Kelly Jones

Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund: a Meaningful Outlet for Experiential Learning and Change Making

Image of the current farm stand set up with an arrow pointing towards the new design for the mobile farm stand

Since 2019, in addition to running the Planet Blue Ambassador program, I have had the opportunity, challenge, and joy of co-advising the Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC). For those of you less familiar with the multitude of sustainability programs at the University of Michigan, SSC is a group of undergraduate and graduate students who aim to amplify the student voice on … Read More

Highlights from Flint Sustainability Week

Dr. Verissimo presenting his talk at Flint Sustainability Week.

Last week was Flint Sustainability Week. It was the first big sustainability event on the Flint campus, and I am sure, having been able to attend part of it myself, that it will not be the last! I didn’t get to attend all of the different events throughout the week because I’m based on our Ann Arbor campus, but I … Read More

Sustainability Tips for Incoming Students

New school year, new tips! We’ve refreshed the information below for the 2022-2023 school year. Welcome Wolverines! This month, thousands of new students, both undergraduate and graduate, will be preparing to start their first semester at the University of Michigan. Picking classes, completing required orientation materials, figuring out financial aid and housing, moving, meeting new classmates – it’s a lot … Read More

What Is a Geo-Exchange System?

As a part of U-M’s commitment to carbon neutrality, you may have heard that several new geo-exchange systems are in the process of being planned and implemented on campus: the Leinweber Building geo-exchange project, the new Ginsberg Center, as well as the new Central Campus housing and dining project all incorporate plans to be heated and cooled using geo-exchange. But … Read More

Investing My Retirement Funds In Line With My Values

To-Do list including the task "figure out what my retirement funds are invested in."

Before you launch into reading this blog, you should know a couple things:  I’m definitely not a financial advisor. I’m just a sustainability staff member here at U-M who heard that there were new more environmentally-focused funds I could invest my retirement money in, so I wanted to learn more. And, if I’m being completely honest, I’d categorize myself as … Read More

Let’s Talk about Sustainable Period Products!

A student-led project that recently received grant funding from the Planet Blue Student Initiative Fund aims to decrease the financial and environmental burden of menstruation by making reusable menstrual products free at the Maize and Blue Cupboard and University Health Services. The project leads were inspired to apply for this funding because the average person who menstruates will throw away … Read More

Pitching In Together: A Showcase of Student Sustainability Projects

Image of the Energy Team During their Pitch

Two sustainability-focused student programs at the University of Michigan, the Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC) and the Planet Blue Student Leaders (PBSL), participated in a virtual “Shark Tank” style event called Pitching In Together in April of 2021. Over the academic year, the PBSLs piloted creative environmental behavior-change campaigns with students across campus, and at this event, SSC heard pitches from … Read More

“Scopes” of Carbon Emissions Explained

Graphic with examples of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions

When you enter into any conversation about carbon neutrality, you’re likely going to hear people categorize the different types of greenhouse gas emissions into what are called “scopes.” This article will describe what greenhouse gases are, the differences between the scopes they are grouped into, and give you examples of what types of emissions fit into each scope from a … Read More

At Home Waste Audit: A Simple Waste Reduction Opportunity

According to the most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States disposes of 267.8 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually – that’s a lot of waste! That waste is made up of a variety of different types of materials, which you can see in the chart below. Paper and paperboard make up 25%, plastics 13.2%, … Read More