The Built Environment

The built environment is a major source of society’s environmental impact, and is a major opportunity to find solutions.  Recent attention to “green construction” emerges in many domains including energy systems, water use, construction processes, architectural design, site planning and brownfield development, just to name a few. At present, environmental issues can be considered in seemingly unlimited areas of the design and construction process. Yet, advances are slow.  General perceptions assert that green construction costs too much money; that the technologies are not available for meaningful change, and opportunities are not that great.

Emerging research suggests that green construction is cost-effective in the short term and a wise investment for the long run. Green developers and builders create healthier working, learning, and living environments with more natural light and cleaner air. Working and living in such buildings improves occupant health, comfort, and productivity. By building green, developers save money by reducing construction costs and creating sustainable buildings that are in high demand. Owners save money by reducing operation and maintenance costs, lowering utility bills, and increasing occupant productivity.

Expect the Unexpected: Building business value in a changing world

February 14, 2012

KPMG International and the Erb Institute co-author new report on impending sustainability megatrends…

The report was released in advance of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was co-authored by Erb faculty members, Tom Lyon and Tom Gladwin, Erb Managing Director, Rick Bunch, and team of 20 masters students. Learn more about KPMG International. View the Rio +20 conference website here.

The 134 page report explores issues such as climate change, energy and fuel volatility, water availability and cost and resource availability, as well as population growth spawning new urban centers.  The analysis examines how these global forces may impact business and industry, calculates the environmental costs to business, and calls for business and policymakers to work more closely to mitigate future business risk and act on opportunities.

“Expect the Unexpected:  Building business value in a changing world” (pdf)
Read the Press Annoucement (hrml) / (pdf)

 

 

China Business Challenge & Conference

November 16, 2011

Organized by Chinese Entrepreneurship Network (CEN), China Business Challenge (CBC)is the largest business model competition of its kind in the Mid-west. CBC encourages and challenges student entrepreneurs to solve social, technological, environmental problems in China, for a chance to win in total $6000 in prizes. This year, 47 student teams, including participants from University of Michigan, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Michigan State Universities, submitted proposals to compete for grand prizes. 21 Mentors contributed over 70 hours through one-on-one meetings with the teams.

The Erb Environmental Innovation Award was presented to the student group, Maximus, at the China Business Challenge at Ross this Fall. The $1,000 award recognizes the best business model for outstanding environmental impact to existing problems in China. The Erb Institute helped sponsor the China Entrepreneur Network event.

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Complete results and conference summary can be viewed on the CEN China Business Challenge Facebook page.

Nov 18 – Linking Social and Ecological Systems to Sustain Ecosystem Services, Kelly Garbach

November 10, 2011

IFRI Talk: Linking Social and Ecological Systems to Sustain Ecosystem Services in a Tropical Landscape, led by IFRI Post-Doc Applicant Kelly Garbach. 12:15-1pm, 1024 Dana Building.

View details (pdf)

Erb student reports on ecotourism in the Peruvian rainforest

April 13, 2011

Erb MBA/MS student Phel Meyer in Peru

By Phel Meyer, Erb ’13

My MAP team is working with Rainforest Expeditions, a Peruvian ecotourism company that owns and operates hotel lodges in the Amazon rainforest. We are looking at the financial feasibility of building a new tourist lodge on their land. Aside from the usual benefits of MAP that we all know about, this project has brought up many points that all business students should think about. View the full blog posting here

Jan 20-21 – Conference – Focus Detroit: Revitalization and Business

January 6, 2011

Revitalization & Business | Focus DetroitConference – Focus Detroit: Re-Vitalize, Re-Energize, Re-Engage. Held at the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design in Detroit and the Ross School of Business. 
Details and Registration.

Jonathan Lewis blogs on his recent Detroit trip citing Erb Institute talk

January 5, 2011

The Logic of EcoLogic
Jonathan Lewis
Founder/CEO, the Opportunity Collaboration
Posted: December 20, 2010 10:40 AM

In the middle of a snow storm, there are a number of reasons to not visit Detroit. On one particular day, it was nine degrees. My gloves were wearing gloves.

In any weather, the city feels like an economic wasteland. According to city officials, unemployment is nearing 50 percent! Empty buildings, abandoned lots, shuttered retail stores and streets devoid of shoppers disfigure this once-grand American city which still supports great art museums, cultural performance centers and grand mansions. Everyone, it seems, wants you to know that Detroit’s city center was once so busy that America’s first electric stop light was installed.

Read online |  Read pdf

Michigan-China Clean Tech: Collaboration and Competition in Energy, Smart Grid, Green Cities and Transportation

December 10, 2010

Sponsored by the Erb,  Zell Lurie and Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institutes, the Center for Chinese Studies and the Center for International Business Education.  Michigan Union in Ann Arbor.

Presentation Slides by Speaker

Conference photos may be viewed here.

View Video taped Sessions Below:

Sustainable Urban Redevelopment in Detroit

May 10, 2010

By Zach Robin, Erb ’10. Faculty Advisors: Tom Gladwin and Chester Hill.

