Community

Go Blue While Going Green: Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund Aids Sustainability Projects

refurbished bike repair station

The University of Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC) has awarded four new grants through the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund (PBSIF) to support large-scale, student-led projects that increase sustainability on the Ann Arbor campus.  Born out of a collaboration between students and administrators in 2011, the PBSIF grants advance progress towards a more sustainable and just campus while inspiring students … Read More

Talking Tiny, but Thinking Big

This past Saturday, April 2nd was Rooting For Change: Student Food Summit, the second annual culminating event of the U-M Sustainable Food Program’s (UMSFP) work towards a more just and sustainable food system on campus. One element of Rooting For Change that sets it apart is that community ownership is at the core of the day’s activities. Student-led learnshops are … Read More

Student Sustainability Leaders Summit

Wow. *long sigh* I, a student here at the University of Michigan, sure do wish that there was an opportunity to engage with other students who care about the environment. An event that transcends the borders of student organizations, professional fraternities, NGOs, and university departments, one that allows me to network with peers, build connections with other environmental organizations on … Read More

4 Cool Farms in the Ann Arbor Area!

Artwork featuring a tractor

Did you know that Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the United States?  I grew up in a very small, very rural town, which is full of cows, fields, and farms. I was also super involved in FFA, which is a leadership organization that promotes agricultural education. I especially loved learning about current issues in agriculture, such … Read More

Trouble In the Turkey: How to Deal with Climate Deniers this Thanksgiving

It’s November 25th, and you’re beaming. You don’t mean to, but you can’t help yourself. You’ve gotten over the campus flu, and you passed all of your midterms. Your travelling is over, and now you’re sitting with your loved ones for the first time in what feels like forever. Someone is tending to the dishes; someone is checking the temperature … Read More

A Place for Healing and Gathering

A Healing Garden

“In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’” Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Izhi-Minoging Mashkikiwan, or “Place Where Medicines Grow Well,” is the Anishinaabemowin name of a healing garden inspired by the traditional Ojibwe Medicine Wheel. The garden belongs to the Cheboiganing Burt … Read More

Sustainability Activism at U-M: Then and Now

Sustainability is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, and it is easy to understand why. If it wasn’t abundantly clear already, the recent release of the 6th report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that we are in a period of unprecedented climate change. Fortunately, we have some history with enacting large changes to … Read More

Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund: Grant Winners Announced for 2021

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The Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund (PBSIF), run by the Student Sustainability Coalition, provides grant funding for large-scale, student-led projects that increase sustainability on U-M’s Ann Arbor campus. The grant came into existence in 2011 after emerita U-M President Mary Sue Coleman approved many of the recommendations from the Campus Sustainability Integrated Assessment — a process that looked much like … Read More