At the Graham Sustainability Institute, we envision a just and sustainable world where policy and practice are powered by science, collaboration, and creativity. Recognizing that addressing climate change is a global imperative, the Institute is mobilizing collaborators across sectors and disciplines to advance carbon neutrality, renewable energy, and other strategies to address this challenge. Given our home in the Great Lakes region, we are also fiercely committed to safeguarding water resources. Our Water Center engages a wide range of stakeholders to address critical and emerging regional and national water and water-dependent resource challenges. Last, but certainly not least, we are devoted to supporting our partners’ sustainability goals, from faculty researching the air-quality impacts of fossil fuels to urban communities’ access to affordable potable water, to philanthropic partners seeking to advance a circular economy that eliminates waste and keeps materials in use longer. In collaboration with a broad range of university and external partners, the Graham Sustainability Institute uses three key levers of change to work toward a more sustainable future:
Facilitating Engaged Research: We work to advance a wide range of research efforts that share a common commitment to partnering with communities and decision-makers. Together, we seek practical approaches and pioneering solutions to the sustainability issues that threaten our collective future. Developing Sustainability Leaders: We strengthen and train the next generation of sustainability leaders through real-life, experiential learning opportunities. Our programs help build professional skills, model inclusion, and foster an interdisciplinary approach. Informing Policy and Practice: We believe that research and education must move beyond the university’s academic environment and into the everyday world. We’re focused on making sure that policy and practice are grounded in the best available evidence of what really works. OUR VALUES
Collaborative | We build interdisciplinary and cross-sector partnerships in search of well-informed solutions. We are committed to sharing information, decision-making, and responsibility. Purpose-Driven | We know that society, the environment, and the economy must thrive together. We pursue this ambitious goal with unwavering focus and determination. Inclusive | We intentionally engage diverse and representative perspectives because they are essential for just and equitable outcomes, now and into the future. Science-Based | Positioned within one of the world’s great public research institutions, we ensure that rigorous analysis provides the foundation for our work. Impactful | We foster solutions that are practical, measurable, and widely applicable today, while developing the sustainability leaders of tomorrow.
