These funds are intended to be used for tangible results in reducing the carbon, water, and/or material footprints of LSA. This could look like ways to reduce plastic waste in labs or unit-level operations interventions. These funds can NOT be used for individual professional development, funding staff positions, honorariums, or travel.
Yes! If you have multiple project ideas, we encourage you to apply to our fund. The same project will not be funded twice, so make sure that the ideas and outcomes are different if you are applying multiple times.
The Lab Swap Shop, located in room 5004 in the North University Building, is a permanent “shop” for surplus lab equipment. This space is a collaboration between LSA Sustainability and the Office of Campus Sustainability. U-M lab community members can stop in on Thursdays from 1PM to 3PM. To see what items are available, please consult the Inventory Sheet. Did we mention that all of the lab equipment is free?
Launched in early 2025, this space has sustainable alternatives to the most commonly ordered office supplies by the LSA community. Only department-selected individuals have access to this space. Please consult this document for commonly asked questions or reach out to [email protected].
All of the opportunities with LSA Sustainability are open to the entire LSA Community, regardless of discipline and we are happy to talk through all of the opportunities with interested departments. Examples of the different opportunities include LSA Sustainability Champions and LSA Sustainability Fund.
The Office of Campus Sustainability has a robust resource collection around Zero Waste events. Along with providing operational support (such as supplying compostable liners and bins, suggestions for compostable tableware, and compost pickup), they have an abundance of signage, messaging templates, and suggestions for zero-waste caterers.
Host events during regular (unlocked) hours. LSA has building-specific regular or unlocked hours that you can view here. Scheduling your event during these hours ensures that our air handling units can shut down overnight to save energy.
Choose the right-sized space for your event. We always recommend that you create an RSVP for your event to have a rough estimate of attendance. By choosing the right-sized space, this will optimize equipment operation and reduce noise.
Get to your event early. By arriving early, you can make sure that the temperature, lighting, and technology are all working correctly.
Avoid buying new items, instead provide experiences or upcycle and reuse old swag. If you do buy new make sure that it is both ethical and useful. In general, avoiding small trinkets, prioritizing experiences, or choosing environmentally friendly vendors can be a great starting point. An ENVIRON 391 student group from the winter 2024 semester found that U-M students prefer quality over quantity, with food and wearable items being popular incentives.
We encourage faculty to use the “Sustainability” tag if their courses cover any subject relating to sustainability such as biodiversity, transportation, food, water, waste, justice, or the built environment. To tag a course, Faculty or department Program Advisors can select “Sustainability” located at the bottom of the page when updating a course guide.
Learn how to submit a work order. Sometimes a room is too hot, a faucet leaks, a window breaks, etc. Submit a work order via TDX so we can fix the issue and keep our buildings sustainable!
Review green commuting options. Our campus has many options for biking buses, carpooling, electric vehicle charging, guaranteed ride home, etc. Review some of the options here: Blue Bus (U-M), The Ride Park and Ride (Ann Arbor), Biking, Carpooling at U-M, EV Charging, or visit the U-M Logistics, Transportation, and Parking page.
Know “Where to Throw” The Ann Arbor campus has options for single-stream recycling, composting, specialty recycling, and reuse of larger items including furniture and lab equipment.
Join the Planet Blue community. U-M is a large institution; Planet Blue is the collective name for efforts to address sustainability across our campuses. You can take the online training or request an in-person training here.