The Mission: Last year, I had only heard brief mentions of the 2030 District. I was working with Ann Arbor Public Schools on a project through the Graham Sustainability Scholars, where another student group was working with the 2030 District. When the program presented an opportunity to intern for them, I learned the 2030 District is a nonprofit striving to … Read More
Key takeaways: U-M Health’s commitment to environmentally friendly operations and a series of agreements with vendors are leading to a major sustainability improvement: the replacement of single-use plastic water bottles. On Feb. 12, water sold at U-M Health will be in new containers. No longer will plastic bottles be used, but in their place will be aluminum bottles and boxed … Read More
I find our planet to be entrancingly beautiful and inspiring. Steeped within the natural world as I was growing up, even while still young, I noticed changes each time that I passed a birthday. Why are there fewer dragonflies than I am used to seeing? Why is it 60 degrees on Christmas day? It really bothered me. A 96 year old grandmother, … Read More
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
What would a carbon neutral U-M campus look like? Close your eyes and take a minute or two to think about it. Note the things that you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. In your vision of this future, is there a gigantic array of solar panels in the shape of a block M? Are there goats on the Diag? … Read More
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
Carbon neutrality is not always achievable by simply reducing energy consumption and converting to renewable energy. In some situations, the use of fossil fuels is unavoidable, like for commercial air travel and other scope 3 emissions. As universities, cities, and even entire countries attempt to achieve carbon neutrality, they will look to use carbon offsets to compensate for areas of … Read More
The President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality (PCCN) Spring 2020 Progress Report was recently released, and because this is a lengthy report at 38 pages, one of our Ambassadors asked us to summarize it and provide some possible actions they could take regarding the PCCN. So, while we encourage you to read the full report for yourself, we hope you will … Read More
