Shaping the Future: U-M’s First Vice Provost for Climate Action
This month, Shalanda Baker began her role as the University of Michigan’s inaugural Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action. In this role, she will lead U-M’s interdisciplinary efforts on sustainability, focusing on integrating environmental topics into academic curricula, fostering critical research, and advancing the university’s sustainability goals. Previously, Baker served as the Director of the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she focused on advancing energy justice initiatives. With a background in law, energy policy, and environmental equity, she is also known for her academic work and advocacy for integrating justice into energy policy. SBN Detroit spoke with Baker to learn more about her vision, goals, challenges, and the collaborative approach she plans to bring to this new role. Q: As the first person to hold this new position, how do you envision setting the foundation? A: I’m spending a lot of time getting to know the university and the professors engaged in sustainability. I have two direct-report units, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum and the Graham Sustainability Institute. My initial focus is on understanding how all of the sustainability pieces across our large, decentralized campus fit together. Moving quickly is essential if we’re going to make an impact on climate, but building trust and relationships will be key to accelerating future efforts. I’m focusing on three main areas: Curriculum – I’m thinking about ways to ensure every student has a foundational understanding of climate and sustainability and how climate connects to their field. This could involve creating specific requirements or expanding existing ones. Research and Innovation – I’m interested in how we can further support our existing institutes and centers that are advancing work in climate and sustainability, particularly in removing any barriers they face. Community and Impact – Michigan is in a unique position to lead on sustainability, and I want to consider how we can best advance community impact in our state. Q: Given your diverse background in policy and energy justice, how does your experience shape your approach to this new role? A: I guess I am a bit of a unicorn—having experience as a law professor, a public policy professor, and an entrepreneur. I’ve created organizations that bring community voices into complex policy discussions, which will be invaluable here. My experience in the Biden administration, working with the Department of Energy, involved coordinating scientists and engineers to advance energy justice. At U-M, I’ll be taking a similar interdisciplinary approach, working across departments and disciplines to move us all in the same direction. I know it’s a challenging role, but it builds on everything I’ve done before. Q: U-M has various departments and initiatives focused on sustainability. How will you work with these different entities to create a unified approach across campus? A: The university is known for its decentralized structure, and I appreciate the “letting a million flowers bloom” approach to innovation. I don’t want to stifle that creativity, but I do believe a central set of priorities can support and amplify the work that’s happening while offering a clear vision. I’ll be establishing an internal executive council to advise on our academic approach and to serve as a sounding board to validate and advance our goals. Another focus will be removing bureaucratic barriers that can slow down progress. Finally, I’ll be focusing on creating a clear framework that all our work can fit within. For example, I’m very excited about big, unifying concepts like “Just Transition,” which would frame our sustainability work within a commitment to equity and justice. Q: What specific goals or benchmarks are you looking to achieve in the first year or two? A: President Ono’s Vision 2034 provides an ambitious roadmap, with sustainability and climate action as key pillars. I’m excited to develop concrete metrics within that framework in partnership with our advisory council. One of my immediate goals is to position Michigan as a hub for climate action by convening conversations around the significant investment dollars flowing into the state and country. I’d also love to establish a Michigan Climate Week, hosting interdisciplinary events that bring together scholars, policymakers, and community leaders. Additionally, I’m exploring opportunities to convene global thinkers at U-M, much like the Institute for Social Research, but focused on climate solutions. Q: How will partnerships play a role in sustainability efforts under your leadership? A: Partnerships are essential. I’m meeting with other university leaders in similar roles, and I’ve spoken at places like the University of Texas and Arizona State to learn how they approach sustainability. No university can tackle this alone, and we’ll benefit from building on each other’s work. We also need strong partnerships with state government and local leaders; these relationships will be crucial to achieving our goals. Q: To that end, U-M is part of the University Research Corridor with WSU and Michigan State. What does your future work look like here, and how do you think U-M’s efforts impact this larger initiative? A: I’m excited to engage deeply with the University Research Corridor (URC). President Ono is committed to ensuring U-M is an active collaborator. Climate and sustainability are areas where we can work together effectively, especially with the influx of investment dollars Michigan is seeing for climate-related projects. The URC offers a platform for a coordinated approach, allowing us to make a more substantial impact across the state and lead in this area. Q: How will the university’s Innovation District in Detroit factor into U-M’s sustainability and climate action goals? Could this space serve as a model for sustainable urban development? A: The Innovation District in Detroit is a promising opportunity, though it’s still in the early stages. Detroit is undergoing incredible changes, and with my background in energy justice, I’m very interested in how this district can address both environmental and socioeconomic challenges. This area could become a prime example of how clean energy initiatives can drive economic and social transformation in cities that have historically faced challenges.
