MSU selects next director of sustainability to lead its efforts toward climate neutrality by 2050

<p>Chip Amoe is Michigan State University's <a href="https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2023/msu-names-sustainability-director">new director of sustainability</a>, and he's leading the <a href="https://sustainability.msu.edu">Office of Sustainability</a> at MSU. </p><p>What attracted you to MSU?</p><p>“We’re the oldest land-grant university in the country, and so we've got a great history. You've got great proximity here to our state leaders, and we're doing all the things that are important for sustainability in the future. I truly believe that climate change is the biggest threat that we all face across the entire globe, and that it is the existential threat that we all must address. But here at MSU, we're working on a lot of the things that have an impact, not just on climate change, but sustainability broadly. Everything from packaging to supply chain to agriculture, all these things are critical to addressing sustainability and improving the health of our people and our planet.”</p><p>How did you originally get interested in this area and why you're passionate about it?</p><p>“I've always been passionate about the planet. I grew up in Michigan. My formative years were in Alpena, and I've lived in Grosse Pointe and Ann Arbor and spent time in Traverse City. I'm really all in on Michigan and its natural resources. It's always been a passion. I started recycling before it was cool and was pushing my parents to do it. I'm the guy who digs the recycling out of the trash in my own home and pulls it out.</p><p>“I've always believed that our built environment has a big impact on our health and that as we're redesigning and redeveloping cities, and I had a particular passion about doing that in Detroit, that we needed to do that with an eye towards health if we're going to redesign and redevelop cities. That's what got me into it. I’m an advocate for a more sustainable and healthier environment.”</p><p>What’s the mission of the Office of Sustainability? How is it evolving, what is your role, and where do you want