Although we may think of April as our first full month of social distancing, there’s something else—that’s much more exciting—happening this month: Earth Day.

It’s certainly a stressful time of year. You have to deal with midterms, the ever-depressing winter weather, the whirlwind election cycle and, to top it all off, now everyone is telling you that you should probably get a job this summer.

Walking through Ginkgo Allée on the eastern side of Olin Library after the leaves have fallen is an experience in itself. The leaves form a yellow-green carpet, turned golden in the sunlight, and crinkle gently with every step. On both flanks, the almost-centenarian ginkgo trees have lost their leaves, but not their majesty, and they stand tall, bare and proud. The scene is both serene and beautiful, but, even though the leaves fell just last Thursday night, Nov. 7, they’ll be gone before the month is out.

Metro, the St. Louis area public transportation operator, implemented changes to the Green Line, Sept. 30.

The Office of Sustainability is introducing a new dishware loan initiative for on-campus events to reduce disposable plastic waste.

The St. Louis launch of Bike Share, a joint venture between bike-sharing companies Ofo and Limebike, is expected to come to Washington University’s campus, the University announced April 16.

In the Office of Sustainability’s strategic plan, it aims to achieve a 55 percent waste diversion rate and reduce the amount of consumer-generated waste by 35 percent on the Danforth Campus by 2020.

The Washington University Office of Sustainability and Parking and Transportation Services has announced October as Active Transportation Month and will organize multiple programs and events to encourage sustainable transportation.

On Wednesday evening, Washington University’s Office of Sustainability hosted an “Environmental JustICE Cream Social.”
As I expected, the ice cream was delicious, and the conversation was engaging.

The Local Farmer Crop Box program expanded to West Campus as of 2016, and a new site on the Danforth campus could open as early as this semester.