Over 70,000 of our community members work or attend school at the University of Michigan. So, it is important to include them in conversations about reducing waste and focusing on connecting with each other rather than stuff, especially since the University of Michigan won first place in the zero waste category of the 2024 Campus Race to Zero Waste, a competition involving over 150 colleges and universities in the US and Canada. We sat down with Alison Richardson from the U-M Office of Campus Sustainability to learn more about the work they are doing to reduce waste and connect communities.
One of the first things that we discussed was the Move-In and Move-Out Donation Program that the University of Michigan has been running for 25 years. According to Alison Richardson, in 2024 U-M Sustainability collected 10.7 tons of donations including 4.7 tons of clothing to be sorted and redistributed.
U-M Sustainability delivers these items to several organizations. House N2 Home, an organization that collects furniture and household goods that they use to furnish houses and apartments for our neighbors who are transitioning from homelessness. The Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop resells donated items to support Ann Arbor Public Schools. The proceeds also go to grants for community organizations that provide emergency assistance to our neighbors. Food donations go to the Maize and Blue Food Pantry, the food pantry that serves the campus community.
When asked what students can do to reduce their environmental and social footprint, Alison Richardson advised, “Be mindful of your purchasing, before you even come to campus. Coordinate with your roommate to see if some items can be shared. Think about what you would actually need throughout the year – it's not as much as maybe students think that they need.” She also encourages students to look into renting mini-fridges and microwaves as well as other reuse options like the thrift stores listed above. Interested students can also take the Planet Blue Ambassador training which gives student information on the sustainability efforts on campus and some resources to become more involved.
Community Swap Days
The City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovation also hosts Community Swap Days. A community swap day is like a garage sale, but everything is free. You can bring the items that you no longer want or need and give them to your neighbors who can still use them. You can also “shop” for new-to-you items.
We attended a recent community swap day. Check it out here:
When asked “what does more life, less stuff mean to you?” Alison explained, “I think that you can have lots of experiences and fun things in your life without the stuff that doesn't necessarily add to that. You don't need to accumulate items to have enriching and fulfilling experiences … and a lot of fun.” I think we could also use enriching and fulfilling experiences, and a bit more fun.
* We interviewed them in part 1 of this story. Check it out here: https://www.ecocenter.org/sharing-stuff-creates-community
* Learn more about the U-M Move out here: https://ocs.umich.edu/programs/waste-reduction/student-move-in-move-out/