TAKE OUR READER SURVEY! Read part one here for an explainer on carbon neutrality. Carbon neutrality emerged from COP 26 as one of the key strategies for mitigating global climate change, and President Biden’s climate plan aims for the entire United States to be carbon neutral by 2050. And it was a crucial part of […]
Posted inGuides
What is carbon neutrality?
TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! Michigan’s new plan for climate change, the MI Healthy Climate Plan, is now in draft form and open for public comment. The plan aims to achieve Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2020 executive order, which directs state departments to reach “economy-wide carbon neutrality” in Michigan by 2050. The plan also aims […]
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Michigander Derrell Slaughter sees climate change activism as 'next civil rights movement'
TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! In 2009, Derrell Slaughter began knocking on the doors of Michigan residents. He saw sustainability and climate change as the next civil rights movement and wanted to make sure Black people would be included in the transition to a green economy. Going city to city across the state, Slaughter organized […]
Posted inSolutions
Community fridges gain foothold in Michigan
By KAYLA NELSENCapital News Service LANSING — In Great Lakes cities and elsewhere not all of the fridges that sit on the sidewalks are bound for the landfill or for resale. Some are community hubs resisting environmental damage, food insecurity and the stigma of mutual aid. Community fridges are working fridges, usually connected to an […]
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From the headlines— February 14-18, 2022
Sustainable development: Detroit has seen the growth of several “EcoDistricts” in recent years, like Hope Village at the intersection of Lodge and Davison freeways, where residents have started a farmers market and are working to foster energy efficiency and build affordable housing. But Hope Village and similar projects in Yorkshire Woods and Southwest Detroit have had […]
Posted inVoices
OPINION: Reducing food waste feeds a healthy climate
In August 2021, a report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared climate change as “widespread, rapid, and intensifying.” That information was no surprise to Michigan residents who have endured increasingly severe rainstorms, flooding, and power outages in the last two years. Still, the extreme weather and the report’s urgent call to lower […]
Posted inCommunity
Detroiters try ice climbing at Pictured Rocks during Michigan Ice Fest
A bus full of Detroiters arrived at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for the five-day Michigan Ice Fest, held Feb. 8-13. Participants learned how to ice climb, went hiking and dog sledding, and met other outdoor enthusiasts. The trip was sponsored by Detroit Outdoors, Bus for Outdoor Access & Teaching (BOAT), and other […]
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This bipartisan bill could change federal climate adaptation response. Here’s how.
TAKE OUR READER SURVEY HERE! With West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin blocking the Build Back Better legislation–which would have directed around $555 billion toward climate action–there’s been discussion of breaking up some of that bill’s provisions into smaller pieces that could pass the Senate. One measure that has gained bipartisan support and might address some […]
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Public Service commissioner talks alternative energy, vulnerable communities
By RACHEL DUCKETTCapital News Service LANSING – In 2019, Michigan State University alum Tremaine Phillips was appointed to the three-member Public Service Commission, making him one of the country’s youngest public service commissioners at age 33. The commission’s mission is to “serve the public by ensuring safe, reliable and accessible energy and telecommunications services at […]
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Metro Detroit aquarium an ark for Florida corals
By HANNAH BROCKCapital News Service LANSING – In a small back room of an aquarium in a Detroit-area suburban mall lies a tank of endangered corals native to places more than a thousand miles away. Michigan’s Sea Life Aquarium in Auburn Hills is one of several teams across the U.S. hosting corals rescued from a […]