Interlochen Center for the Arts has a sustainability vision focused on leaving the world a better place for tomorrow.
As an institution that sees itself as a change maker and leader in sustainability, we constantly strive to educate ourselves and our community. We do our utmost to promote the unique synergy that exists between artistic creation and stewardship of our natural world.
View our Climate Action Plan to learn more about the strategies to achieve our sustainability goals.
Interlochen Center for the Arts is committed to stewarding the environment to the best of our ability. As we continue to act on that responsibility, we also commit ourselves to sharing this passion with others. In doing so, we ensure that our care for the environment doesn’t stop with us. As leaders and change makers in the sustainability field, we inspire our community—and the next generation—to see just how much we all depend on the natural world. Every positive action we take will create a better future for us all.
Learning and Engagement Data
50+
Interlochen faculty and staff families use Interlochen's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program each summer
16
Community Garden Lecture classes offered last year
100+
lessons taught in the Educational Learning Pavilion
6
weeks of summer classes offered to Interlochen Arts Camp students in Environmental Explorations
704
volunteer hours recorded in 2024
2
weeks of summer classes offered to Interlochen Day Camp in nature, art, and sustainability
26
community service students supported weekend and evening operations in 2024
50+
high school students earned high school science credit in sustainable agriculture
Sustainability Lecture Series
Enjoy one or several community classes focused on creative sustainability and exploration of nature. Our goal is to inspire adult learners to interact with our local environment in a positive way. We explore cooking, artistry, and ecology while providing an educational and exciting learning experience for all.
Volunteer with Interlochen’s Sustainability Department
We are pleased to offer a variety of volunteer opportunities including work at our pollinator gardens, hoop houses, lakeshore restoration sites, and other vital areas on campus. There are tasks available for every ability, and you can sign up for a time shift that works for your schedule. If you are interested in helping, please fill out the Volunteer Form.
Each summer, Interlochen’s Sustainability Department partners with MI Farm Cooperative to make Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm shares available to our local community. Enjoy weekly boxes of produce from area farms, including fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, eggs, and more.
With an organization of Interlochen’s size, it’s important that we see all of our operations—the things we do on a daily basis to stay running—as opportunities to steward what’s been given to us. By 2028, we will ensure that our land use, transportation options, dining services, waste management, and purchasing all occur in a way that protects and preserves our environment. We support our artistic and cultural mission by making it sustainable for years to come.
Sustainable Operations Data
$10K+
of USDA market-value produce is grown and sent to Interlochen cafeterias annually
1.5K
avg. lbs of fresh, organic, student and volunteer-grown produce is harvested and donated to the Interlochen cafeterias every year
2M
plastic bottles saved by using the 39 WaterSense bottle refill stations throughout campus
350+
metric tons of compost are produced through our composting program
870+
native plants were grown and installed in locations across campus in 2024
750+
acres surveyed for habitat quality assessments and species inventorying
Buildings and Energy
Interlochen’s buildings are a visual and functional reminder of everything we stand for. As we continue to make room for our growing creative community, it’s important to consider the impact each of our buildings has on the environment. Creating guidelines for construction, electrical use, and emissions helps ensure that Interlochen enters its centennial with the tools to last for another century.
Buildings and Energy Data
2/3
of our electrical energy needs come from renewable energy for a minimum of 10 years
600K
gallons of water are saved every year with energy-efficient dishwashing systems
NEW
buildings and refurbishing will feature high efficiency appliances and utilities
Water Bottle Filling Stations
We provide several WaterSense water bottle filling stations throughout campus to lower our plastic waste. View our map to find one near you.
In 2019, we opened an onsite industrial compost facility which composts all pre- and post-consumer foods from Stone Cafeteria. The facility is managed in-house and utilizes food waste, woodchips, and leaf litter to create over 350 metric tons of compost annually. The greenhouse also features small scale composting including bins, a tumbler, and worm composting (vermicomposting).
Raised Beds
Our custom-designed raised beds ease the strain on gardeners’ backs while allowing us to cultivate excellent soil conditions, free from pest pressure from rabbits and other animals. Constantly in seasonal rotation, the raised beds embody a companion garden philosophy: each bed contains a variety of beneficial plants that work together to provide optimal growing conditions.
Beekeeping
We host several beekeeping classes each summer at our onsite apiary, managed by Interlochen’s beekeepers. The honeybees provide an important pollination service to our community gardens while also serving as a vital teaching tool on the importance of pollinators in agriculture.
Aquaponics
We operate a 500-gallon aquaponics system inside the greenhouse, growing both food and fish in a symbiotic relationship. The fish produce nitrogen and minerals that plants need to grow. Minimal water is used in this closed-loop system. Aquaponics is a sustainable food system for growing plants year round, even in winter temperatures.
Chickens
We have chickens onsite that provide our community with fresh eggs and also an important nitrogen-rich source of compost manure. Interlochen Arts Academy students learn about chicken reproduction and anatomy in class and have the opportunity to raise chickens first hand.
Hoop Houses
Hoophouses are covered spaces that are heated through passive solar energy using the greenhouse effect. Interlochen’s hoop houses allow us to grow and harvest twelve months of the year—making them a special tool in northern Michigan, where our growing climate is normally only a few months long. We have three hoop houses on site and use each of them in regular crop rotations, paying careful attention to soil health, cover crops, crop varieties, and pest pressures.
Native Pollinator Gardens
We have gardens full of native perennial plants to attract pollinators, which are beneficial to the local ecology and the crops we grow at Interlochen. We host a variety of native plants that provide nectar and pollen sources all spring, summer, and fall. These pollinator gardens are one way we support native habitats while growing food in our agricultural system.
Lakeshore Restoration Project
The delicate area between the water and the land, known as the riparian zone, serves a vital role: it helps prevent erosion; filters stormwater runoff; and provides shelter, food, and mating habitat for native species. In concert with Fish and Wildlife Services, we have worked on restoring the lakeshore habitat along Green Lake. Students and volunteers joined our staff to plant dozens of native plants along this area.
Orchard
Our orchard space is home to dozens of fruiting trees, grape vines, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and much more. We are also in the early stages of designing an agricultural and educational space for our community to learn more about orchard species.
Monarch & Blue Karner Butterfly Conservation Projects
Monarch butterfly populations are plummeting at a startling rate, and Blue Kamer butterflies are endangered. Both species suffer from the human impacts of habitat loss, host plant removal, and dangerous pesticides. We have designed habitats with host plants to attract mating butterflies to lay their eggs, food sources for their caterpillars, and ample nectar sources for the adults.
Mushrooms
In collaboration with a local mushroom grower, we utilize spent mushroom blocks to compost organic material while also growing the remaining spores onsite at the mushroom garden.
Our Staff
Interlochen’s Sustainability staff come from diverse backgrounds in aquatics, agriculture, education, and more. As caretakers of the R. B. Annis Botanical Lab and Community Garden, they ensure that all of Interlochen’s Sustainability initiatives run smoothly and serve as vital links between the organization and the local community.
The project, which involved Arts Camp students, staff, and faculty members, was part of an ongoing effort by Interlochen to support and raise awareness for this native species.
