1. Water shutoffs in Detroit continue With activists sometimes alleging a “media blackout” on the subject, water was still being turned off for some of Detroit’s most vulnerable residents. This topic did receive some attention, although often it was strangely upbeat. Towards the beginning of the year, The Detroit News wrote that there was a “dramatic decline” […]
Posted inVoices
ESSAY: Parenting in an era of climate change
Metro Detroit writer Jenn McKee explores the landscape at the intersection of climate change, parenting, and the truth. Nobody can hold your feet to the fire quite like an eight-year-old. Seriously. My youngest daughter’s been pushing me on some pretty hard questions lately. And I’m not talking about death (we covered that ground pretty thoroughly […]
Posted inCommunity
Short Film: MOTHER
By Lauren Santucci Many people are aware that Southwest Detroit is Michigan’s most air-polluted neighborhood. The statistics are bleak—with high rates of asthma, emphysema, and poor birth outcomes. It’s also a place where residents find themselves in a position of having to choose between their community and their health. The video centers on Thomasenia Weston, […]
Posted inCommunity
Why climate activists and U-M administrators clashed over plans for carbon neutrality
Photo via Climate Action Movement at the University of Michigan By Miriam Francisco In 2011, the University of Michigan announced its intention to cut carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2025. But seven years later, carbon emission reduction had stalled at just 5 percent. So after U-M President Mark Schlissel announced a new planning committee […]
Posted inCommunity
On the environmental legacy of L. Brooks Patterson
Plenty of reminiscing these past two weeks has centered on the life and legacy of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who passed away on August 3. Planet Detroit took some time to delve into how the county executive’s 29-year career has impacted Metro Detroit’s environment. So what was Brooks’ environmental legacy? Here’s a rundown: Natural Area […]
Posted inSolutions
Why Detroit’s new Sustainability Action Agenda links climate action with quality of life
The first thing Joel Howrani Heeres wants you to know about the new Detroit Sustainability Action Agenda is that it is not just a climate plan. “I felt it really wouldn’t communicate as well if it was just focusing on climate,” Heeres, director of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability, says. “I wanted to focus on the full spectrum […]
Posted inAccountability
Detroiters pack hearing on new DTE Energy plan
In his opening remarks at the June 20th public hearing for DTE Energy’s new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), Norman J. Saari–one of three appointed commissioners for the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) who will decide what happens with the plan–expressed his surprise at seeing so many people come out for what might seem like a dry and […]
Posted inAccountability
Behind the changing face of recycling in metro Detroit
By Claire Charlton Joyce Wiswell calls herself a “fanatical recycler.” She picks through her kitchen garbage to rescue containers her husband has casually tossed and meticulously cleans them for the single stream recycling bin she and her Royal Oak neighbors received as one of the 12 member communities serviced by recycling authority SOCRRA. “Drives me nuts to see […]