About Us – LSA Sustainability

What is LSA Sustainability?

In 2024, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts embarked on the Year of Sustainability, a theme year focused on climate action at the intersection of academics, operations, and engagement. The new LSA Sustainability Team, housed in LSA Facilities & Operations, is responsible for continuing this work and directing long-term action specific to the college’s physical and programmatic footprint. This includes a strong focus on facilities and operations, as well as ongoing collaborations with Planet Blue partners and college leadership to advance other topic areas.

The LSA Sustainability Team is available to support all faculty, students, and staff in the college or connect individuals with other sustainability resources on campus.

Our Mission

The LSA Sustainability team provides direction, topical expertise, resources, and project-management capacity for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Inspired by our community, LSA Sustainability’s approach centers social, scientific, and cultural dimensions of environmental work. While our projects are primarily operational in scope, the team also partners with faculty and college leadership to support climate action efforts related to the curriculum, research, and broader engagement of students, faculty, and staff.

Our team is action- and solution-oriented, and aims to be responsive to the broader LSA community’s needs and areas of excellence.

The realities of climate change and environmental racism are disproportionately experienced by communities and individuals who have already been marginalized. Our team will prioritize environmental and climate justice in dialogue with subject matter experts and campus– and college–wide D.E.I work. We also acknowledge long-standing representation issues within the realm of sustainability and climate action. LSA Sustainability will provide opportunities to explore these and other intersections together as LSA envisions a just and low-carbon future.

Planet Blue and LSA

The University of Michigan is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with additional goals around watershed protection, transportation, community engagement, waste reduction, justice, and beyond. You can learn more about University-level climate action and goals through the campuswide Planet Blue initiative or through U-M’s Office of Campus Sustainability.

The LSA Sustainability team is committed to advancing University-level sustainability actions through strategic partnerships with central sustainability teams, such as the Office of Campus Sustainability, Planet Blue Ambassadors, and Student Life Sustainability. We acknowledge the privilege and opportunity of being the largest college at the University of Michigan and are excited to offer additional resources to our community.

Meet Our Team!

Faculty Leadership

Meet Anne McNeil! She is currently the Carol A. Fierke Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and Macromolecular Science and Engineering and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and HHMI Professor. Her research aims to contribute to a more sustainable future, with a focus on repurposing waste plastics, measuring and attenuating environmental microplastics, and synthesizing materials for renewable energy storage.

Meet Nate Sanders! He is currently the Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research is at the interface of community ecology, ecosystem ecology and macroecology, with a focus on how global change drivers and interspecific interactions influence the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss.

Supporting Faculty

Meet Sara Soderstrom! She is currently the Director of the Program in the Environment, an Associate Professor in Organizational Studies, and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor. Her research aims to contribute an organizational perspective on how society develops solutions to critical global sustainability issues. She studies how individuals within organizations mobilize others, develop coalitions, and access key decision makers.

Meet Julie Cole! She is currently the Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on recent climate change, emphasizing variability in tropical oceans and coral reef environments and drought in the western U.S. She teaches in the areas of climate, oceanography, and science communication.

Staff Leadership

Meet Dan Rife! He is the Director of LSA Facilities and Operations. He and his team support all of the nearly 2 million square feet of space occupied by LSA units across 25 different campus buildings and leased spaces. Dan’s early career work as a Planet Blue Program Manager and LSA Energy Engineer have helped launch sustainability initiatives across the university’s campus.

Meet Caitlin Jacobs! She is the Carbon Neutrality Program Manager for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. She works alongside LSA community members and leadership to advance strategies aligned with LSA’s mission and U-M’s campus goals. Before joining the University of Michigan in June 2023, Caitlin supported campus sustainability at the University of Notre Dame.

Meet Jenna Steele! She is the Year of Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality Program Assistant for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. As a recent graduate of Wayne State University, she places a special emphasis on the development of student skills and emotional awareness around the climate crisis. She works to implement Year of Sustainability programming and opportunities for LSA.