“It’s no longer something kinky or interesting,” Jac Smit, president of the Urban Agriculture Network, tells Worldwatch writer Ben Block. “The ‘chicken underground’ has really spread so widely and has so much support.”

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However, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, during the first half of 2008, renewable sources made up more than 10% of all domestic energy production.

For the period January 1 - June 30, 2008, the United States consumed 50.673 quadrillion Btus (quads) of energy - of which 34.162 quads was from domestic sources and 16.511 quads was imported.

Domestically-produced renewable energy (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) totaled 3.606 quads — an amount equal to 10.56% of U.S. energy consumption that is domestically-produced.

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The excitement in the air was running high, even though we all stood squished up against each other for a few hours beforehand. It felt a lot like being in a mosh pit at a concert, actually. And after listening to a few boring stump speeches from Democratic candidates running for the MSU Board of Trustees (seriously, we came to see Barack) and the most political prayer I’ve ever heard from a priest, the man appeared at the podium.

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In a 390-25 vote, the House approved a measure on Tuesday that will increase protection of the Great Lakes region. It will prohibit any new diversions of the water to other places, and require states that border the lakes to adhere to new conservation standards.

Together, the five Great Lakes account for 20 percent of the world’s supply of fresh surface water.

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The fund would pay for efforts to prevent and control invasive species entering the lakes, clean up polluted sediments and help pay for sewer system repairs throughout the area. The program would also create a Great Lakes coordinator position in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Funding for Obama’s Great Lakes plan would come from reversing some existing tax cuts and incentives for oil companies.

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There are not a lot of “green” businesses in Flint. Absolutely none listed in Co-op America’s National Green Pages or in any other database of green businesses that I’ve found. Earlier this year there was a green business event for Flint and Genesee county area businesses…maybe five companies were there: CBC Recycling, Office Max (I think), a mobile document shredding company and I don’t remember who else, if anyone.

For years it has been very hard to be green in Vehicle Rust City. Some outer suburbs have curbside recycling but I have to haul mine directly to the recycling center. If I wanted to buy green, any specialty items like cleaning supplies, organic cosmetics, clothing or anything else that I want had to be ordered through catalogs or online (I am sooo thankful for the Internet). Organic food also had to be special ordered or searched for (sometimes to no avail) at the Farmer’s Market.

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“Global warming could send our beloved Ohio State University mascot and state symbol north to Michigan,” said Tom Bullock, Pew Environment Group’s Ohio representative. “Ohioans need to know that it’s not just the buckeye that is threatened by global warming — our health, economy and environment are also at risk”

Image credit: Save the Buckeye

To find out more, consider attending a conference on local community-based solutions to the energy crisis starting at the end of October in Rochester, Michigan.

Plan C: Individual and Community Survival Strategies for the Energy Crisis

The Fifth US Conference on Peak Oil and Community Solutions
October 31 – November 2, 2008
Rochester, Michigan
www.plancconference.org

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/12/conference-on-local-solutions-for-the-energy-crisis/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/09/supporting-local-businesses-in-flint/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/09/supporting-local-businesses-in-flint/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:27:44 +0000 Wenona Napolitano http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/09/supporting-local-businesses-in-flint/

While grocery shopping during a recent trip to Tennessee I realized how much I missed my “local” products. I also realized that shopping local is a very green choice. When you hear shop local you may just think about locally grown and seasonal produce (which is mainly what I associated with buying local) but it’s also about supporting local businesses, companies, and brands which all support the local economy.

There are several brands that mean home to me: Koegel, Vernors, and Faygo. Koegel is a meat company that’s been in Flint since the early 1900’s , and if you’ve never had a Koegel hot dog you don’t know what your missing. My husband wouldn’t touch a hot dog until he moved to Michigan and I convinced him to try a Koegel. Now he’ll gladly eat hot dogs, as long as they are Koegels and only Koegels.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/09/supporting-local-businesses-in-flint/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/07/biogas-is-coming-to-flint/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/07/biogas-is-coming-to-flint/#comments Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:48:41 +0000 Wenona Napolitano http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/07/biogas-is-coming-to-flint/

Flint is going to be home to a new biogas company from Sweden. The talks have been in the works for awhile now but last week officials from Swedish Biogas International visited Flint and the news…it is a definite yes. Construction is scheduled to start as early as September or October after Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf visits on September 26.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/07/biogas-is-coming-to-flint/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/06/flints-green-future/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/06/flints-green-future/#comments Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:01:21 +0000 Wenona Napolitano http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/06/flints-green-future/ Once the great Vehicle City, most of Flint is now more of a rusty graveyard and ghost town of despair. Flint is at the top of the nation’s lists for highest unemployment rates, highest foreclosure rates, and it’s ranked as one of the most depressing cities to live in nationwide.

