Art for Parks – 2025
On Earth Day, we hosted a crafting table and plant sale at the Art
for Parks event. This wonderful community gathering gave students the chance to connect with local artists and residents while sharing
meaningful conversations about ways we can protect our planet. We’re hopeful this event will become a recurring tradition and join our list of ongoing projects—pending student interest and involvement next year!
Rejuvinated the Pollinator Garden 2025
UCA’s Pollinator Garden is located along the Stone Dam Creek Walking Trail, just in front of the vernal pools. GBC has undertaken habitat restoration efforts; our volunteers enhanced the trail by improving the pathway, replacing the retaining border, and removing invasive plant species and encroaching trees. We have also planted a variety of spring-blooming bulbs and summer-flowering shrubs to support native pollinators and promote seasonal biodiversity.
Hydroponics workshop 2024
Check out how we made our DIY hydroponics towers here, made possible by funds from our 2023-2025 USDA grant! Vertical gardening can produce 20 times more food than traditional gardening.
Building Compost Bins – 2024 
Thanks to funding from our 2023–2025 USDA grant, we’ve installed additional compost bins in the Lewis Science Center Atrium Garden! These new bins supplement our original composting site in the Dee Brown Memorial Garden. The generous contributions of compostable materials from our partners at Aramark and Aldi’s – via the Bear Essentials Food Pantry- required an expansion to keep up with demand. All of our composted soil is returned to the garden beds to feed out plants!
Please note that due to the proximity of the bins to campus buildings, we kindly ask that only raw plant materials be added to any of our compost bins; including banana peels, apple cores, and coffee grounds. Thank you for composting responsibly!
Eclipse Day – 2024
The Green Bear Coalition (GBC) hosted two interactive tables for Eclipse Day! One table featured a plant sale, giving visitors a chance to take home some greenery while supporting our sustainability efforts. The second table invited the community to participate in an educational game where guests guessed how long different types of trash take to decompose—a fun and eye-opening way to raise awareness about waste and environmental responsibility.
We were also joined by a special guest: a conservation outreach snake! This reptilian ambassador helped teach children and families about reptile conservation and the vital role snakes play in healthy ecosystems.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and supported environmental education during this celestial celebration!
Lights Out Heartland Guest Speaker
We were honored to host a guest speaker who presented on bird safety and the Lights Out Heartland initiative —a collaborative effort to reduce light pollution during peak bird migration in May and September.
By turning off unnecessary lights, we can help protectmigratory birds and conserve energy. However our favorite fact from this presentation was that it takes approximatly 9,000 caterpillars to raise a single nest of small songbirds!
Tree Planting – 2023
We planted three trees around Bear hall’s hammock area to provide shade in years to come.
Lewis Science Center Atrium Remodel – 2023
An educational seed to seed garden that demonstrates the ease and necessity of regenerative agriculture, with all produce used for educational events or donated to the Bear Essentials Food Pantry.
Recycling Initiatives:
- Glass Recycling Expansion with Campus Conservation Corps and the Greek Villages – 2022
- Move In Day Recycling – 2021
Student Research Projects:
- Lewis Science Center Atrium Mural – 2024
- Bioswale, a natural habitat barrier, installation at the intramural fields -2021