Priorities & Progress

Key Objective

• Secure all purchased electricity from renewables.
• Build on-campus solar installations across the university.

Progress to Date

• Issued an RFP in March 2022 to procure 100 percent of purchased electricity from renewables, with considerations related to community engagement, justice and equity, and implications for land use, habitat and wildlife, and research and education.
• Planning with project developer for the construction of a new Michigan solar farm to meet U-M needs.
• Issued a request for information to build out 25MW of solar photovoltaics across all U-M campuses, prioritizing behind-the-meter installations.
• Reviewed proposals to qualify firms and narrow the list of potential partners.
• Procured more than one-third of purchased electricity from Michigan-sourced renewables during FY23.

Near-Term Priorities

• Finalize an agreement to procure 100% of purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
• Review proposal responses to the on-campus solar RFI and select a firm to help U-M build installations.
• Complement campus master planning efforts

Key Objective

• Develop a new campus master plan that includes carbon neutrality as a central principle.

Progress to Date

• Engaged the campus community to develop a set of draft core value statements to guide the upcoming master planning process.
• Hired Sasaki to work with U-M on the development of new 5, 10, and 25 year master plans — as a part of Campus Plan 2050.

Near-Term Priorities

• Complete Vision 2034 — a universitywide strategic visioning effort led by President Ono and executive vice presidents.
• Complete Campus Plan 2050 — a campus master planning process.
• Align strategic visioning and campus master planning processes.

Key Objective

• Develop campus-specific utility master plans focused toward decarbonizing heating and cooling infrastructure.
• Selectively install geothermal exchange heating and cooling systems in conjunction with new construction projects.

Progress to Date

• Hired a firm to help develop a utility master plan for North Campus, focused on decarbonizing heating and cooling infrastructure
• Drilled 99 bores (700 ft. deep) for a geoexchange system at the Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building.
• Geoexchange systems planned for dining hall of the newly-announced Central Campus residence halls, as well as for the new Ginsberg Center building planned for Central Campus.
• Designing all new building and renovation projects to be compatible with renewable energy-driven heating and cooling systems.

Near-Term Priorities

• Develop the North Campus utility master plan focused on decarbonizing heating and cooling infrastructure.
• Construct geoexchange systems in conjunction with new construction projects, and build district-level systems to serve multiple buildings at once.

Key Objective

• Develop new standards for building construction and renovation that reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency.

Progress to Date

• Implemented new guidelines focused on greenhouse gas emissions reductions in new construction, with input from auxiliary units (Athletics, Michigan Medicine, and Student Life) and all three campuses. These maximum emissions targets cover 14 building types and all new construction and major renovation projects more than $10 million.
• Piloting programs centered around building air leakage testing, building envelope sealants, ongoing verification of building system performance and refined maintenance practices.

Near-Term Priorities

• Construct a new carbon-neutral residential complex targeting LEED Platinum certification.
• At Michigan Medicine, the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion is on track to be a LEED v4 platinum-certified healthcare facility — the largest facility of its kind in North America. It is set to open in fall 2025.
• Refine design guidelines iteratively to reflect best-in-class approaches.

Key Objective

• Implement a revolving energy fund (REF) for energy conservation measures (ECMs), beginning with $25 million over five years. Learn more about the REF and energy conservation efforts.

Progress to Date

• Established a $25 million REF to support all units across the university.
• Allocated $5 million from the REF for LED lighting upgrades in FY22 as well as $5 million to in FY23. Funded projects span all campuses and support general fund and auxiliary units.
• Allocated additional funds from the REF in FY23, including for more complex energy conservation projects (e.g. HVAC or building envelope upgrades).

Key Objective

• Decarbonize U-M’s vehicle fleet.

Progress to Date

• Ordered eight electric buses for the Ann Arbor campus; first four arrived in June 2023 (three 40-ft. buses and one 60-ft. articulated bus).
• Purchased thirty battery-electric vehicles for the Ann Arbor campus, for FY24 delivery.
• Installed 32 electric vehicle charger spaces for U-M fleet vehicles.

