SSCC 2009 Live: Sustainability at the University of Michigan

 Kenneth Keeler
Pollution Prevention Institute
OSEH – Environmental Sustainability
University of Michigan

 

Ken pointed out the difficulty of communicating campus sustainability initiatives to all of the different campus groups. Currently, UM is working to address this issue through the 6 point Environmental & Energy Initiative. These six points include:

 

Each of these six points includes several sustainability initiatives including annual tracking of scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, a football recycling program, a central power plant solar array, the GreenRide program, a van-pooling program that started in the 1970s, a reduction in deliveries from 5 to 4 days per week (which has reduced fuel consumption by 2,300 gallons annually), a new green North Quad Residential and Academic building to be completed in 2010, and a green server building.

 

The 6th point - Planet Blue – is the culmination of these efforts. It includes efforts to actively engage building occupants by implementing ideas they have to increase sustainabilty initiatives on campus.  For example, Ken's department talked to building residence to see what ideas they had to decrease their own environmental footprint. The staff would always leave their lights on, even if they left the room, because their colleagues would think that they were out for the day if their lights were out.  To solve this, Ken and his colleagues worked with the building staff to develop a door hanger (complete with the UM green logo) that informed visitors that the employee would return momentarily. Staff began using the door hangers and turning off their lights, and within one year, the staff didn't even need the door hangers anymore because the habit had been eliminated.  Furthermore, the effort served to empower the staff of that building.  Thanks to their idea, they are direcly helping the University reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and save money.

 

To help familiarize faculty, staff, and students with the campus' sustainability iniatitives, the University created the "Greener Maize and Blue" logo as part of its branding initaitive (seen at left).   In addition, the University of Michigan created a campus sustainability website at which every single campus sustainability iniatative can be found.  To accomplish this task, they asked representatives from each department for the best way to communicate their individual sustainability efforts and they incorporated those ideas into the website.  Now each department feels an owenship of this new resource.  Another way in which the Unviersity of Michigan communicates their campus sustainability efforts is through coursework.