sustainability

The Ypsi Performance Space has hosted many community gatherings and musical performances over the years. Now, the venue is more eco-friendly, thanks to the recent installation of new electric vehicle chargers. Lee Van Roth talked all about the chargers and how they’ve created a better connection to the community with Ypsi Performance Space manager Steve Pierce.

There will be some significant environmental issues to deal with this year. Data centers, grid security, renewable energy policy—all of these issues will be before the Michigan Legislature, and it comes during a mid-term election year. How much will get accomplished? On this week’s "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair spoke with State Senator Sue Shink. She laid out her environmental priorities in 2026.

Ann Arbor’s Green Rental Housing Ordinance is now in effect and requires all rental units to meet a minimum energy efficiency level at the time of inspection. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

Ann Arbor is expecting progress towards its sustainability goals in 2026. Advancement on the voter-approved Sustainable Energy Utility will continue, and with the 2030 deadline rapidly approaching, more work is to be done to move ahead with the goals and aspirations of the city’s A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality plan. On the first "Issues of the Environment" of 2026, WEMU's David Fair explores the environmental year ahead with Ann Arbor’s Sustainability and Innovations Director, Missy Stults.

When it comes to our local environment, 2025 has been a year of progress and one with significant and growing challenges. Environmental aspirations are being worked into place in almost direct opposition to changing federal priorities and policies. WEMU's David Fair reflected on 2025 in a conversation with Beth Gibbons, the Director of the Washtenaw County Resiliency Office.

A lot of folks are about to hit the road or the airports with Christmas right around the corner. Gregory Keoleian is the director of the U-M's Center for Sustainable Systems. He joined WEMU's David Fair to talk about how best to minimize our carbon footprint and still get to where we want to go.

A2ZERO’s Home Energy Advisor (HEA) Program has hit a milestone of helping over 500 households find ways to save money on energy and make their homes more sustainable. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the story.

The Ann Arbor School District is making progress toward making its bus fleet entirely electric. The goal is full electrification by 2035. There are challenges in getting to where the district wants to be in terms of funding, infrastructure and reliability. WEMU's David Fair talked with the district’s manager of construction projects, Moe Nagpal, to find out what the process and procedure looks like.

There’s a new educational program that's literally transforming the landscape around Ypsilanti Community Schools, sometimes one sweet potato or pawpaw tree at a time. YCS has launched a new agriscience and botany career technical education program. It's part of a countywide push to expand hands-on learning opportunities for students. Lee Van Roth discussed the program and what it hopes to achieve with Ypsilanti Community High School biology teacher Laurel Wiinikka-Buesser.

We are well into the holiday shopping season now. Analysts predict there will be more spending this year than last, despite all of the economic uncertainty around the country and here at home. There are ways to cut down on spending and to help the environment at the same time. WEMU's David Fair talked with Samuel McMullen from Ann Arbor-based Zerowaste.org about sustainable gift giving on a pre-holiday edition of "Issues of the Environment".