Near-Term Priorities

• Continue to replace existing U-M vehicles with low/zero carbon alternatives.
• UM-Flint to meet with external vendors and consider pilot program toward electrifying its vehicle fleet.
• Continue to build new electric vehicle charger spaces in accordance with demand.

Key Objective

• Develop viable strategies to mitigate Scope 3 emissions across multiple categories, including university-sponsored travel, commuting, purchased goods and services, food procurement, and investments.

Progress to Date

• Announced a partnership with Delta Air Lines to spur widespread adoption, research and transparency of sustainable aviation fuel.
• A workstream, with representation from all three campuses and auxiliary units, developed initial recommendations toward low-carbon food procurement.
• Michigan Medicine introduced virtual care services in 2017. Since then, nearly 100 million miles of driving have been avoided, in turn avoiding nearly 38,000 metric tons of GHGs being emitted into the atmosphere.

Near-Term Priorities

• Continue to explore opportunities for more sustainable Ann Arbor campus connectivity.
• Install 113 electric charger spaces for faculty- and staff-associated vehicles between July 2023 and March 2024.
• Partner with U-M Procurement Services to explore emissions reduction strategies associated with purchased goods.
• Develop preliminary roadmaps for mitigating Scope 3 emissions across several categories.

Key Objective

• Develop accounting systems to accurately estimate and track Scope 3 emission categories.

Progress to Date

• Assessed preliminary confidence levels around current Scope 3 estimates and identified categories that are good candidates for establishing quantitative Scope 3 goals.
• Identified outlying data gaps for Scope 3 emission categories.
• New Sustainability Culture Indicators Program survey provided commuter mileage data for UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn.
• Expanded communication with city of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Public Schools to coordinate reporting methodology for Scope 3 emissions associated with drinking and wastewater purchasing.

Next Steps

• Continue to refine carbon accounting strategies to better track U-M Scope 3 emissions.
• Focus on data requirements and calculation methods associated with food purchasing.
• Begin reporting on Scope 3 categories where data confidence is high and set goals.

Key Objectives

• Secure initial funding required to transition to a carbon-neutral campus.
• Transition natural resource investments toward enabling a low-carbon economy.

Progress to Date

• $300M in green bonds issued to fund infrastructure investments that advance U-M sustainability goals.
• Discontinued direct investments in companies that are the largest contributors to greenhouse gases; discontinued investments in funds whose primary focus is oil reserves, oil extraction, or thermal coal extraction.
• Avoided emissions from U-M investments in 2023 are on track to exceed the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by the Ann Arbor campus.
• The endowment is on track to reduce portfolio emissions by more than half by 2030.
• Invested $420 million in sustainable energy over the past two years.
• Transitioned public equities portfolio to an ex-fossil fuels index that excludes companies named on the Carbon Underground 200, a list of top coal, oil and gas companies.

Near-Term Priorities

• Continue to fund campus infrastructure and investments that decrease carbon emissions.
• Pursue a net-zero endowment by 2050.

Key Objectives

• Engage with academic leaders across all schools and colleges toward integrating sustainability and carbon neutrality into core curricula.
• Make significant investments in carbon neutrality research and deployment, building on multidisciplinary initiatives.

Progress to Date

• Held the 2023 Provost Seminar on Teaching focused on Advancing Climate Education to advance campus climate education and convene climate education leaders.
• The Graham Institute's Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program (CNAP) awarded $2.1 million to fourteen multidisciplinary projects with significant potential to help reduce net carbon emissions.
• In FY23, the Graham Institute announced five sustainability catalyst grants designed to advance technical and behavioral interventions toward greater sustainability. Projects cover community solar, agrivoltaics, carbon-neutral building materials, aviation fuel waste reduction and sustainable archeology.
• The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) launched its Bold Challenges initiative in 2021, which includes a significant emphasis on sustainability and carbon neutrality research.
• Michigan Engineering and OVPR launched a new Institute for Energy Solutions that aims to accelerate an equitable transition to a more sustainable energy future.
• Michigan Engineering, OVPR, and the School for Environment and Sustainability launched MI Hydrogen, a new initiative to provide the leading research necessary to accelerate the use of hydrogen beyond current industrial limits.

