Community

New to Planet Blue? Tips on finding the student org that’s right for you

Grace, Harrison, and Astrid smile for the camera.

Have you ever found yourself wanting to engage in the sustainability community on campus but struggling to navigate the different student organizations? Let’s face it, finding a sustainability organization is hard sometimes! It can be confusing and overwhelming, especially since we have more than 122 organizations tagged as “environmental” on Maize Pages. The three of us have reflected that when … Read More

How a campus Electrician creates UM-Dearborn’s very own Discovery Channel

Jeremie McCoy does more than being a Master Electrician at the University of Michigan-Dearborn–although that in itself is no small feat. In his spare time, he also records underwater footage from the Environmental Interpretive Center’s frog pond of the amphibians that live below the surface.  Jeremie explained, “growing up I’ve always liked watching National Geographic and Discovery Channel” so he … Read More

Sustainability Tips for Incoming Students

New school year, new tips! We’ve refreshed the information below for the 2023-2024 school year. Welcome Wolverines! Over the next month or two, 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 … Read More

My Vision for a Sustainable Outdoor Study Space at U-M

AI generated image of a green clover field with solar panels and trees.

With the weather getting warmer recently, I have been seeing our green spaces across campus such as the Arb and the Diag fill up with students enjoying the outdoors. In addition to playing Spikeball and tossing a frisbee, many students are even opting to study outside. Both the Diag and the Arb are beautiful green spaces, but I think it … Read More

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

Fighting “Grind Culture”: Prioritizing Wellness this Finals Season

Student bites pencil while nervously studying on her computer.

Coming into college, I was shocked at how my classmates talked about studying like it was the most important thing in the universe. It was normal to hear about people studying instead of sleeping or studying through meals—just studying, studying, studying. With finals season rapidly approaching, it can be easy to get swept up in that chaos—crafting the perfect study … Read More

Which U-M Sustainability Club Should You Join?

Have you ever wanted to get involved with sustainability on campus, but felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of sustainability-related clubs and organizations? Or maybe you know your way around PitE Club, but you still want to learn about more sustainability clubs? Either way, take this quiz about your favorite spots on campus, and we’ll give you a susty club … Read More

New Year, New Me: Taking Care of Your Mental Health in 2023

I have been thinking a lot about self-improvement recently. I have been doing yoga some mornings, trying to read a little before bed each night, and going for walks after dinner. However, these are not established habits yet and a lot of the time these new activities are short-lived. They are not sustainable, and the cycle of wanting to do … 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