BLUELab Metro includes two subteams, the Solar Team and the Irrigation Team, working with Willow Run Acres to design and implement sustainable technologies that support local food growth and community connection. The solar subteam is developing solar-powered picnic tables that provide lighting and phone charging, while the irrigation subteam is creating a rainwater collection system to reduce water costs and improve growing efficiency.
This project also uplifts the story of TC Collins and the Appleridge community, who have faced displacement and inequity caused by gentrification. By combining renewable energy design with storytelling and community collaboration, we aim to show how engineering can serve people, preserve history, and create a more sustainable and inclusive future.
About our Organization
BLUElab Metro (BLUEM) is a multidisciplinary design student organization dedicated to serving our local community of southeastern Michigan under the tenets of sustainability and socially-engaged design. As an affiliate of the University of Michigan and peers of the other BLUElab project teams, we are made up of dedicated problem-solvers working for the betterment of communities around the globe.
BLUEM focuses first on co-design through cooperation with our community partners in all projects. To do this, we follow the fundamentals of socially-engaged design: an iterative process where community members are at the center of the decision-making, problem identification, and development of solutions. To maximize the effectiveness and impact of our work, we incorporate the environmental, human, social, and economic aspects of sustainability. Using these techniques lead to designs with greater contextual awareness and a greater chance of long-term success.
