Southfield’s Lawrence Technology University (LTU) is home to a Michigan program that offers complimentary waste reduction and sustainability expertise to companies interested in pursuing a lower carbon footprint.
Known as the RESTART Program, services are provided by retired professionals (Retired Engineers, Scientists, Technicians, Administrators, Researchers and Teachers) who want to remain in the workforce on a part-time basis. The program, which operates within the LTU Centrepolis Accelerator department, currently employs 20 professionals with a scientific background and experience in energy efficiency, sustainability or risk reduction practices.
According to Robert Jackson, Executive Director of the program, “We provide funded onsite energy and sustainability assessments and consultations to Michigan businesses with less than 500 FTEs (full-time equivalents) and public institutions of any size, including K through 12 schools.”
The RESTART program — a collaboration between the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and LTU — is committed to helping businesses maximize energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, promote sustainable manufacturing practices and/or lower operational costs.
Although other states offer similar programs, “None of them is as unique as ours,” says Jackson, pointing out the RESTART’s student internship offering.
“We’ll place junior and senior engineering students or those in the sciences into a business over the course of a summer to work on an energy efficiency or sustainability project. We currently have solicitation for students in the state of Michigan who are looking for an internship, as well as solicitation for businesses seeking an intern for the summer. What also makes our internship program different is that our retired professionals serve as mentors over the course of the summer as students carry out their projects.
Jackson encourages companies to explore the RESTART Program if they’re interested in improving energy efficiency and sustainability practices. “The program can conduct an audit and help guide companies through the process.” To date, says Jackson, “We’ve done about 131 energy sustainability assessments, with more planned for the year. We hope to get to 150 by the end of the summer.”
For more information about the RESTART Program, visit https://www.restartmi.org.