Everywhere you look businesses are closed, buildings sit empty, homes are for sale or just boarded up and abandoned, even the once affluent areas like Grand Blanc and Flushing that are on the outskirts of Flint have been touched with economic troubles.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/09/06/flints-green-future/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/07/19/mccain-supports-tax-credits-for-electric-vehicles/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/07/19/mccain-supports-tax-credits-for-electric-vehicles/#comments Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:38:57 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/07/19/mccain-supports-tax-credits-for-electric-vehicles/ The Senator also backs state efforts to regulate tailpipe emissions - much to the dismay of the Michigan audience.

After getting a tour of the design room for the GM prototype battery-powered, Chevy Volt, Sen. John McCain laid out his plan to help the auto industry, including a $5,000 tax credit for people buying low-emission vehicles, a $300-million prize for the company that creates the first commercially available battery-powered car and job retraining programs for displaced workers.

“The eyes of the world are now on the Volt and this will be not only be about the jobs or economy of this great and beautiful state,” McCain said. But the Senator also voiced support for individual states to set tailpipe emission regulations - something that was not exactly well-received at the Warren, Michigan GM facility.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/07/19/mccain-supports-tax-credits-for-electric-vehicles/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:05:06 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/ The University of Michigan team taking part in this summer’s North American Solar Challenge is hoping to maximize its car’s performance with the help of solar radiation data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Team Continuum is one of 24 teams taking part in the 2,400-mile race, which started July 13 in Dallas, Texas, and ends July 22 in Calgary, Alberta. As the Michigan team approached Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this week, it planned to optimize its race strategy with information from NOAA’s Surface Radiation Network (SURFRAD).

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/feed/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/06/09/leed-double-platinum-for-construction-offices/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/06/09/leed-double-platinum-for-construction-offices/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:48:33 +0000 Philip Proefrock http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/06/09/leed-double-platinum-for-construction-offices/ The headquarters of a construction firm in Michigan has the distinction of being the first building to achieve LEED “double platinum” certification. What is more, according to the company, the cost of construction was no greater than conventional building practices.

The Christman Construction offices in Lansing MI occupy roughly half of the 64,000 square foot building which was initially built in 1928. The project cost $12 million, and also benefited from brownfield credits as well as state and federal historic preservation tax credits.

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/06/09/leed-double-platinum-for-construction-offices/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/06/from-yesterdays-motor-city-to-tomorrows-solar-cell-state/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/06/from-yesterdays-motor-city-to-tomorrows-solar-cell-state/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:40:06 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/06/from-yesterdays-motor-city-to-tomorrows-solar-cell-state/ Could the state of Michigan see a revived economy and a new place in a renewable fuel future? The possibility of that happening got a boost when Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. began operating the world’s largest polysilicon production plant near Hemlock in western Saginaw County, Michigan.

According to recent post in Triple Pundit, the new Hemlock facility will churn out 9,000 metric tons of polysilicon — a key element in solar photovoltaic cells — each year. With another 10,000 tons already being produced annually at an older plant, Hemlock would be on pace to become a force to be reckoned with in the solar power industry.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/06/from-yesterdays-motor-city-to-tomorrows-solar-cell-state/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/15/dry-and-thirsty-no-great-lakes-water-for-you/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/15/dry-and-thirsty-no-great-lakes-water-for-you/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 20:03:27 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/15/dry-and-thirsty-no-great-lakes-water-for-you/ A Great Lakes compact that would prevent the region’s water from being siphoned off into the thirsty Southwest and other dry parts of the country is a little closer to taking effect, now that lawmakers in Michigan have OK’d the deal.

The Great Lakes Water Resources Compact aims to protect the water rights of the eight states bordering the lakes: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan’s approval of the agreement brings the number of states signed on so far to five: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and New York.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/15/dry-and-thirsty-no-great-lakes-water-for-you/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/13/trendy-thieves-eye-used-grease-metals/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/13/trendy-thieves-eye-used-grease-metals/#comments Tue, 13 May 2008 18:38:07 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/13/trendy-thieves-eye-used-grease-metals/ Rising prices for everything from copper and platinum to flour, gas and cooking oil are creating new markets for trend-minded thieves across the U.S.

With gasoline prices in the U.S. breaking new records weekly, for example, law enforcement officials are seeing more cases of cooking grease thefts from fast-food establishments and other restaurants. Why used grease? Because cooking oil can be converted into biodiesel fuel that can be sold at a cool profit.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/13/trendy-thieves-eye-used-grease-metals/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/19/driveslowly-promotes-slower-more-efficient-driving/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/19/driveslowly-promotes-slower-more-efficient-driving/#comments Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:32:36 +0000 Philip Proefrock http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/19/driveslowly-promotes-slower-more-efficient-driving/

Ypsilanti, Michigan is in the outlying suburbs of Detroit and is, itself, a city with a long automotive heritage going back to the Tucker Torpedo and Kaiser Motors and extending to a present day Ford assembly plant and the last Hudson dealership in the country and an Automotive Heritage Museum. But now, a local couple have embarked on a different direction towards automobiles, encouraging drivers to embrace a new mindset with a website called DriveSlowly, which they are unveiling for Earth Day.

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