living sustainably

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

7 More Tips for Saving Money with Sustainable Behaviors

Are you looking for more environmentally friendly actions to incorporate into your routines? These sustainable actions may take a bit more effort than those listed in Part One, based on our personal experiences, but they won’t be as much of an investment as buying an electric car or switching out your water heater, for example! Here is a list of … Read More

The Essential College Packing List: What You Actually Need to Bring

The time to start thinking about what to pack for college is here! Whether you are a new student or returning, knowing the absolute essentials of what to bring can be a godsend. It can be easy to buy items “just in case” for the school year, trying to imagine something you will presumably need in every situation. However, I’ve … Read More

Does The Lorax Really Promote Environmentalism?

Picture this: the year is 2012, you’re wearing your UGG boots and your favorite cardigan, and you just got dropped off by your mom at the movie theater with your friends. What are you watching? Maybe The Hunger Games or Walt Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph? Nope, today you’re seeing a film adapted from a classic picture book in the school library: … Read More

Reduce, Reuse, THEN Recycle

bales of recyclables at our material recovery facility

In elementary or middle school, you may have learned about the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. A lot of attention is given to recycling in order to reduce carbon emissions and conserve natural resources; however, there are still significant environmental costs associated with recycling. For example, recycling trucks that pick up curbside recycling use fossil fuels, and a lot … Read More

How To Clean Recyclables

I often get asked during PBA trainings, “How clean do my recyclables really need to be?” So, I put together this instructional post based on cleaning a peanut butter jar. There are a few different ways you can do this, but this is the one I use. It balances getting the peanut butter jar clean without using too much water, … Read More