The University of Michigan, as a Research and Independent Non-Governmental Research Organization (RINGO), sent a delegation to COP23. The team included 12 graduate students from across the university, including van der Schaft, who is studying sustainable systems,...
Using solar energy technology to address the global water crisis At the Erb Institute, our students collaborate with students across campus—from both other schools and other programs. By nature, they are curious and driven to make a difference in the world using their...
Have you ever stopped to think about how many people were involved in making the clothes you buy? Chances are you have heard about or read The Travels of a T-shirt in a Global Economy or listened to Planet Money’s piece on making a t-shirt. Both are incredibly...
Before joining the Erb ranks, I worked as managing partner for my family’s cherry and apple farm in Traverse City, Mich. Farmers love to tell stories, especially stories about dramatic, devastating weather events. As the sixth generation to lead our business, I grew...
Report: Seventh Generation and Unilever: Would an Acquisition Affect Sustainability? (pdf abstract) Purchase the full report on WDI Publishing (Case study #1-430-507) – published 04/2017, 22 pages Developed by: Kirstie Hostetter, Cory Wydysh, Anna Hayden, and Mike...
Are you concerned about the environment? Do you feel there is still a lot of progress to be made on social issues? Do you have a global perspective? And, most importantly, do you feel that business, more often than not, can be the answer? It sounds like you could...
Little has changed since the 1940s in the way we make our clothes. We still heavily rely on people to power sewing machines, large swaths of agricultural land to grow cotton, and millions of gallons of petroleum to produce synthetic fabrics. Historically, the fashion...
ANN ARBOR—The added weight, electricity demand and aerodynamic drag of the sensors and computers used in autonomous vehicles are significant contributors to their lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study. However, when savings from...
If sustainability is so “in,” why aren’t more people buying ethically made clothes? The past few decades have changed the shape of the apparel industry. A few iconic media scandals over child labor and sweatshop labor have made Western shoppers sensitive to certain...
Sustainability—or a lack of it—has punctuated the apparel industry’s most notable moments over the last few decades. They include Nike’s sweatshop scandal in 1991, Patagonia’s public commitment to recycled polyester in 1992 and organic cotton in 1996, Levi’s 2010...