What comes next? This week, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced plans to tear down the Detroit incinerator, which has been closed since 2019. The facility burned 5,000 tons of trash a day for years, much of it coming from outside of Detroit, and received 750 citations for air pollution between 2013 and 2018. KT Andresky, a resident living near the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Planet Detroit welcomes Jenna Fei, our 2022 Detroit River Story Lab intern
Planet Detroit is thrilled to welcome Jenna Fei as our 2022 Detroit River Story Lab intern. Fei an undergraduate majoring in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Michigan. Over the summer, she will be creating a series about the Detroit River’s journey through the past, present, and future. Fei’s internship is supported by […]
Posted inAccountability
Detroit River cleanup: Federal funding ready but bureaucracy, lack of state financial investment remain barriers to progress
Experts call on Michigan to provide financial support: ‘The state has a responsibility to make sure it is cleaned up.’ Federal funding from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill that will jump-start the long-awaited remediation of toxic sediment in the Detroit River is set to flow. Now the hard work begins to find corporations and other […]
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Detroit gets a new climate resilience hub, Michigan GOP jumps to pin blackouts on Whitmer
CO2 2022/2021 420.42 ppm / 417.95 ppm Dear Michigan Climate News readers, In the news this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer works to re-open the Palisades nuclear plant as the GOP blames her for potential rolling blackouts this summer. Allergy season is getting longer, and the Great Lakes are evaporating (for now). It's a wild world […]
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How can agriculture be part of Michigan's climate solution?
This is part in an ongoing series about Michiganders working toward climate solutions. Know a person, project or idea we should write about? Hit reply! SUBSCRIBE TO MICHIGAN CLIMATE NEWS! *** JOIN US FRIDAY, MAY 27 at noon LIVE on Facebook for a conversation on Resilient Agriculture & Climate Change in Michigan. REGISTER HERE *** […]
Posted inCommunity
The future of transit is electric: City officials unveil new fleet of electric buses in Detroit
Detroit transit officials say they are confident new electric buses will be a boon to the city A new fleet of electric buses will pave the way for the city’s carbon-free future by eliminating diesel emissions and lowering maintenance costs while also giving Detroiters a smoother riding experience, according to city transit officials. Detroit Department […]
Posted inAccountability
Restoring the Great Lakes: After 50 years of US-Canada joint efforts, some success and lots of unfinished business
By: Daniel Macfarlane The Great Lakes cover nearly 95,000 square miles (250,000 square kilometers) and hold over 20% of Earth’s surface fresh water. More than 30 million people in the U.S. and Canada rely on them for drinking water. The lakes support a multibillion-dollar maritime economy, and the lands around them provided many of the raw materials – timber, […]
Posted inCommunity
A day in the life of environmental justice advocates—and a victory for clean air in Northwest Detroit
For months, a coalition of northwest Detroit residents has been fighting against a proposed asphalt mixing plant. When another hearing would decide the fate of the surrounding neighborhoods, they showed up. The early morning sun welcomed a small army of neighbors gathering outside the North Rosedale Park Community House, nestled inside a haven of maple […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines- May 16 – 20
No asphalt plant: The Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously upheld a previous decision by Detroit’s Buildings, Safety, Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) to deny a permit to a Pontiac-based asphalt company to establish an asphalt manufacturing and processing facility in Detroit’s northwest side on the Southfield service drive Tuesday. More than a dozen residents attended the meeting to […]
Posted inDemocracy
Why defending democracy could be Michigan’s biggest environmental challenge
In 2020, the Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter made an unconventional choice for their “environmentalist of the year”: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The group commended her “extraordinary work in safeguarding democracy during this year’s historic elections”, which in Michigan included dealing with Republicans who believed votes were being improperly counted and mobbed Detroit’s TCF Center […]