VIDEO: Tuk-tuks for transport
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How do you get to work, school or your other daily activities? Possible answers (just to help you out): bus, car, bike or by foot. Wait, I missed one: electric pedicabs. Yes. A new company in Lansing, Mich.
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MONDAY MASHUP: United States Plant Database
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A service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture mapped the distributions of plant species in North America in addition to other plant characteristics in an online database.
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State pushes green initiatives for local communities
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A set of initiatives by the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth is making it easier for communities to go green. Program goals include developing recycling and household hazardous waste programs for residents and businesses.
Community battles climate change
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Two organizations recently launched an energy conservation program to show how community efforts can lessen climate change in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore staff hope to prevent 165,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and save Alger County residents about 1.7 million kilowatt hours. They plan to do that through a $350,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant that will fund free home energy assessments, personalized home energy plans, free installation of products like energy-efficient light bulbs and coupons toward products residents can find at their local hardware stores. The team is targeting the national lakeshore’s two Michigan gateway communities, Munising and Grand Marais, but all Alger County residents are eligible. The goal is to reach community-wide adoption of these energy-saving measures by visiting 1,500 homes.
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VIDEO: Raptor rehab
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A team of Michigan State University veterinary students, guided by veterinarian Dr. James Sikarskie, rehabilitates birds of prey in hopes they can return to the wild.
By learning about wildlife medical care techniques, the students have helped hundreds of birds.
University of Michigan goes smoke free
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The University of Michigan announced recently that it plans to go smoke free by July 1st of this year. Smoke free areas will include university buildings, grounds, and sidewalks next to public thoroughfares. But don’t worry smokers, even though smoking in parking lots will be prohibited, you can still smoke inside your car! Many universities and colleges around the country have implemented 100% tobacco free campuses, including more than 50 in Great Lakes states. I’m not sure how University of Michigan frequenters are going to take it.
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New auto trail expands birdwatching near Saginaw Bay
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A 7.5-mile auto trail through Michigan’s Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge will open in May. The trail would allow visitors to observe birds in the refuge like the bald eagle and peregrine falcon.
EarthCachers discover geographical treasures and learn
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Geological Society of America coordinates near Sulphur, Ind. take outdoor enthusiasts to the edge of a fossil bed full of ancient inland sea inhabitants. The society transformed the modern-day treasure hunt into an educational outdoor lesson plan. The idea is based on the popularity of geocaching–individuals hide trinkets and treasures and then disclose the Global Positioning System coordinates to others who hunt them down. Rather than caching treasure, EarthCachers collect earth science information about the sites they visit.
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Cleaning up the Michigan oil spill will take hard work, time and money
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Recent oil spills in Michigan, Illinois and the Gulf of Mexico have led to the release of approximately 208 million gallons of oil into the environment. That’s more than 346 Olympic-sized swimming pools of toxic sludge.
Wildlife centers are one way to minimize the environmental effects of oil spills. Federal and state agencies, oil companies and contractors use variety of specialized methods. But cleaning up an oil spill is messy business. It’s a labor-, capital- and time-intensive process that can take years to complete.
VIDEO: Ice volcano season in session
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Ice volcanoes form when wind-driven waves splash against the edge of ice shelves building out from a lake’s shoreline. Irregular ice forms at the edge, encouraging approaching waves to splash and spatter more. Once the ice has stretched out into the lake, waves beneath the ice sheet force water up into the cracks and volcanoes previously formed. This water makes cones larger and sometimes results an eruption of water from the cone like a volcano. The ice structures range from less than 3 feet to more than 24 feet tall, according to Michigan Technological University.