at the link in our bio – and sign up for our newsletter to make sure you get the next one in your inbox! 🔗

Think you know your way around the city? 🚌
Prove it tomorrow at Levering Courtyard (11 AM – 2 PM) as we play public transportation trivia for a chance to win a pothos plant in upcycled lab glass! 🌱

Check out the link in our bio to learn more about all the exciting events we have lined up this October to celebrate Campus Sustainability Month 🔗

Join the Office of Climate & Sustainability and Transportation Services this as we celebrate the launch of JHU’s new electric buses, an exciting step toward a greener, more sustainable future on campus! 🚌

📅 Wednesday, October 15, 2025
🕒 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
📍 In front of Mason Hall

The celebration will include light refreshments, giveaways, music, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, bus walkthroughs, and a ride around campus on the new bus.

Come learn more about our new electric buses and how we’re taking an important step toward advancing the university-wide sustainability goals 💡

🎉 We’re kicking off with a big congrats to JHU’s labs for their efforts in this year’s International Freezer Challenge!

JHU saved 1,560 kWh/day in energy costs in its research laboratories, approximately the energy usage of > 50 single-family homes per day. And came out as the top-performing academic institution among more than 110 peers!

2 Hopkins labs also earned individual honors: The GI Oncology/Elizabeth Jaffee Lab and the Quinn/Tobian Lab ! On top of the international awards, JHU’s Facilities and Real Estate and Johns Hopkins Hospital Facilities departments each offered awards of $3,000 to 2 top-performing labs. Our office recognized winning labs AND individual lab managers for their efforts at our recent inaugural Freezer Challenge Awards Luncheon.

🧊 Why freezers? Research labs, a large portion of JHU’s physical footprint, can use 4-5x more energy and water than a typical office building – in large part due to the high energy consumption of ultra-low temperature freezers! The International Freezer Challenge, an annual competition promoting best practices in cold storage management, is co-hosted by and

🗞️ Learn more about the challenge and its impact, this year’s winners, and our other Green Labs programs at the Hub article linked in our bio.