‘Hoodstead’: “I have yet to come across an account that highlights the realities of owning a home as a Black person in the city of Detroit,” reads a social media post from Dakarai Carter and Kamaria Gray, who recently purchased a large home in Detroit’s Osborn Neighborhood with three lots. Adapting the homesteading movement for a Detroit audience, the couple runs […]
Posted inAccountability
School siting report, Marathon consent order address concerns about pollution in schools
Between 2017 and 2020, Detroit’s Marathon Petroleum Company refinery repeatedly exceeded state and federal air quality rules and regulations. In early February, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Air Quality Division announced it had finalized a consent order with Marathon. It calls for the company to upgrade the air handling and […]
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From the Headlines – Week of March 8, 2021
Duggan’s priorities: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan addressed a few environmental concerns in his yearly State of the City address, saying that the city has renovated 148 parks in the last five years and that 80 new busses have been added to help Detroiters get to them. Duggan made the interesting choice of highlighting a commitment by the Moroun family–who owns […]
Posted inCommunity
First five Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund grantees finalize land purchases
Willie Patmon, 86, plans to more than double his six lot farm with seven new lots on Detroit’s east side. Five of the 30 Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund grantees recently completed deals to purchase properties from the City of Detroit, ushering in what funders hope to be a major uptick in land ownership for […]
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From the Headlines – Week of March 1, 2021
Uncharted waters: Detroit’s Charter Commission proposed changes to the city charter that would affect government accountability, housing, water, and transportation. Among other measures, the commission is recommending a new water rate system and low-income fare plan for buses. “Every human being deserves true quality of life, and your historic efforts will enshrine these rights in the city’s constitution,” […]
Posted inCommunity
Planet Detroit’s first intern Jena Brooker moving on to greener environmental reporting pastures
Brooker will begin a fellowship this month with national environmental publication Grist Regular Planet Detroit contributor Jena Brooker is saying goodbye to Planet Detroit (for now). Jena will be moving on to a fellowship with Grist, an online environmental newsroom that calls itself “a beacon in the smog.” She’ll report on climate change and environmental […]
Posted inSolutions
Upcycling Kitchen converts rescued food to nutritious meals for food-insecure Detroiters
Many people experiencing food insecurity don’t have access to the tools to turn raw ingredients into healthy meals. Upcycling Kitchen bridges that gap while addressing food waste. When I entered the Upcycling Kitchen at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, I was greeted first by the overwhelming sight and aroma of organic vegetables. Chef Ederique Goudia and […]
Posted inAccountability
Citizens issue notice of intent to sue Dearborn’s AK Steel over repeated Clean Air Act violations
The notice claims the Ohio-based company has failed to correct violations and spews pollution a quarter-mile from residential neighborhoods and a school. Local environmental groups and residents living near the AK Steel Dearborn Works plant have taken the first step in filing a citizen lawsuit against the factory’s owner over alleged Clean Air Act violations. […]
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From the Headlines – Week of February 22, 2021
Tree care: R&B singer SZA has teamed up with the TAZO tea company and tree planting organization American Forests to start a green jobs program in Detroit and several other cities that will train residents to plant and care for trees. As previously reported in Planet Detroit, tree planting could help the city manage stormwater and mitigate against extreme heat, […]
Posted inAccountability
How an east side land deal impacted a zoning dispute on Detroit’s southwest side
Keith Rodgerson had planned on attending a virtual meeting for Detroit’s planning and economic committee on January 14, but he was distracted by a demolition crew cutting down trees planted in a vacant lot near his house. The trees had been planted by the Greening of Detroit on the corner of West Grand Boulevard and […]