Co-Curricular Programs
Co-curricular programming offers students the chance to become actively engaged in leading sustainability efforts across campus.
There are a range of ways to participate from more entry-level opportunities that strongly emphasize student learning and skills development to more advanced opportunities that build upon previous experiences and often require a significant time commitment.
Entry-Level Opportunities
Planet Blue Ambassador (PBA) Program
Not sure where to get started? Become a Planet Blue Ambassador (PBA) to learn about our campus sustainability goals and how you can live into them! This introductory training will set you up for success no matter how you later choose to engage in sustainability on campus.
Maize and Blue Cupboard Volunteers
Located in the basement of the Betsy Barbour Residence Hall, our on-campus food pantry offers regular volunteer opportunities for students. Anyone can help, no experience is necessary, and you can sign up for a shift that works with your schedule.
Hands-on experience at the Farm provides invaluable lessons related to sustainable food production for students from a wide range of disciplines who—even if they don’t go on to be farmers—will play a role in food systems issues ranging from public health, the environment, and our economies.
Help preserve our native ecosystems by joining the bi-monthly public stewardship eco-workday events at the Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
U-M Sustainable Food Program working groups are creative, free-thinking collaboration networks for students of all academic backgrounds to work together on visionary food justice initiatives. Each working group is centered around a theme: Farm Stand education, Network Building & Collaborative Leadership, Anti-Racism & Food Justice, and Personal & Community Resilience. Working groups are low-commitment and high impact, meeting two times per month for an hour.
Intermediate Opportunities
The Sustainable Living Experience (SLE) Theme Community at Oxford Houses provides a residential experience and community rooted in experiential learning and community engagement in various aspects of sustainability as well as climate and environmental justice.
Planet Blue Student Leaders (PBSLs) work as part-time peer educators to promote sustainable living behaviors on campus. Throughout the year, PBSLs participate in weekly cohort-based dialogues and workshops to develop leadership skills, and design and implement year-long sustainable behavior change campaigns.
Graham Sustainability Scholars
The Graham Sustainability Scholars Program supports undergraduate students at U-M Ann Arbor by providing special access to and funding for field-based courses in sustainability. Through this competitive program, Graham Scholars also participate in a wide range of leadership and cohort building activities.
The Erb Institute’s Undergraduate Fellows program is designed to deliver business and sustainability education, community, and co-curricular opportunities. Open to rising juniors at Michigan Ross and the Program in the Environment, both majors and minors, the program offers the opportunity to become an integral part of the current and future landscape of business sustainability.
Advanced Opportunities
The University of Michigan Sustainable Food Program (UMSFP) organizes and amplifies student voices calling for a more just and sustainable food system. We work alongside food, environmental, and social justice-oriented groups on campus to make our food system more just and sustainable.
Student Sustainability Coalition
The Student Sustainability Coalition is a small group of students who work closely with the Graham Sustainability Institute, the Office of Campus Sustainability, Student Life, and the many student organizations on campus to advance sustainability. To that end, we’re here to build connections, foster new partnerships, and amplify initiatives already underway.
The Dow Sustainability Fellows Program supports graduate students at U-M Ann Arbor who are committed to finding interdisciplinary, actionable, and meaningful sustainability solutions on local-to-global scales. The competitive program prepares future sustainability leaders to make a positive difference in organizations worldwide.
For students interested in working on sustainability with the Office of Campus Sustainability, Student Life, Michigan Dining, the Graham Sustainability Institute, or the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, these departments post both work-study and non work-study positions on the Michigan Student Employment website regularly. Additionally, many of the program opportunities in sustainability offer some form of pay or stipend.