Abstract: In the city of Detroit, decades of discrimination, unrest, and disinvestment have left scores of vacant and abandoned property and thousands of impoverished residents. This is clearly apparent in Detroit’s lower eastside, located just inside the city limits and bordered by affluent suburban Grosse Pointe Park. Here, in the heart of the lower eastside, the Jefferson East Business Association (JEBA) works to restore economic vitality as a means of revitalizing the overall conditions of the neighborhood. To aid JEBA in their strategic planning process, we developed a replicable model of sustainable community redevelopment and delivered a set of tailored suggestions for the lower eastside. Our research began with a review of national case studies relevant to six core topic areas critical to redevelopment: Economic Prosperity, Human Health & Well-Being, Vibrant Communities, Energy Systems, Material & Resource Flows, and Ecosystem Services. Through the course of our research, common principles emerged and informed the creation of the sixstep REPAIR model for sustainable community redevelopment. In this report, we demonstrate the model through application to the lower eastside, provide our resulting assessment of the neighborhood, and suggest detailed next steps for JEBA and the community. While specific guidance is provided for Detroit, the key findings are universal: First, a data-driven approach is essential in guiding proper resource usage and investment. Second, there is often a plethora of organizations working for the betterment of hard-hit urban areas. It is essential that these disparate stakeholders collaborate on a common plan to avoid redundancy and while accelerating community redevelopment. Stakeholders must rally behind a strong leader to most effectively assemble crucial resources and increase the likelihood of success. Third, a truly sustainable community will need to prepare for future challenges through mitigation and adaptation strategies. These methods must be established to increase resilience and realize true sustainably. We highlight a process of continual improvement in which metrics and indicators are regularly checked for both changes in trends and continued relevancy.

Download the Report (pdf)
Read the Abstract on Deep Blue (html)

Greening Brownfield Properties: ExonMobil

May 10, 2010

Greening Brownfield Properties – Client: ExonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc.By Jennifer Casler, Erb ’11. Faculty Advisor: Michael Moore.

Abstract: In this project we provide a framework for analyzing the benefits of greening brownfield properties. The work completed includes a mail survey on the attitudes of Houston residents toward brownfields and greenspaces, a hedonic pricing analysis examining the extent which the conversion of brownfields into greenspaces impacts nearby property values, a valuation of ecosystem services on a City of Houston brownfield site (Bellfort), and three alternative designs for the brownfield site. The survey results demonstrate that parks in Houston are farther from the respondents who had relatively lower incomes and that respondents prefer ecosystem services that have direct benefits, such as flood control and air quality improvements. The hedonic pricing analysis shows mixed results: one of the brownfield to park conversions had a positive impact on nearby properties while another brownfield to park conversion had a negative impact on nearby properties. For the conversion that had a positive impact, nearby property values increased between 4.6% and 11.9% depending on the distance from the park. The brownfields/parks studied differed in their size and location in Houston. The ecosystem services analysis for the Bellfort site includes an examination of air quality improvement, carbon sequestration, and stormwater management, which in total currently provide around $64,000 of annual benefits. The alternative designs for the 300-acre Bellfort site, which includes a former landfill and incinerator, propose ideas to increase the benefits the land provides, such as by increasing habitat and recreation areas and constructing stormwater management systems. All of the project’s components aim to provide insight into the benefits of greening brownfield properties. The results of this project should inform the scope and design ultimately approved for the redevelopment on the Bellfort site. More generally, our project has identified some expectations and methodologies for future brownfield redevelopment projects.

Download the Report (pdf)
Read the Abstract on Deep Blue (html)

Holy Cross Abbey: Planning for a Sustainable Future

May 10, 2010

By Kathryn Buckner and Alex Linkow, Erb ’11. Faculty Advisor: Andrew J. Hoffman.

Abstract: As a monastery living under the Rule of St. Benedict and as part of the 900-year-old Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO), the monks of Holy Cross Abbey (HCA) are pursuing sustainability not only to ensure that their traditions and spiritual way of life persevere, but also to foster a deeper stewardship of the land as “lovers of the brethren and of the place.” As part of this sustainability initiative, HCA solicited the assistance of a team of graduate students from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment (“Michigan Team”) under the guidance of Professor Andrew Hoffman. As part of this project, the Michigan Team used a systems perspective with the intention of encouraging a more holistic, integrative, and telescopic view of the monastery in its local, regional, and global contexts. To this end, the Team evaluated HCA’s community sustainability as it specifically applies to the following topic areas: land use, energy, water, solid waste, toxics, economies, food, and buildings. Subsequently, synergistic recommendations were provided to help HCA become more sustainable. These suggested guidelines may also assist other monasteries and religious institutions as they initiate, evaluate, and/or modify their own sustainability efforts, thereby enhancing environmental stewardship throughout numerous communities and maximizing positive impact on society.

Download the Report (pdf)
Read the Abstract on Deep Blue (html)

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