In Southwest Detroit, Nick George, aka Dr. Sushi, runs a sustainable food business pairing Midwestern agriculture and produce with Japanese cooking techniques. It “grinds” him that more Michigan-based restaurants don’t use Great Lakes fish in their cuisine. He doesn’t see the point in importing fish, especially tiny ones, halfway across the world, he said, when […]
Posted inCommunity
New case study, federal assistance boost ‘smart neighborhood’ concept in Highland Park
Juan Shannon’s vision of a sustainable neighborhood in Highland Park got two boosts in recent weeks. In partnership with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Shannon’s Parker Village recently released a case study detailing the feasibility of using a microgrid to power its community. The report came just before last week’s announcement that the city […]
Posted inSolutions
Revolutionary changes in transportation, from electric vehicles to ride sharing, could slow global warming – if they’re done right, IPCC says
By: Alan Jenn Around the world, revolutionary changes are under way in transportation. More electric vehicles are on the road, people are taking advantage of sharing mobility services such as Uber and Lyft, and the rise in telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way people think about commuting. Transportation is a growing source […]
Posted inUncategorized
Michigan's Black terns at risk; Consumers Energy aims to decarbonize with methane + offsets
CO2 2022/2021 420.63 ppm / 421.21 ppm TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! ‘Now or never’: A recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stresses that emissions must peak by 2025 and be halved by the decade’s end to stave off catastrophic warming. “It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming […]
Posted inCommunity
DNR keeps people guessing on social media
By GABRIELLE AHLBORN Capital News Service LANSING – After a four-year hiatus, the Department of Natural Resources has revived its popular Facebook series “IdentiFriday.” IdentiFriday asks participants to guess the species of a plant or animal based on a small portion of a picture each Friday. The correct answer is then posted with the full photo […]
Posted inSolutions
These energy innovations could transform how we mitigate climate change, and save money in the process – 5 essential reads
By: Tracey Morford To most people, a solar farm or a geothermal plant is simply a power producer. Scientists and engineers see far more potential. They envision offshore wind turbines capturing and storing carbon beneath the sea, and geothermal plants producing essential metals for powering electric vehicles. Electric vehicle batteries, too, can be transformed to […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines- March 28 – April 1
Odor unlimited: Stellantis’s east side Detroit plant added another odor violation to its tally last week (Stellantis was formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles). Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) cited the Mack Avenue plant for “objectionable/paint solvent” odors after an investigator observed smells of “moderate-intensity” in neighborhoods close to the plant. At […]
Posted inCommunity
Spring into Membership with Planet Detroit!
Join today for as little as $6 per month, or $50 annually. Or choose your own amount Do you value the news and information you get from Planet Detroit? Each week, we work hard to give you local, independent nonprofit journalism focused on Detroit and Michigan’s environment and public health. This takes time and money. Please […]
Posted inClimate poems, Community, Deep Dives
Planet Detroit + Room Project want your poems on Detroit, climate change, & the environment
DEADLINE APRIL 30! It’s April! This month we celebrate Earth Day and National Poetry Month. As one of my favorite poets, Sharon Olds, said: “Writing or making anything — a poem, a bird feeder, a chocolate cake — has self-respect in it. You’re working. You’re trying. You’re not lying down on the ground, having given […]
Posted inVoices
How fast can we stop Earth from warming?
By: Richard B. Rood Global warming doesn’t stop on a dime. If people everywhere stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, stored heat would still continue to warm the atmosphere. Picture how a radiator heats a home. Water is heated by a boiler, and the hot water circulates through pipes and radiators in the house. The radiators […]