(OH) Cleveland Plain Dealer – The gorgeous shores of Lake Erie and the beautiful banks of its many tributaries are among the best environmental spots in Northeast Ohio.

(MI) The Detroit News – Michigan State University is holding a ceremony to mark the opening of its $13 million Surplus Store and Recycling Center.

(MI) The Detroit News – Two out-of-state renewable energy firms have selected Ford’s shuttered Wixom plant for an ambitious $725 million redevelopment project, creating what officials are calling the nation’s largest renewable energy park, company officials said Thursday.

(IL) Chicago Tribune – Move over hybrids; modified golf carts are headed from the fairways to the roadways in Illinois, offering an incongruous yet eco-friendly alternative for those satisfied with more leisurely travel.

(MI) The Daily Press – The Department of Natural Resources is looking into shifting the firearm deer season beginning in 2010.

(MI) The Mudpuppy - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking comments on future priorities for its national enforcement program.

(OH) The Toledo Blade – Why don’t more people dry their clothes on a clothesline? Al drew my attention to the Lucas Soil & Water Conservation District’s 2009 newsletter.

By Troy Hale & Geri Alumit Zeldes
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 9, 2009
Each week about 50 high school and college students feed the hens, tend the greenhouse and sift the new compost at Harvesting Earth Educational Farm located in Beecher, a community outside of Flint.
To break up the tasks, farm owners Master Jacky and Dora King, black belts in karate, teach these young workers self-defense moves using rakes, hoes and shovels.
For many of these young people, this is their first job.
For the Kings, the farm is sowing the seeds of sustainable agriculture …

By Andy McGlashen
amcglashen@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 8, 2009
DETROIT – The two-story brick building on Chene Street has a dirt floor and no roof, but it does have four walls – more than you can say about many of the structures still standing in this section of Detroit.
They keep the weeds out and give the place a cloistered air. Passing clouds form an elegant ceiling, and this part of the city is nearly silent. It’s a perfect spot for a garden.
Shirley Robinson grows a few herbs and vegetables here, and …

(NY) Treehugger – A new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature says ports and trade hotspots in the United States need to do more to detect and respond to foreign invaders like the quagga.