The University of California, San Diego’s Green Open House: A Living Laboratory will kick off the university’s Earth Week celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (April 16) with free fun for the entire family, including a car show, entertainment, landscape exhibits, cooking demos, health screenings and much more — including free parking. 

As the university marks its 50th anniversary,Green Open House will celebrate UC San Diego’s history of pioneering global climate research and its transformation into a living laboratory of sustainable solutions. Offering free admission, the UC San Diego campus will be filled with a variety of activities and events to show attendees how to live a healthier, more sustainable life.  For event details and downloadable bus and Coaster passes, visit www.50th.ucsd.edu.   

Following UC San Diego’s Green Open House, the campus will continue to celebrate Earth Week through April 22, reflecting five decades of the university’s dedication to making a cleaner, greener future for us all.
Throughout Earth Week there will be film screenings, a sustainability award ceremony, moonlight kayak expedition and other exciting events including:

• Walk the Talk — Own Your Impact Resource Fair, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18, Library Walk:  Students will get information about UC San Diego sustainability from organizations including Aquaholics, the Sustainability Resource Center, the Student Sustainability Collective, Engineers without Borders and more.
• E-Waste Collection, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 18-20, Parking Lot P 705:  Everybody is encouraged to bring old computers, stereos and cell phones so they can be reused, refurbished or recycled.
• Screening of “The Greenhorns,” panel discussion and dinner, 6:30 p.m. April 19, The Loft: The documentary “The Greenhorns” chronicles and supports the new generation of young farmers in 21st century America. Following the film, there will be a panel discussion with Robin Taylor and Lucila de Alejandro of Suzie’s Farm, Jay Porter of The Linkery and others discussing locally grown produce and the need for agricultural reform. Also included is a dinner featuring fresh, local, and seasonal produce from Suzie’s Farm.
• Fair Trade Expo, 2 to 4 p.m. April 20, Price Center West Ballroom A: The public is invited to learn about new, local, organic, fair trade and sustainable products and options available to UC San Diego retail vendors and administration.
• Surf Wax Sculpture Contest, 6 p.m. April 20, Outback Surf Shop: Students will create a sculpture from one bar of surf wax or wax scraped off their board to win a wetsuit or sandals that incorporate green materials.
• Mt. Trashmore, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 20, Town Square: See how much trash the campus generates in one day when the waste hauler dumps tons of trash collected the previous day. Volunteers will dig through the trash at the end of the day to demonstrate how ordinary garbage contains recyclable items.
• ‘Leave No Trace’ Campsite Demo, overnight, April 20-21, green area adjacent to Library Walk: UC San Diego staff will spend the night in the campsite to demonstrate how to use the “Leave No Trace” camping principles to show how campers can have as little impact as possible on the location they’re visiting. Staff will provide information and answer questions.
• Tree Planting,9 to 11 a.m. April 21, east side of Sixth College Apartments along Gilman Drive: Volunteers will help plant sycamore trees to celebrate Earth Week. Oxygen released by urban forests are one of America’s first lines of defense against adverse climate change.