Sustainable living habits are often misconstrued as an ‘all-or-nothing’ mindset, where positive impact can only occur through perfection in every area of action. But in a recent conversation with Dr. Peter Oelkers, an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and Biochemistry at University of Michigan-Dearborn, he emphasized that sustainability can be more than just a box to check. For him, it’s a guiding principle that inspires his life, teaching, and mentoring philosophy.
When asked to define sustainability in his own words, he said it comes down to asking a simple question: “Are we giving back more than we take from our communities and our planet?”
This way of thinking wasn’t born from just one dramatic realization – it’s been his mindset for years and shapes both his personal habits and his professional life. Stemming from his love of spending time outdoors, he believes this outlook guides choices to use less energy and create less pollution and waste when making simple, daily decisions.
In practice, his actions show up in small but meaningful ways, like biking whenever possible, combining errands into a single trip, and limiting electricity use. Luckily for him and the planet, these are among the most impactful actions an individual can take!
In his professional life, Oelkers practices sustainability in his research lab by turning off computers and incubators not in use, using rechargeable batteries, and reusing glass pipets that can be cleaned and sterilized. He also monitors his lab’s energy usage and participates in all of UM-Dearborn’s newest Sustainable Lab Initiatives, including the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Pipette Box Recycling Pilots, and the 2026 Freezer Challenge. What’s more, he encourages his undergraduate research students to reuse lab supplies such as pipette tips, paper, aluminum foil, and more. By participating in sustainable lab initiatives and encouraging his students to do the same, he is helping foster a culture of sustainability at UM-Dearborn and beyond.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
As I alluded to above, Oeklers’ impact doesn’t stop at the individual level; his focus on mentoring students in sustainable lab practices creates lasting and ongoing impacts. By training research students to follow daily sustainability habits, he puts sustainability at the forefront of young scientists’ minds. This became evident to me during a conversation with a few of his student research assistants, Hussein Alshuhani, Jack Wehab, and Alex Hamze. I asked the trio to examine their habits before and after working under Dr. Oelkers.
Alshuhani confessed that while working in Oelkers’ lab, he learned not only about the biochemical intricacies of yeast metabolism, but also about the true meaning of sustainability. He reflects, “While in many labs it seems reagents and supplies are unlimited, the reality is, this is not the case. I came to understand that eco-friendly practices like avoiding excessive use of gloves, pipette tips, paper towels, and even reagents allow us to save resources, which not only benefits our future objectives, but also our sense of responsibility and efficiency.” As a prospective medical student, Alshuhani is now interested in exploring how he can apply sustainability practices to serve his future patients and community better.
Hamze, a biochemistry major, credited Dr. Oelkers for instilling a strong sense of responsibility among his team of student researchers. Hamze said he encourages them to avoid using more than one pair of gloves per lab session whenever possible. Before encouraging them to avoid unnecessary consumption of lab supplies, Oelkers first helped them understand the impact of these wasteful habits. Hamze’s fellow student research partner, Wehab, added, “Before working in his lab, I used to throw away gloves all the time and viewed them as dispensable, but now I understand how even a little extra effort can go a long way to conserve lab materials and promote a cleaner environment.”
Over time, the team of student researchers discovered more ways they could be better stewards of the environment and their finite lab supplies. For example, they became more conscious of their excessive paper towel use and started using it more conservatively. They also started saving scrap paper and reusing it for lab write-ups. Reflecting on his behaviors before and after joining Oelkers’ lab, Hamze realized, “These habits have helped pave the way for my career by showing that, instead of simply following directions, one must also be able to make thoughtful and responsible decisions in any professional setting.”
Hamze’s comment reminded me of the added value of embracing a sustainability mindset. By studying under Dr. Oelkers, these young biochemists learned the importance of taking responsibility for what we already have and choosing not to participate in engineered wastefulness. Wehab summarized this mindset beautifully: “I hope to carry these habits with me and examine other areas of my life for needless waste, continuing to lead and promote positive change by example as Dr. Oelkers did.”
Advocating for Sustainability on Campus & Beyond
At the campus level, Oelkers also advocates for community-wide changes, especially those that fall under the key focus areas of carbon neutrality and waste. He’s written advocacy letters to the Facilities Operations’ Sustainability & Energy Team to encourage the University to reduce noise and air pollution by transitioning from gas- and oil-powered landscaping equipment to battery-powered equipment – an idea that aligns with the University’s commitment to eliminate direct, on-campus greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. He’s also expressed interest and support for onsite-composting, which will come to fruition this summer thanks to a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy!
How To Transform Individual Actions to Collective Impact
Research suggests our individual actions matter only when we broaden the scope. That’s why we shouldn’t stop at simply asking ourselves, “Are we giving back more than we take from our communities and our planet?” We should also urge others to do the same.
Encouraging the people within our network to adopt sustainable habits isn’t always easy. No one wants to come off as “preachy,” or push someone to take actions that are inaccessible to them due to time, costs, or other barriers. During the interview, Oelkers described an easy twofold approach that could help you nudge your peers, colleagues, and friends to practice sustainability.
- First, ensure the person understands that pollution isn’t just about what we see (or don’t see) around us, but also the waste we send “away,” or to the landfill.
- Then, help the person understand that reducing waste can benefit both our environment and our public health.
Oelkers believes these tactics can help shift our mindset to one that views sustainability as a shared responsibility and community benefit. He reminds us, “Even if everyone made just one less wasteful choice, the difference would be enormous.”
Zainab serves as a PBA intern at UM-Dearborn.