It’s been more than half a century since we first celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970. Since then, our society has grown steadily more aware of the climate crisis, with many taking action in increasingly diverse ways. 

Here at WashU, we are committed to being a national leader in sustainability. This priority has begun to run through all aspects of our community, our operations, and our work as a leading teaching and research institution. Our students have always been the impetus for pushing this effort forward, and we are proud to collaborate with our many student organizations that love and care for our earth. 

Being aware of the climate crisis is not without its downsides, however. In our digital age, it’s difficult not to feel discouraged by fast approaching news of extreme weather events and humanitarian crises around us, especially when the language surrounding climate change is often quite grim. While some of us have gone on social media detoxes or learned to otherwise mindfully consume the news, others may feel the urge to “doom scroll.” After all, global warming is urgent and indiscriminate... how do we know that we are not its next victims? More>>