Campus tour guides frequently cite the composting toilets in the Dana building as an example of Michigan’s efforts to create a sustainable campus. If you have yet to use them, I’d suggest adding the task to your to-do list before you graduate. And while you’re at it, you should check out U-M’s other efforts to create a green campus through the Graham Institute.

The university’s Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute is dedicated to researching issues related to sustainability, forming outreach and educational programs, and creating a campus that is more sustainable. Their faculty research is focused on providing policy-makers with the information they need to create environmentally sustainable proposals. They also offer opportunities to undergraduate students and students pursuing Phds. Graham’s Undergraduate Sustainability Scholars Program allows undergraduates to take a 10-credit series of sustainability-focused courses. Their Doctoral Fellowship Program supplies funding for graduate students researching sustainability-related issues.

The Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute also provides outreach to other departments in order to educate the campus and larger community about creating a more sustainable world. Most recently, Graham has started a Campus Sustainability project in hopes of not only creating a more environmentally-friendly, sustainable campus, but also to use the university as learning grounds for sustainability in general.

Graham is holding a “Town Hall” forum on Monday, April 12 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Rackham Building to seek input from students to discuss this project, which will focus on seven subject areas: Building (materials criteria, energy criteria, water criteria, work environment), Energy (wind/solar, bio-fuels, efficiency, renewable energy credits), Water & Land (design/biodiversity, storm/waste water, maintenance), Food (local sourcing, organics, nutrition, composting), Transportation (commuting, inter-campus transit, walk/bike-ability, tele-commuting), Purchasing & Recycling (equipment, consumables (non-food), toxicity, disposal), and Culture (awareness, understanding, involvement, incentives, commitment).