Initiatives and Projects

Since the launch of Central Sustainability in August 2020, we have collaborated with campus partners to create educational materials and resources, pursue policies, and initiate projects to better the CMU community.

Ongoing partnerships

We have had amazing opportunities to connect with various organizations in Michigan such as the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, CMU Honors Program, Residence Life, Take Back The Tap, CMU Sierra Club, the Student Government Association, the Residence Housing Association, the Mount Pleasant Citizens' Climate Lobby, the City of Mount Pleasant, the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center, and many more.

Thanks to these partnerships, we're able to put on events, collaborate on projects, create and distribute resources, and integrate sustainability into every facet of the campus community and university functions!

Campus resources and education

Sustainability walking tours

We created two different walking tours designed to show the unique parts of campus that often go unnoticed. Learn the various types of sustainability with our Sustainability Walking Tour. Explore the unique art we have on campus and understand its role in relation to sustainability with our Campus Art Tour.

During walking tours, we take participants on an adventure all across campus and talk about sustainability. We invite you to join us for a walk and learn more about campus resources, coalition-building, environmental justice, art, advocacy, and community health, among a number of other topics. The tour takes about two hours, so make sure to bring comfortable walking shoes, a bottle of water, and a spirited attitude!

If you're interested in going on our walking tour, email sustainability@cmich.edu and ask to be added to the mailing list for walking tour updates.

Sustainable living guide

With our Sustainable Living Guide, we hope to educate and improve the public perception of sustainability. This document serves as a guide on how to incorporate sustainability into campus life through community-building, education, and healthy habits. The guide includes tips on how to reduce waste, get civically involved, support local businesses, and more!

We are always working with various on-campus organizations to help us distribute this living guide, and we hope to eventually include the guide into orientation resources.

CMU Waste Website

Do you have any questions about waste management, waste reduction or sustainable living on campus? Check out our waste guide at cmichwaste.wordpress.com! You can find information about composting, recycling, waste partnerships and involvement opportunities. If you have additional questions, reach out to sustainability@cmich.edu.

Sustainability map

Interested in finding sustainable spots on campus? Visit our sustainability map here!

Sustainable course guide

Want to learn more about sustainability? With our sustainability course guide, you can schedule in sustainability! Use our University Program course guide and add sustainability-focused courses to your schedule in required UP spots.

Ethnobotanical garden

We worked with the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College to create an ethnobotanical garden on campus, which can be found behind the Fabiano Botanical Gardens near St. Mary's Parish. The garden was planted in June 2021.

An ethnobotanical garden represents the traditional knowledge and customs of local culture and people. This garden features the Three Sisters, a combination of three plants that work together and support one another.

Cultural sustainability is a form of sustainability that focuses on celebrating cultural beliefs and practices, respecting heritage conservation and honoring identities. This garden serves as a gesture of respect to members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and honors the rich culture of the Anishinaabek peoples.

Content creation

We use social media to reach our followers with updates about programming and other opportunities. Find us on Instagram and Facebook at the username @cmucentralsustainability, or visit our YouTube channel to find informational videos about our initiatives.

Our pages are regularly updated with news and upcoming events.

Regular presentations

Every year, we present to the CMU Student Government Association on our initiatives, sustainability efforts on-campus, and how students can get involved. In the spring, we also present at the annual Diversity Symposium. We have presented to various student organizations such as the Residence Housing Association, Central Votes, and the SGA Sustainability Committee.

We are always willing to present, so if you're interested in having us talk about sustainability to your group, please email sustainability@cmich.edu.

Events and coordinating

Annual Earth Week programming

We collaborate with a number of student groups to present exciting Earth Month and Earth Week programming. In the past, we have worked with the Cora Di Brazzá Foundation, Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center, CMU Center for International Ethics, Take Back the Tap, Student Environmental Alliance, Sierra Club and CMU Student Government Association, among many others.

Follow us on social media or email us to join our mailing list to stay up-to-date with Central Sustainability programming.

Campus Sustainability Month programming

October is Campus Sustainability Month! This annual programming includes exciting events like waste audits, walking tours, a sustainability fair, a campus clean-up, and more! Programming varies each year.

On-campus farmer’s market

We hosted the first-ever campus farmer’s market in fall 2023! We brought local vendors on campus to share their work with the campus community. We received an overwhelming response from students, and we look forward to continuing the farmer’s market next fall!

Institutionalizing sustainability

Sustainable Purchasing Policy

We created the Sustainable Purchasing Policy, which has been reviewed and approved by the university's cabinet. This policy requires a commitment from the university to purchase materials that have been sustainably made and have green certifications.

Data collection

Sustainability Tracking Assessment Reporting System

As part of our commitment to monitoring sustainability, we submit the STARS report on behalf of CMU. This report outlines CMU's sustainability standing, what is being done at the university, and where CMU is lacking in relation to sustainability. For the first time ever, the CMU STARS reports earned a gold ranking for 2020. The next STARS submission will be finalized in 2024.

Sustainability survey

In October 2020, we released the first sustainability survey to gauge sustainability knowledge in the campus community and help guide future projects. The survey was released to students living on campus, and we received approximately 600 responses. If you're interested in learning more about our findings, check out our 2020 survey report. Our survey and report were presented to the Michigan Campus Sustainability Collective in January 2021.

See our most recent 2021 Campus Sustainability Survey report!

For survey opportunities or to find more recent survey results, email sustainability@cmich.edu.

Future projects

Although we are still dedicated to our current projects, we're always looking forward to more collaboration and initiatives.

We were not able to include all of our current, past and future projects and initiatives, but follow our social media to keep up with our work. If you have any questions or are interested in collaboration, please reach out to us at  sustainability@cmich.edu.