South Quad serves around 8,000 meals every day. There are more than ten food stations. Burgers, stir fry, a deli counter, a grill; the options are essentially endless, and people move through them quickly. Over the past year, I spent a lot of time in that dining hall and witnessed whole slices of pizza tossed away, half-eaten burgers pushed aside, … Read More
Introduction If you’re reading this, you’re probably just as concerned about our warming planet as we are (and for good reason). Even in 2026, fossil fuels continue to power much of our daily lives, often in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. While we tend to associate fossil fuels with things like gas for our cars or heating our homes, a … Read More
The FreeStore, a once-a-month event run by the Planet Blue Student Leaders (PBSL), is an ongoing effort to reduce waste, promote reuse, and build a more resilient campus community. The PBSLs collect and sort items from donation partners, the student move-out program, and unclaimed lost & found items. Using these materials, they create the event and curate an incredible, free … Read More
Our Mission: by Saanvi Kalia As a Business major and Sustainability minor, I was drawn to ENVIRON 361: The Psychology of Environmental Stewardship for its applications on how we can influence both business leaders and consumers to adopt sustainable practices. When the course professor, Tara-Sky Woodward, introduced a semester-long group project to develop a sustainability initiative with assistance from Student … Read More
Missing your home cooked meals? Wishing you could make that protein-packed breakfast you love? Sick of eating tofu for every meal? I know the feeling, because this was my freshman year. As a vegetarian, I was constantly bombarded by social media telling me I wasn’t eating enough protein and I wish someone had been there to cut through the noise. … Read More
Last February, I had the opportunity to help host a tote bag screen-printing event through the Plant Blue Ambassador Program, where I serve as a Communications and Outreach Intern at the University of Michigan. What began as a creative crafting session quickly became something much deeper. Surrounded by students printing their tote bags, laughing over paint mishaps, and carefully pressing … Read More
Whether it’s a hole in your jeans or an accessory that needs sprucing up, there is a lot that a needle, thread, and some concentrated effort can accomplish. Although it may be seen as “old fashioned”, mending and other fiber arts are essential in extending the use of our already limited resources and being mindful of our consumption. Mending, as … Read More
The hidden process behind your campus dining meals — and why it matters more than you think. Every time you swipe into the dining hall, your choices are just getting started. Behind the scenes though, an intricate web of decisions has already unfolded about what food will be on your plate. This is part of the procurement process. Is the … Read More
We all want to get it right with plastics recycling, but with varying recycling rules and discouraging sounding statistics about recycling, it can be a bit confusing. Additionally, there isn’t just one type of plastic; in fact, there are 7 main types of plastics. Despite the confusion, properly sorting and recycling plastics is a key part of the University of … Read More
Earlier in January, the Sustainability Cultural Organizers and other Student Life Sustainability (SLSustainability) employees had the opportunity to attend Dimanche, a performance art piece about the climate apocalypse, at the UM Power Center. The piece was performed by Chaliwaté and Focus, two award-winning Belgian mime and puppetry companies, and brought to the university by the University Musical Society. It stands … Read More
