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April 2026 - Sustainability Blog

Earth Day Everyday

Celebrated every April 22nd, Earth Day began as a direct response to the devastating 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill, when more than 4 million gallons of oil spewed into the Pacific Ocean, killing thousands of marine animals and coating miles of coastline. Witnessing the destruction, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson launched the first Earth Day in 1970 to inspire environmental awareness and action. Today, over 1 billion people across 190 countries unite in conservation efforts and champion a more sustainable future for our planet. 

Earth Day invites us to reflect on the waste we generate and the choices we make. According to the EPA, the U.S. generates about 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. One powerful way to reduce that impact is by fostering circular systems, an approach that keeps resources in use for as long as possible through recycling, reusing, repairing, and reducing waste. UNCW Dining supports this effort through programs that cut down campus waste and encourage more sustainable habits. We’ve made it easy to choose sustainable options throughout our operations.

  1. Sustainable Selections offers more than 20 hygiene and household products designed with reduced packaging, reusable options, and cleaner ingredients, helping students make more sustainable purchasing decisions beyond food. Available at Market 47’s Pelican, Crossing, and Landing.  
  2. In retail beverage locations, you can Choose to Reuse by bringing your own cup to save $0.25 on each drink while helping cut back on single-use waste.  
  3. At our residential dining halls, two programs make sustainable choices simple: USEFULL reusable to‑go containers and Pick Your Portion. With USEFULL, you can check out a reusable container through the app, eliminating the need for single‑use plastic and reducing waste. Pick Your Portion lets you tell dining staff how much food you’d like, either a half, full, or double portion. This helps prevent food waste while giving you the flexibility to choose what fits your appetite. 
  4. If students have a question about waste and What Goes Where, we’ve made it easy to navigate. A full list of all UNCW Dining facilities and how to properly dispose of food and packaging waste from these locations is available on our website. QR codes are placed on all trash receptacles located in dining facilities, making this resource easy to access.  

These programs are available every day, not just on Earth Day. These simple switches help create a circular model that is more sustainable and reduces our overall impact.  

Dining Sustainability hosts events that celebrate our Earth all year round. Click here to learn more about our upcoming events, with one every day during Earth Week. Every day is a chance to create a greener future, and you have the power to make those choices every day! The theme for Earth Day this year is “Your Power, Your Planet.” How will you use your power to make the best of your planet?