Information about  SWB. They will be spending a week on the ground with Comunidad board members. We are very excited about the possibilities of having their expertise along with us as we visit our projects and evaluate the progress of the six communities.

Sustainability Without Borders (SWB) is a student organization from the University of Michigan. We are sponsored and funded by the Center for Sustainable Systems at the university’s School of Natural Resources. Our mission is to create an interdisciplinary network of sustainability practitioners who develop and implement environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable projects. Because sustainability is most successful when communities are involved, we partner directly with local communities, government and aid organizations, and businesses, and are committed to those relationships for a minimum of 4 years per our constitution and agreement with our sponsor.

Through our work, we have established connections with a number of organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, the Environmental Protection Agency, Liberian Agricultural Company, and More Than Me, a non-profit focusing on educating and empowering young girls at risk of sexual exploitation in Liberia's poorest urban community, among others. As mentioned above, we are funded by our sponsor, the Center of Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. We also pursue funding from various centers, organizations, and grants.

Our projects have been primarily based in Liberia, West Africa. However, as we expand our network and create new partnerships and chapters (Clemson and Yale), we are pursuing opportunities in Sierra Leone, Costa Rica, and downtown Detroit. Each of our projects are focused on education, human capacity development, and resource scarcity in areas of water, energy, food and waste. Below are some examples of previous and prospective projects:

Previous Projects
- Electricity-generating merry-go-round
- Solar-powered charging station (to charge generators, computers, cell phones, etc…)
- Aquaponics system
- Sustainable farm with irrigation and anaerobic digesters
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum development

Prospective Projects
- Small to medium scale energy and water solutions (energy generation from local and renewable resources, and water purification systems, sanitation, or collection).
- Afterschool programs for inner city schools in Detroit.
- 100% renewable energy strategy for a multinational agricultural company.
- Farm-to-table sustainable supply chain
- Anaerobic digesters using APM terminals
- Strategic business planning for a Liberian restaurant
- Landscape designs and aquaponics systems for a community retreat center and school yard.