An analysis of the most recent transit use data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that transit use grew by up to 47% in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. from 2006-2008, with several metro regions in the South and West growing by more than 10%.

The South and West, being more dominated by automobile-oriented development and auto use, have historically struggled to get significant transit ridership. However, the top ten cities with the highest recent increase in ridership include several metro areas in the South and West, including Charlotte, NC (47%), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (26.7%), Pheonix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (23.6%), San Antonio, TX (15.1%) and others. This seems to shine a light of hope on increased transit use in the southern and western U.S. in the future.

First, however, why are we seeing a boom in these places?

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Then look no further than the Traverse City area which boasts beautiful resorts, wineries, and bed and breakfasts-many that have gone green.

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Endangered species protections have been reinstated for the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes region.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that Endangered Species Act protections are reinstated for the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes region.

However, the status may only be temporary.

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Here’s a feather in the cap of renewable energy supporters.

When the (baseload, coal and nuclear) power went out after storms in Muskegon, a mobile renewable energy unit came to the rescue.

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While not the most eco-friendly event since it’s all about what made Flint -cars…and the people that still love them, it’s a fun event.

Back to the Bricks is something Flint needs. It is a morale booster and a local economy booster.

Plus it is just good old fashioned fun with events that range from a drive in movie to rolling cruises to free food and plenty of car exhibits.

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When the sun goes down, some walkways in Birmingham, Michigan, start to glow.

They’re fitted with a phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark pavement marking system from Glow-Mark Technologies LLC of Royal Oak, MIchigan.

The system consists of encapsulated “pucks” fitted into brick pavers, wood or other material with a boring drill.

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Listen for the train whistle to signal that you can take a ride on the Huckleberry railroad, or feel the breeze off the lake while riding the Genesee Belle, enjoy old fashioned carnival rides on an old carousel or swing, watch a blacksmith at work or check out the way printers once had to set up their printing presses.

At Crossroads Village you can see what the good old days were really all about.

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Cell phones, plastic grocery bags, batteries, CFLs, ink cartridges…there’s a place to recycle just about anything and everything, you just have to know where to take your stuff.

We already talked about CBC Recycling, they accept your basics: cardboard, 1 & 2 plastics, glass, tin and aluminum cans, paper, and some e-waste.

Where can you take everything else?

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The answer: C.B.C Recycling in downtown Flint. They have huge bins where you can dump your cardboard, newspapers, magazines, phonebooks, office paper, glass, tin and aluminum cans, and number 1 and 2 plastics.

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Everything is always focused on GM and all the terrible things that happen. One fabulous thing about Genesee County is our parks and all that they have to offer including free programs for families and children and several really cool places you have got to check out, like Crossroads Village and the Genesee Belle paddleboat.

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If I lived two or three miles to the west, in Flushing, I’d have curbside recycling, but no I have to collect all my stuff and haul it to downtown Flint to CBC Recycling.

Or wait and go early on a Saturday morning to the once a month recycling collection that Mt. Morris Township offers.

Sorry, I’ll go at my own leisure. Which usually ends up being once every couple months.

I really think curbside recycling programs should be a standard service right along with regular garbage collection.

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Oh! The weather outside [can be] frightful, which is why Stephen Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that 7 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) will be the recipients of more than $288 million dollars, which will be put toward weatherization projects.

The funds will go toward weatherization projects benefiting more than 91,000 homes. And with the money and subsequent weatherization comes lower energy costs for low-income families that need it, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and creation of green jobs across the country - all part of the Obama administration’s green vision.

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Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See post 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab, and 2. Chevy Volt Test Drive: How GM’s Electric Car Works. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event. This post is in no way affiliated with the GM ads that appear at the margins.

The real reason we were in Warren, MI wasn’t to test-drive the Volt, but to be on hand for the grand opening of GM’s new battery testing facility. The $25 million Global Battery Systems lab is now the largest battery testing facility in the United States, and is four times larger than the company’s old lab.

GM made a strategic decision to keep battery development in-house, because it will likely be a key competitive advantage in the race to commercialize electric vehicles. The lab already employs 1,000 engineers who work on advanced battery systems like the one found the the Chevy Volt.

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Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See also: 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab and 3. Tour of GM’s New Battery Lab, 4. Video: Driving GM’s Electric Car. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event.

June 8, 2009- It was pouring rain when I arrived at GM’s Testing facility in Warren, Michigan. A crowd had already gathered inside the Alternative Energy Center which, among other things, is home to GM’s first electric car—the original model EV1 (#1).

The ghost of the EV1—a car designed and built 13 years ago—still haunts GM, though it’s both a symbol of lost opportunity and tangible proof that the company could pull off the same kind of engineering feat again. The billion-dollar Volt project is a major component of the company’s reinvention strategy, and it’s clear they aren’t pulling any punches this time.

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Bald eagles in both Michigan and Maine have been removed from the endangered species list.

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There’s a bit of money, too, totaling about $100,000 from the federal stimulus package, aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Great Lakes Commission has been granted $99,740 to develop a set of “Best Practices to Accelerate Wind Power in the Great Lakes and Beyond.”

The end result will be a guide to what works and what doesn’t when it comes to protecting the environment, being sensitive to community concerns and … building wind turbines in the water.

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Meijer operates 185 stores in five states with their corporate offices in Grand Rapids, MI. Ecostore USA has it’s US office in West Bloomfield, MI. The pairing is a perfect match as Meijer continues to expand the amount of organic, natural and eco-friendly products that they offer and ecostore USA creates some of the best natural cleaning, home, pet and beauty products available.

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Members of Michigan’s Congressional Delegation are pushing to double a $25 billion Energy Department program designed that provides loans to U.S. automakers and parts suppliers for advanced technology retooling. The loans are designed to help American carmakers retool to meet new corporate average fuel economy standards.

Democrats John Dingell and Sander Levin and Republican Fred Upton introduced legislation yesterday to increase the loan program to $50 billion.

Established in the 2007 energy bill, the loans loans to automakers and suppliers for the retooling of production to make advanced efficient vehicles, Congress did not pass the necessary appropriations to fund the loan program until late last year. And now there is a run on the loan cash.

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