Sierra College Earth Week

Festival Date: April 23, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Upper Quad, Rocklin Campus

Overview

Earth Day is an international celebration observed each year to demonstrate support for environmental protection, stewardship, and care for the systems that sustain all life. Celebrated in more than 190 countries, Earth Day reminds us that the health of our planet and the well-being of our communities are deeply interconnected. While the modern Earth Day movement began in 1970, cultures around the world have honored the Earth—and our responsibilities to one another—for millennia.

This year’s theme, Rooted in Justice, Growing Together, centers environmental action within the broader context of social justice, community resilience, and collective care. Just as healthy ecosystems depend on strong roots, diverse communities, and reciprocal relationships, a sustainable future requires equity, inclusion, and shared responsibility. Environmental challenges do not impact all communities equally—and meaningful solutions must be grounded in justice, community voices, and collaboration.

The 2026 Sierra College Earth Day celebration invites participants to reflect on how care for the Earth and care for people are inseparable. Together, we will explore how community-based action, environmental justice, and collective stewardship can help us not only endure challenges—but grow through them. When communities are pushed aside, overlooked, or “buried,” they persist, adapt, and rise—like seeds finding their way toward the light.

Organized by the Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students (ECOS) Club, the Associated Students of Sierra College (ASSC), the Student Engagement Centers (SEC), and the Earth Day Committee, Sierra College’s Earth Day celebration has been a cornerstone of campus and community life for more than 30 years.

Event Purpose

This free, public event welcomes Sierra College students, faculty, staff, and community members for a day of learning, connection, and action. Together, we aim to:

• Celebrate the natural world and the diverse communities that depend on and care for it

• Deepen understanding of environmental justice and how environmental harms and benefits are distributed

• Emphasize reciprocity—recognizing that what we take, protect, and restore shapes the future for all life

• Share practical, justice-centered actions that reduce harm and strengthen community resilience

• Foster collaboration across students, educators, and community partners working toward a more just and sustainable future
  
  

Guided by Indigenous knowledge systems, including the Seventh Generation Principle, we are reminded that the choices we make today should support a thriving world seven generations into the future.

Key Highlights

Workshops & Activities:
Interactive sessions on themes such as environmental justice, climate resilience, sustainable food systems, renewable energy, and community-based solutions.

Guest Speakers:
Environmental advocates, educators, and community leaders will share insights on justice-centered environmental work and collective action.

Student Projects:
Innovative and inspiring student-led projects addressing environmental challenges through equity, creativity, and collaboration.

Community Partners:
Engage with local organizations and initiatives rooted in environmental stewardship, social justice, and community care.

Featured Quote

“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Call to Action

Join us as we gather—rooted in justice and growing together—to celebrate Earth Day 2026 at Sierra College. Through learning, listening, and action, we can cultivate a future where both people and planet thrive. Mark your calendar and be part of a community committed to care, resilience, and collective growth.

• Vegan Circus food tent

• Nutty Tacos (vegan tacos), an Earth Day tradition! (ASSC Club Sponsored*)

• Koa's Artistry

• Susan in Bloom

• Barbara Church Creative Corner

• Plant Sale (Sustainable Ag Club)

• Wolverine Market (Fashion Club Re-sale Clothing Market)

*ASSC Clubs can only accept cash or check

See the schedule at the bottom of this page for even more events! 

Thursday 4/23/26 Scchedule

Join us for music, games, speakers and more.The following events will take place in the central event area unluess noted in parentheses. 

• 10am: Earth Day Opening Ceremony

• 10:15am: Sierra Jazz Ensemble 

• 10:55am: Songs for the Earth

• 11:15am: Chris the Bard

• 12pm: Good News from Friends of Auburn Ravine (Room J7-A) 

• 12pm: Movement with Veronica

• 1pm: Microplastics and Your Health (Room J7-A) 

• 2pm: Wild Utah and You (Room J7-A) 

• 2pm: Movement with Veronica

• 3:45pm: Closing Remarks

• ECOS Club - Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students (Club Hosting This Event!)

• Chemistry Club

• Fashion Club

• First Responder Club

• Multilingual Student Club

• Political Science Club

• Pre-Law Society

• Sierra Dungeons & Dragons Club

• Sustainable Agriculture Club

• Ukranian Club

To apply to be set up an ASSC Club Booth at the event, please complete this application by 3/31/25 and noon: https://forms.office.com/r/kJGuthWXqj 

If applying after that date, also email earthday@sierracollege.edu. 

• American River Conservancy 

• Auburn Area Democratic Club

• Bear Yuba Land Trust

• Better Beaver Management In Placer County

• California Department of Fish & Wildlife

• California Doughnut Economics 

• California Native Plant Society, Redbud Chapter 

• CalRecycle

• Canyon Keepers (California State Parks - ASRA)

• Davis Forest School

• Dry Creek Conservancy/Valley Foothill Watershed Collaborative

• Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary

• Friends of Auburn Ravine

• League of Women Voters, Placer County

• Los Olivos Homestead

• Maidu Museum and Historic Site  

• Northern Rural Energy Network (Operated by Sierra Business Council)

• Placer Action Network

• Placer County Air Pollution Control District

• Placer County Conservation Program (PCCP)

• Placer County Stormwater Management

• Placer County Transit 

• Placer Earth Care Action (PECA)

• Placer Land Trust

• Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District

• Placer Nature Center

• Roseville Urban Forest Foundation (RUFF)

• Sac Metro Spare The Air's Mascot Scooter

• SARSAS / Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead

• Sierra Club - Placer Group

• Sierra Nevada Alliance/Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership

• UC Davis - Academic Advisors for: Atmospheric Science; Environmental Science and Management; Hydrology; Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems; Toxicology; and Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology 

• ASSC Student Programming Board

• Sierra College Art Department Sculpture Class

• Sierra College Financial Aid

• Sierra College Library

• Sierra College MakerSpace

• Sierra College Natural History Museum

• Sierra College Pride Graduation Committee

• Sierra College Success Center

• Sierra College Tutoring Center

• Sierra Journal

Some student clubs will be offering items for club fundraising. Unlike the other vendors at the event, student clubs are only allowed to accept cash or checks for donations. We cannot accept Venmo, Square, CashApp, etc.