Swapping water for oil scrutinized in Michigan

Water flooding has been around for decades, but now it is becoming more economically viable as energy prices rise.

A new report says energy extraction is pressuring the nation’s water supply.

But there is little information on how much water is being traded to produce oil.

Michigan companies join biobased bandwagon

More than 60 companies in Michigan are participating in the federal BioPreferred Program to boost the manufacture and distribution of biobased products.

The federal initiative aims to increase the development, purchase and use of biobased products. They are renewable and environmentally friendly or organic products made from agricultural, forestry or marine materials. Products range from bed linens and towels to greases and cleaners.

Would you accept product placement in a news story?

Echo readers were paid an indirect compliment this week. Two separate agencies contacted us about running advertising on our pages. That seems to imply you’re a demographic worth courting. But what does it mean to us? We’re a non-profit operation, but that doesn’t mean we’re not in need of revenue.

Interest grows in native wildflowers

Many people are looking to wildflowers and native plants for environmental and economic reasons.

Jean Weirich, treasurer of the Wildflower Association of Michigan, said education about wildflower planting and seeding has recently become popular.

Group identifies nation’s killer streets; Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul on list

Detroit walkers beware: Michigan’s largest metropolitan area earned the 12th spot on a recent list of dangerous places for pedestrians compiled by a U.S. transportation advocacy group. Approximately 800 Detroit pedestrians were killed in accidents from 2000 to 2009, according to the list. Transportation for America released on Wednesday its “Dangerous by Design” report containing national and state trends and this fatalities map to shed light on what it calls “an epidemic of preventable pedestrian deaths.”

The number of pedestrians killed each year equals to a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing each month, according to the group. Other Great Lakes cities on the list of 52 most dangerous metropolitan areas are Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

How the Great Lake states got their shapes

Why do Michigan and Ohio, and especially their sports teams, hate each other? Why is the University of Michigan mascot called the Wolverine? Why does Michigan have an Upper Peninsula? A new History Channel series called “How the States Got Their Shapes” sets out to answer such questions. The show’s host, Brian Unger, journeyed across America to discover the stories behind state lines.