Blue Goes Green

Making informed choices about sustainable living begins where you live. That's why we ask all of our residents and staff to get involved in sustainability efforts and green living initiatives here at Michigan through the Planet Blue Initiative and in University Housing. We believe that learning and adopting the tenets of sustainable living is an important goal for every member of the U-M community. Housing is pleased to do its part in facilitating this effort.

U-M Housing participates in the annual RecycleMania, Climate Savers, and many other national and campus programs, activities and educational opportunities. We incorporate conservation components into our Housing renewal efforts and provide continuous program support and service to the greater campus.

If you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact us.

Mission Statement

We, members of the Housing community at the University of Michigan, recognize that we can affect environmental degradation and/or restoration. We recognize that future generations have a right to the same advantages enjoyed by current generations. As stewards of the Earth, we believe we have the responsibility to move toward a sustainable society. By sustainability we mean living, working, and behaving in ways that restore the integrity and biodiversity of the local, regional, and planetary ecosystems and social systems upon which life depends. We therefore strive to:

• Encourage sustainable and restorative practices through education and engagement with our stakeholders, including staff, residents, suppliers, contractors, and the University community.
• Assess and reduce the long-term environmental impacts of our decisions.
• Reduce our use of water, energy, and materials by incorporation of technologies and practices consistent with a sustainable and restorative organization.
• Reduce pollution and use of toxins with the long-term goal of zero discharge and use.
• Openly communicate and monitor our progress toward sustainability.
• Provide staff with the necessary training and resources to meet our goals.

While our traditional approach to the use of resources has provided us with unprecedented levels of material goods, it is destroying the world's environmental support systems. The non-sustainability of the way we now do business and live is increasingly apparent. Our generation has been challenged to "Think Globally and Act Locally."

What Is Sustainability?

We like to think of sustainability as resource conservation with an attitude or, in other words, paying attention to how we live and what we use along the way. The difference between simple resource conservation and sustainability is appreciating the delicate balance between recognizing what it takes to create and ship the products we use, using these products to their fullest and then recycling as much as we can when they are used up. Ultimately, this means using less stuff and living more simply.

For the students and staff of University Housing, there are five tenets of sustainability that we can embrace and affect by our actions;

• Recycling
• Reducing Energy Use
• Conserving Water
• Transportation
• The Food Factor

Recycling Champions Competition

Each year, during the winter term, University Housing and its residents partner up to participate in the Recycling Champions Building Competition, an intra-campus contest to reduce waste and boost recycling efforts. This competition is part of a nation-wide campus recycling program known as RecyleMania. Take a look at the most recent Recycling Champions results and see how your hall did.

The Planet Blue Ambassador Program

Approximately 30 residents were selected as Planet Blue Ambassadors for the inaugural term of this program to help advance green living on campus.  In corresponding one-credit seminars in the fall and in the winter terms, the residential students will receive multi-faceted training from experts across campus and active engagement with University Housing and other U-M staff members.  

Each Planet Blue Ambassador will learn to conduct educational programming, lead environmental audits, create promotional materials, and serve as a peer advisor and mentor to other residents, while truly becoming an environmental steward.

Visit the Planet Blue Ambassadors website for more information.

The Planet Blue Ambassadors have created Project Green Room to encourage all residents to make positive sustainability choices. Join the cause today!