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Economics & Business

As technologies improve, so too do opportunities for businesses to lead in environmental stewardship. University of Michigan faculty and staff are highlighting cutting edge environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies and assessing the future of the green economy. The Erb Institute is at the center of this thought leadership, enabling companies, industries, and entire economies toward systemic sustainability.

News and Impact

Alexa White
The cost of a mango in January
satellite view of the great lakes region
Urine-to-fertilizer effort part of NSF Regional Innovation Engine
Rajiv Shah
Rajiv Shah: Making big bets to create impactful change
Local mini hydro plant in the Nepalese Himilayas. Image courtesy: Graham Institute
U-M ‘catalyst grants’ address climate resilience, sustainability
Producing concrete blocks with captured carbon, like these in Brooklyn, NY., has both economic and climate benefits. AP Photo/John Minchillo
Not all carbon-capture projects pay off for the climate – we mapped the pros and cons of each and found clear winners and loser
The burn scar of the Caldor Fire, which consumed 221,835 acres of the Eldorado National Forest and other areas of the Sierra Nevada in El Dorado, Amador, and Alpine County during the 2021 California wildfire season.
Climate disaster: When the smoke clears
an LED lighting tube
U-M study outlines cost, energy savings of switching from fluorescent lamps to LEDs
A 16-member University of Michigan student team will attend the two-week COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Front row, left to right: Zoe Salamey, Shuhaid Nawawi. Second row: Sarah Phalen, Meredith Eaheart, Carmen Wagner, Ashley Martinez. Third row: Sebastian Lecha, Ally Stavros, Haley Neuenfeldt, Sarah Dieck Wells. Back row: Aaron Friedman-Heiman, Ananyo Bhattacharya, Ryan Revolinsky, Jacob Kennedy, Francisco Rentería. Image credit: Maddie Fox, U-M School for Environment and Sustainability.
COP28 climate summit in Dubai: U-M student team attending
Illi’s Auto Service owner Larry Young works on a car in his shop. Photo: Marcin Szczepanski/Michigan Engineering
Car country plugs in
Sarah Mills
Opinion | Michigan’s system to approve green energy projects is broken
a photo of upcycled sawdust
Nearly zero-waste solution for construction: Reusable robotic 3D-printed formwork from upcycled sawdust
an aerial image of a lakefront
New guiding principles urgently needed for Great Lakes stewardship, U-M researchers say
two students working at a desktop computer
Cracking in lithium-ion batteries speeds up electric vehicle charging
Algal bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie, as seen by aircraft during a flyover in September 2017. Image credit: Zachary Haslick, Aerial Associates Photography Inc.
Smaller-than-average harmful algal bloom predicted for western Lake Erie
SMR diagram
Study evaluates potential decarbonization of industry through use of small modular nuclear reactors
physicians at work
Medical plastics recycling initiative ramps up at U-M Health
Engineering student Chloe Acosta plugs in an EV on the University of Michigan’s North Campus. Acosta is also powertrain director on the MRacing team, which recently switched to an electric powertrain. Photo: Marcin Szczepanski/Michigan Engineering
$130M Electric Vehicle Center launches at U-Michigan
Environmental justice issues exploration graphic
Justice should be an action, not only a core value
From left, moderator Chris Kolb and panelists Janet Napolitano, Margaret Wooldridge, Omolade Adunbi and Andy Hoffman, with President Santa J. Ono. (Photo by Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography)
Panel offers multidisciplinary perspectives on climate crisis