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Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news of the Great Lakes region

Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/?x=0&y=0)

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Green energy boosters stress long-term savings

By Capital News Service | 6 hours ago

By Madison Merrell

Upfront costs of clean energy projects such as wind and solar may be high but the long-term savings on fuel and increased reliability more than offset those initial costs, experts say.

Preservation project launches effort to restore rare ravine ecosystem 

By Samantha Ku

A rare ravine ecosystem on Lake Michigan’s western shore is vulnerable to human encroachment. A recent federal grant is supporting restoration efforts in the region.

Bill would expand Michigan’s bottle deposit law while some want to abolish it

By Christian Vazquesz

A Michigan state senator is pushing for a statewide vote to expand the 10-cent bottle and can deposit law, while the Midwest Independent Retailers Association is calling for repeal of the law. Meanwhile, the state House approved a bill sponsored by a Clinton Township representative to give an income tax write-off to beverage distributors that move recycled cans and bottles from stores to recycling plants.

Federal program can help nonprofits cover costs of clean-energy projects

By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov

Across Michigan, religious institutions, local governments, schools and nonprofits are turning to a federal program called Elective Pay to help pay for solar panels and other clean-energy projects.

More Headlines

Utilities ramp up tree trimming to address long-standing reliability problems
Bill would ban ‘dog-scrimination’ by insurers
‘None of this is normal’ – Michigan watches winter drought ahead of growing season

Climate

  • Climate migration may not dramatically reshape city growth, study finds

    By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira A recent study featuring Grand Rapids, Michigan suggests that climate migration may not significantly change how some cities grow.

More climate

Wildlife

  • A sturgeon rests on ice.
    Conservation, research and community collaboration aid in successful 2026 Black Lake sturgeon season

    The 2026 sturgeon season on Black Lake in Michigan lasted all of 48 minutes before the annual quota – six – was reached. There were 653 anglers competing for them.

More wildlife

Energy

  • Michigan pushes toward 100% clean energy by 2040 despite funding cuts

     By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov Given dramatic changes in federal energy policy and spending, as well as possible reduction in state financial support for alternative energy projects, is Michigan still on target to reach its clean energy goals?

More energy

Nearshore

  • Preservation project launches effort to restore rare ravine ecosystem 

    By Samantha Ku A rare ravine ecosystem on Lake Michigan's western shore is vulnerable to human encroachment. A recent federal grant is supporting restoration efforts in the region.

More nearshore

Waste

  • Michigan is last state without a septic system code. Will that change?

    By Justin Fox Clausen Lawmakers are making another effort to adopt Michigan’s first statewide septic code with mandatory inspections, intended to protect drinking water from contamination. It’s the only state without one.

More waste

Recreation

  • Book explores Hemingway’s experiences ‘up north’

    By Julia Belden An Alanson-raised author whose book on Ernest Hemingway’s ties to Northern Michigan explains the region’s influence on the novelist’s work. The book “Picturing Hemingway’s Michigan,” has just been released in paperback.

More recreation

Solutions

  • Water is Life, Six Nations lead international approach to long-standing water insecurity

    By Mia Litzenberg The Six Nations of the Grand River face ongoing water insecurity from pollution, climate change and corporate extraction. Many years of Indigenous water advocacy have led to the development of a new Haudenosaunee Environmental Research Institute as the next step to overcome these challenges.

Agriculture

  • Shifting farm economy means changes for rural communities

    By Lillian Williams The shrinking number of farms in Michigan – down by about 1,300 between 2023 and 2024 – and the trend of existing farms to expand to survive is changing the culture of rural communities.

Water

  • A researcher on a boat lowers a water sampling device into a lake.
    Research centers in the Great Lakes region change the scope of global freshwater ecology

    A new study examines the uniqueness of work that research centers conduct in the Great Lakes region, highlighting their importance amid dramatic changes in federal funding.

Cities & Suburbs

  • Data center concerns lead to push for a one-year moratorium on projects

    By Karlee VanAntwerp Critics of the proliferation of data centers are calling for a one-year moratorium on the approval of new projects.

About Great Lakes Echo

Environmental news of the Great Lakes region from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.

Recent Articles

  • Michigan farmers face bankruptcies, other financial challenges
    By Capital News Service
  • Goldfinch on a tree branch.
    Fight climate change from your garden with ‘birdscaping’
    By Ada Tussing and Great Lakes Echo
  • Why Michigan’s rural residents are reluctant to drive electric vehicles
    By Capital News Service
  • More funding approved to improve the Greater Chicago Area’s public transit
    By Joshua Kim and Great Lakes Echo
  • Book helps residents, visitors, use Chicago’s public transit to access recreational sites
    By Joshua Kim and Great Lakes Echo
  • Solar projects bring larger economic gains to smaller communities, study shows
    By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira and Great Lakes Echo
  • Miller in the woods
    Invasive species expert teaches volunteers to overcome ‘plant blindness’
    By Anna Ironside and Great Lakes Echo
  • Headshot of Ethan Theuerkauf
    Growth in shoreline armoring is reshaping Michigan’s Lake Michigan coast
    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva and Great Lakes Echo
  • How seeds from the past are saving a unique flower of the Great Lakes
    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva and Great Lakes Echo
  • Henderson holding a swan
    From otters to butterflies: How Minnesota became a pioneer in nongame wildlife conservation
    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva and Great Lakes Echo
  • Great Lakes Echo

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