Working to Reduce Packaging’s Environmental Impact
According to information from the University Research Corridor – Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University – each year an estimated 11,000 tons of plastic pollution enters the Great Lakes, harming fish and wildlife and getting into our food and drinking water. “The United States currently recycles only 5 percent of its plastic waste, and 30 percent of plastic ends up in products that can’t be recycled at all,” said Muhammad Rabnawaz, an assistant professor at Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. Since August 2016, Rabnawaz’s work in the lab includes creating a new generation of highly skilled workforce, reducing plastic waste from the packaging industry, and creating end-of-life solutions for waste plastics. Rabnawaz and his team of students are working closely with Michigan packaging and manufacturing companies to achieve innovation around these efforts. SBN Detroit spoke to Rabnawaz about this work and its potential impact on Southeast Michigan residents, businesses, the community, and the planet. Q: Can you expand on the work you are doing to reduce plastic packaging waste? A: Our mission is to find solutions to minimize the element of waste coming from packaging. My top priority is to reduce the environmental impact originating from the packaging sector. Our work focuses on several aspects related to this. First, we are looking at how we can divert plastic waste from landfills and move it back into manufacturing. Recycled plastic typically has low performance compared to virgin plastic, so we are creating methods and protocols that help build back the properties of the material to try to achieve virgin-like performance. Second, we are designing for simplification and driving the idea of looking at the end of life of the packaging in the beginning – when we create it. Much of the plastic used in packaging is multilayered with different types of plastic making up each of several layers. This makes it much more difficult to recycle. We are working on ways to simplify this and forward the use of single-layered plastics or those with fewer layers. The third is paper-based alternatives. Plastic has unique properties, yet some alternatives are paper-based that do not create microplastics and hence are much better for the environment from this aspect. So, we are working on research and creating the technologies for the implementation of real-world applications, while at the same time educating students to take the lead in sustainability and packaging innovation in the coming years. Q: The National Science Foundation awarded you a 2021 CAREER grant to research how to best simplify plastics recycling by developing affordable polymers that are easy to recycle. What are you learning through this research? A: A common type of plastic is a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset. Think of the handle of a pressure cooker or cookware. When you heat it, it does not melt. Thermosets make up 20% of the plastic market. The problem is if we cannot melt it, it cannot be recycled and used for something else. So, we are working on creating a vitrimer (plastic) that behaves like a thermoset and is heat resistant, but above a certain temperature it can be melted, so it can be recycled like thermoplastics (plastics that can be melted). Q: What is your involvement with Michigan packaging companies? A: We work closely with several local companies that make plastics, companies that convert plastics to packaging, and companies that work on the recycling of plastics. So, the full supply chain Q: When do you believe your work will be commercially viable? A: We are certainly working toward commercializing the technologies we are developing with Southeast Michigan businesses in the interest of helping our community and our planet. One example is a product that can be used as an alternative to a single-use plastic bag, which we are testing now and anticipate it being commercialized in up to one year. I anticipate the technology I spoke about regarding simple structure versus multilayered to be in practice within 18-24 months. It’s time-consuming. We have to look at performance as well as consumer safety and that takes time. Q: What does this research potentially mean to Michigan manufacturers and businesses, and how does this tie into the manufacturing industry here? A: Some global packaging giants run their research and development in Michigan. They are looking at materials that can improve the performance of recycled materials. According to the U.S. Plastic Pact, by 2025 if a company is creating a package it has to consist of 30% recycled material or 30% biobased material. The collection of 30% is not easy. Packaging companies are going to need help to meet the requirements of this pact and other regulations coming in. We are working toward that and working toward educating the next generation to assist. Q: To that end, what kinds of skills will the students you are working with have upon entering the workforce, and might this impact Michigan businesses? A: We are generating a workforce equipped with design and development knowledge for sustainable materials and packaging. They will have the training and expertise to deliver alternatives to protect our environment. The research we are conducting is focused on solving real-world problems, and the students are connected to stakeholders and local companies to do so. For example, two of my graduate students have internships they are starting in January where they’ll have opportunities to put their skills and knowledge to work, as well as bring back learnings that will then positively impact our research. Q: What drives your passion here? A: Developing the technologies to reduce plastic pollution coming from packaging to benefit society and make the environment better – and training students at the same time – that’s an amazing thing. Q: What does the future of packaging look like in Michigan? A: I think packaging will include more and more recycled materials. In the longer term, I think we’ll see more biodegradable plastics and paper alternatives. I hope that the work we are doing will
