The U-M has established several vital programs that continuously assess our impact on the environment and implement new strategies to reduce that impact. The Department of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health (OSEH) ES program is one of these key programs. We act as a focal point for coordinating existing programs and developing new environmental strategies throughout the University. The focus for the Environmental Sustainability program is diverse, and includes energy conservation, alternative fuels, sustainable building design, and “green” purchasing. The ES program also works to evaluate and implement new initiatives which students, faculty, staff and visitors bring to our attention.

A key component of Environmental Sustainability is to reduce waste generation and our overall environmental footprint. Through Pollution Prevention (P2) initiatives, we focus on source reduction and product substitution, as well as reuse and recycling, providing cost-effective alternatives to traditional waste disposal options. ES manages ongoing P2 programs such as recycling fluorescent light bulbs, computer monitors, batteries, and ballasts. Additional P2 programs include solvent recycling, micro-teaching techniques, environmental product substitution, mercury reduction, and chemical redistribution.

The University of Michigan is complex and de-centralized. Only through an open transfer of information and clear documentation of sustainability related metrics can the progress towards a sustainable culture be judged. The OSEH-ES group is responsible for collecting, calculating, and reporting more than 150 environmental indicator metrics from throughout the Ann Arbor campus in a comprehensive Annual Environmental Report. Transfer of information between University departments, schools, and colleges is facilitated by a campus sustainability web site designed and maintained by OSEH-ES in conjunction with the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, located in the School of Natural Resources and Environment.

By reducing waste generation we reduce our overall environmental footprint. Pollution Prevention (P2) initiatives focus on source reduction and product substitution, as well as reuse and recycling, providing cost-effective alternatives to traditional waste disposal options.

• Ballast Recycling
• Battery Recycling
• Chemical Redistribution
• Electronic Waste Recycling
• Light Bulb Recycling
• Mercury Elimination Program
• Regulated Recycling Programs Brochure
• Refrigerant Management

The U-M is committed to reducing its environmental impact. In order to reduce the impact, baseline data must be collected. The U-M collects a wide range of data relating to environmental performance indicators and publishes them each year in a comprehensive Annual Environmental Report.

• Annual Environmental Report
• Environmental Factsheets

The staff of the OSEH-ES program assists in development, implementation, and operation of sustainability initiatives throughout the University. By developing relationships campus wide, ES works with faculty, staff, and students in an effort to tap the diverse skill sets available to an academic setting such as ours.

6 pt. Environmental & Energy Initiative
In the spring of 2007, The University of Michigan introduced a Six-Point Environmental and Energy Initiative designed to focus and increase environmental stewardship and energy conservation efforts where we believe the most gains can be made:

Environmental Reporting
Renewable Energy
Alternate Transportation
Purchasing
New Construction/Renovation Projects
Planet Blue

Campus Sustainability Web Site
Transfer of information between University departments, schools, and colleges is facilitated by a campus sustainability web site designed and maintained by OSEH-ES in conjunction with the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. The University of Michigan Campus Sustainability Web site highlights many of the University of Michigan's sustainability practices. It also serves as a centralized community resource for students, staff, and faculty.

The University is implementing new technologies and practices that conserve energy and resources and reduce or recycle waste. These undertakings build on sustainability activities that began long before the term "sustainability" was in vogue.

• Environmental Reporting for the University of Michigan Ann Arbor Campus: The U-M Environmental Data Repository
• Environmental Reporting for the University of Michigan Ann Arbor Campus 2006 Data Summary
• Environmental Task Force
• Letter from Mary Sue Coleman
• Stewardship Projects
• P2000 manual

Clearly, environmental sustainability is not a new concept or practice for the University of Michigan. And the drive to conserve energy and to be a responsible steward of resources continues at the University today.