March 3, 2011 - 5:44pm
'U' launches new website to emphasize sustainability on campus
BY BETHANY BIRON
University officials announced the launch of a new sustainability website on Monday that outlines sustainability initiatives in research and teaching at the University as part of a campaign to raise awareness about sustainable living for students, according to a University press release.
The site is designed to give a complete overview of sustainability news and events on campus, as well as highlights current work and research being done to reach new campus goals for more sustainable living. It will also show things like the purchase of renewable energy credits — an operational achievement the University hopes to accomplish in the future.
The goals are part of a new initiative launched by University President Mary Sue Coleman last year to reduce energy use and update campus transportation and building designs to establish a more environmentally friendly campus.
The official plan will be announced in Winter 2011, following the completion of a yearlong research study by a team of students and faculty observing current practices of sustainability on campus and determining how to make improvements in the future.
Terry Alexander, executive director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, said in the release that the website aims to attract support among students and faculty in order to achieve the new sustainability goals.
"We need the participation of faculty, students and staff to create a campus second to none in environmental leadership,” Alexander said in the release. “Boosting campus awareness will be key to meeting our new goals."
In addition to highlighting the University’s achievements in sustainability, the site is also meant to serve as a resource for students to seek out sustainability courses and programs. It features stories about research being done by faculty members and student experiences, as well as a calendar of events and a page of facts and information about University sustainability.
The goal of the website is to “illustrate U-M’s interdisciplinary strengths in sustainability scholarship,” the release said.
Don Scavia, special counsel to the University president for sustainability, said in the release that the new website is yet another way the University is contributing to sustainability and said he hopes it will help garner support in the University community and eventually even the rest of the world.
"U-M makes its contribution to sustainability through multiple avenues: education, research, operations and wide-ranging collaborations," Scavia said in the release. "We want the Web site to inform people about our activities as a way to create greater support for sustainability on the local and global level."
