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Cover: Coconino National Forest, courtesy of US Forest Service.

Safe drinking water, climate change vulnerability, sustainable livestock production, and the health and energy justice impacts of electricity generation. These are the challenges the four projects recently awarded Catalyst Grants by the Graham Sustainability Institute will address.

Led by multidisciplinary faculty teams, these new projects will lay the groundwork for on-going collaborations and develop tools and recommendations for decisions that advance sustainability.

"These projects have the potential to make a real difference. Working closely with government, nonprofit and community partners, these teams will provide analyses and tools that directly inform programs and strategies, and they will build new partnerships for future research that meets the needs of managers and communities."

"These projects have the potential to make a real difference," said Graham Family Director Jennifer Haverkamp. "Working closely with government, nonprofit and community partners, these teams will provide analyses and tools that directly inform programs and strategies, and they will build new partnerships for future research that meets the needs of managers and communities."

One project will develop a research agenda with the national water utility in Gabon. Another project will build a working group to address sustainable livestock production in and around Washtenaw County.

“It is important to invest in projects up-front to help teams build new partnerships and develop the shared understanding necessary to ensure that future collaborative research is relevant and usable,” explains Maggie Allan, Emerging Opportunities Program Manager.

Two other funded projects are working with existing partners to conduct new analyses or to develop tools to support their respective partner’s actions. To inform stakeholders and the Michigan Public Service Commission, one team will assess how DTE Energy’s proposed energy mix and rate changes will affect southeast Michigan communities’ exposure to air pollution and ability to afford energy costs. Another team will develop indicators the U.S. Forest Service can use to target programs at areas vulnerable to climate change impacts.

The projects were selected from among 8 proposals submitted from 21 faculty members and researchers across 9 units (Architecture and Urban Planning, Art and Design, Business, Engineering, Environment and Sustainability, Institute for Social Research, Literature, Science and the Arts, Music, and Public Health). Each of the selected proposals will receive $10,000 to support collaborative research activities.

To learn more, please see the summaries below with links to the project web pages.


BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIPS FOR IMPACT

Linking Research and Management for Sustainable and Safe Water Supply by Drinking Water Utilities across International Contexts 

A public potable water tap in Lambaréné, Gabon

UM researchers are collaborating with Ann Arbor water utility managers on water quality issues. What might this type of partnership mean in other areas of the world struggling to ensure safe drinking water? This project brings water utility practitioners and experts from Gabon to Michigan to build relationships, share insights, and lay the groundwork for a water utility-research collaboration to improve safe water access in Gabon. Learn more

  • PI: Lutgarde Raskin, Engineering
  • Co-I: Rebecca Hardin, SEAS
  • Additional Team Members: Matthew Vedrin, Engineering; Melina Bautista, Engineering; Adelaide Nieguitsila, University of Science and Technology of Masuku, Gabon; Franck Binze Bi Kumbe, University of Cape Town, South Africa

From Farmer to Institutional Procurement: Establishing a Southeast Michigan Sustainable Livestock Working Group to Increase Supply-Chain Capacity

There is an imbalance in the Southeastern Michigan supply chain involving sustainably and humanely raised animal products. Demand from institutional purchasers and other wholesale buyers like universities, restaurants, and stores far outstrips local supply. This team will work to build a diverse working group positioned to improve understanding around the sustainability impacts of this supply-chain and, over the long term, increase production to meet growing demand for local, sustainable animal products. Learn more

  • PI: Jennifer Blesh, SEAS

  • Co-I: Joseph Trumpey, Art & Design, SEAS
  • Additional Team Members: Shannon Brines, SEAS; Alex Bryan, Michigan Dining

ENHANCING THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE

Improving Frameworks for Assessing Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in Temperate Forest Regions: New Indicators of Adaptive Capacity

Improving Frameworks for Assessing Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in Temperate Forest Regions: New Indicators of Adaptive Capacity [Photo] Policymakers and practitioners use frameworks to assess social vulnerability to climate change in order to target populations and geographic areas with adaptation programs and policies. However, current frameworks are limited in their ability to incorporate an important aspect of vulnerability—a community’s capacity to adapt. This team is working to develop robust, practical indicators of adaptive capacity to complete the framework used by the U.S. Forest Service, share it with partners, and ultimately improve agencies’ ability to target efforts toward vulnerable regions. Learn more

  • PI: Paige Fischer, Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) (PI)
  • Co-I: Wayne Baker, Ross School of Business; John Kim, U.S. Forest Service
  • Additional Team Members: Matt Sehrsweeney, SEAS

The Cumulative Economic Burden of Air Pollution Health Impacts and Energy Inefficiency under Different Energy Mix Scenarios in Southeast Michigan

DTE Energy has proposed changes to its energy mix and electricity rates. The overall and unequal distributions of air pollution health burdens in Southeast Michigan, as well as the potential for rate increases to impact the budgets of many Detroit households facing fuel poverty, may warrant consideration of more aggressive coal power phase-outs, renewable energy roll-outs, or weatherization and energy efficiency assistance. Using an energy justice framework, UM researchers and community partners will collaborate on analyses to inform the Michigan Public Service Commission’s decision on these proposed changes. Learn more

  • PI: Carina Gronlund, Institute for Social Research
  • Co-Is: Tony Reames, SEAS; Michelle Martinez, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition

For more information, please contact Maggie Allan at (734) 763-0749 or maallan@umich.edu