Near-Term Priorities

• Explore additional sustainability curricula opportunities with university leadership and academic leaders.
• Continue to identify and support critical research that addresses the climate crisis.

Key Objective

• Implement organizational structures and executive-level leadership positions advising the U-M president.

Progress to Date

• Hired Shana S. Weber as associate vice president for campus sustainability, following extensive search, to build on university carbon neutrality and sustainability efforts.
• Launched a search for an inaugural vice provost for sustainability and climate action.

Near-Term Priorities

• Define additional sustainability executive leadership position(s) and institutional structures needed to elevate and integrate academic, operational, and cultural sustainability initiatives.
• Hire a vice provost for sustainability and climate action.

Key Objectives

• Collaborate with unit leaders to implement carbon neutrality strategies universitywide.
• Develop a campus-wide strategy to improve and expand opportunities for the community to support carbon neutrality efforts.
• Engage at U-M and with surrounding communities to best address equity and justice issues as they pertain to the university’s carbon neutrality efforts.

Progress to Date

• Established a university units leadership council that advises and facilitates carbon neutrality efforts across the university.
• Engaged all executive officers and deans to identify opportunities for collaboration and feedback.
• Campus life workstream convened 20 staff, students and faculty from across the Ann Arbor campus to complete a network assessment identifying opportunities to engage the university around carbon neutrality and climate action.
• Commissioned a study to cover how U-M leadership can most effectively engage with student groups around relevant topics.
• University leaders meeting regularly with U-M climate and sustainability advocates.
• Planet Blue Ambassador program expanded to UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn; with training modules posted to Canvas.
• Student Life Sustainability expanded its staff, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts hired a new carbon neutrality program manager, and Michigan Medicine expanded its environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership.
• The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is launching a Year of Sustainability in 2024. In operations, the college has recently pursued new building standards, LED lighting efforts, and overall greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Near-Term Priorities

• Continue to engage university leaders and their units on a range of carbon neutrality actions.
• Implement a campus-wide strategy to improve and expand opportunities for the U-M community to engage with carbon neutrality efforts.
• Share strategies with UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint to assess transferable opportunities.

Key Objectives

• Engage at U-M and with surrounding communities to best address equity and justice issues as they pertain to the university’s carbon neutrality efforts.
• Work with like-minded universities, nonprofits, corporates, and municipalities to advance climate action.

Progress to Date

• Co-founded the Midwest Climate Collaborative, which aims to facilitate the development of a coherent Midwestern response to the climate crisis through acceleration of climate action, knowledge and leader development led by a cross-sector collaboration of key organizations throughout the Midwest.
• Joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge, in which participating organizations set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and share resources on their respective climate action efforts.
• Joined the U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership, which encourages organizations to use green power voluntarily to protect human health and the environment. U-M currently ranks eighth among U.S. universities in renewable electricity use.
• Assumed the leadership role for the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), which connects 23 of the world's leading research universities and university systems committed to accelerating climate action on campus, in communities, and at a global scale.
• Became the first university to join the First Movers Coalition — a coalition of organizations using their purchasing power to create demand for innovative clean technologies across several industrial sectors.
• Participated in discussions with public-sector organizations in Washtenaw County regarding the potential establishment of a local sustainability collaborative.
• Coordinating regularly with the city of Ann Arbor; collaborated to issue parallel calls for proposals to build solar installations on respective properties.

Near-Term Priorities

• Continue to consult with experts to address environmental justice issues associated with U-M policies and actions.
• Continue to meet regularly and collaborate with city of Ann Arbor representatives.
• Help define new organizational priorities for UC3.
• Continue participating in a wide range of collaborative networks, including UC3, the Midwest Climate Collaborative, the Big Ten and Friends Sustainability group and the Ivy Plus Sustainability Listening Post Consortium.

Key Objective

• Publish a website and interactive progress tracking dashboard to engage U-M and external communities.

Progress to Date

• Launched carbon neutrality web pages and version 2.0 of emissions reduction dashboard.
• Published a wide range of sustainability dashboards, covering energy and emissions, transportation, waste, land and water, buildings, and green bonds.

Near-Term Priority

• Refine and expand dashboards as efforts progress and additional data becomes available.