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Campus as Lab

A Sustainability Leadership Council Initiative

The University of Michigan is using its campus as a demonstration site for solving real-world challenges, advancing local and global solutions through research, education and operations. Campus as Lab (CAL) creates a living test bed where students, faculty, and staff can work together to explore ideas, test approaches, and help shape a more sustainable future. 

Campus as Lab is a university-wide framework that connects students, faculty, and staff to the systems that shape campus life, including infrastructure, operations, policies, governance, and lived experience. Through research and experiential learning, it enables the exploration of real-world challenges, the testing of ideas, and the development of scalable solutions that advance sustainability, support institutional priorities, and translate academic work into real-world impact.

Rooted in U-M’s tradition of engaged scholarship and public purpose, Campus as Lab is supported by the Sustainability Leadership Council, which is advancing the structures and coordination needed to strengthen and scale this growing campuswide ecosystem. The initiative invites collaboration across disciplines, units, and communities, aligning with priorities such as the campus energy transition, resilience planning, Look to Michigan, and Campus Plan 2050.

A Living-Learning Laboratory
Campus as Lab engages the full university ecosystem—from physical infrastructure to policies, programs, and lived experiences.

By opening these systems for study and collaboration, CAL enables learning, experimentation, and shared problem-solving that demonstrate real-world solutions for the public good.

Projects may range from small pilots that refine existing programs to larger initiatives embedded in campus systems, including pollinator gardens, monitoring equipment, renewable energy installations, and infrastructure-based research.

Get Involved
Join the Campus as Lab Community of Practice to connect with students, faculty, and staff across U-M who are interested in advancing sustainability through research, teaching, and campus operations. Share ideas, learn about existing projects, and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Who’s Involved
Campus as Lab is open to students, faculty, and staff across all three campuses, working independently or in partnership with academic, operational, and research units. Projects may emerge through coursework, research, co-curricular experiences, or operational priorities, and often span disciplines and units.

CAL is supported by collaboration across academic schools and colleges, research institutes and centers, Student Life, the Nichols Arboretum, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, campus operations, and sustainability-focused programs, along with many other partners working to integrate research, learning, and practice across the university.

Why Campus as Lab Matters
Campus as Lab helps the university:

  • Integrate sustainability into learning, research, and operations
  • Advance measurable progress across energy, natural areas, mobility, food systems, water, waste, and community and social resilience.
  • Support institutional priorities and universitywide initiatives, including the campus energy transition, resilience planning, Look to Michigan, Campus Plan 2050, and cross-campus academic efforts such as Bold Challenges and Grand Challenges.
  • Prepare students for leadership through hands-on, systems-based sustainability experience, and create a participatory campus culture where students are actively contributing to the campus ecosystem.

From Research to Impact
Campus as Lab connects discovery with action by translating research, data collection, and design work into applied solutions that strengthen campus systems and inform future decisions. Educationally enhanced facilities demonstrate how sustainability and climate action support inquiry, innovation, and leadership development. Integration of research, engaged teaching, experiential learning, and campus systems produces sustainability benefits while advancing discovery, innovation, and scalable solutions that contribute to broader environmental and social progress beyond the university.

Project Examples
Explore examples of projects that connect sustainability research, teaching, and hands-on learning with campus operations across the University of Michigan.

Explore Sustainability Map
Discover some of the Campus as Lab projects and locations across U-M through the interactive sustainability map.

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