The September 16th news roundup by Brian Allnutt published in Planet Detroit awakened a profound sense of urgency in me about the need to elect policymakers who will enact legislation that will reduce heat-trapping emissions quickly enough to avoid the worst climate impacts for our children and others who suffer disproportionately from fossil fuel pollution. […]
Posted inSolutions
Urban Forest School brings nature-based education to Detroit’s kids of color
Erin Preston-Johnson Bevel always loved being in nature. So she wanted to find a way to incorporate those benefits into her child’s education. “You go into nature, and you’re there just receiving all this energy from the forest,” she said. “And [I’m] just wanting to bring that to Detroiters and our little babies.” So Erin […]
Posted inVoices
Carbon offsets: Success or scam?
By CAMERYN CASS Capital News Service LANSING – To help reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Michigan officials have created a 100,000-acre project in the Pigeon River Country State Forest north of Gaylord that will sell carbon credits to businesses interested in offsetting their emissions. Through such programs, big businesses and corporations can buy […]
Posted inUncategorized
From the Headlines— Oct 17 – 21
Two years of pollution: At a Wednesday meeting held by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Detroiters expressed anger and frustration over ongoing pollution from Stellantis’ Mack Assembly Plant. Although the company applied to install a regenerative thermal oxidizer to treat emissions from its paint shop in May, EGLE still hasn’t approved the device. […]
Posted inCommunity
Planet Detroit honors 2022 Climate Leaders
Detroit is full of leaders — look in every neighborhood, every business, and every nonprofit, and you’ll find them. They’re usually humble and want to give credit to someone else. Without their efforts, we’d be lessened. That’s why Planet Detroit decided to honor the people and organizations making a difference in our local climate response. […]
Posted inSolutions
Detroit’s young farmers can help the US meet its climate goals. Is Washington listening?
This article originally appeared in Nexus Media News and was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Foundations. At Sanctuary Farms on Detroit’s East Side, Jøn Kent and a team of volunteers use cardboard and paper bags to starve invasive weedy plants instead of using herbicides; they plant marigolds and lavender amid squash, […]
Posted inCommunity
New book details how advocates rescued the Rouge River
By ANASTASIA PIRRAMI Capital News Service LANSING – The Rouge River of the Detroit metropolitan area flows through what was once one of the most polluted watersheds in America. It was so polluted with oil and other petroleum products that in 1969 it caught fire. A river cleanup would not begin for another 16 years. […]
Posted inSolutions
Composting in Detroit gets a boost from the Philippines
This article originally appeared in Nexus Media News and was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Foundations. On a recent Saturday morning Pamela McGhee and several neighbors were busy at work in a community garden on Detroit’s Eastside, weighing food scraps and assessing compost piles for compliance. Items in the compost are […]