Wildlife
Volunteers fight plant invaders, sturgeon poachers
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Environmental agencies and organizations are enlisting the public’s help to protect native species and get rid of invasive ones.
Echo
Michigan bill seeks to lift lid on homemade food vendors
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Entrepreneurs who sell homemade food products may soon be allowed to increase the amount of money they earn without undergoing health inspections and licensing.
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Green tax exemption proposed for homes
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Proposed legislation in Michigan may encourage the use of small-scale clean-energy devices by exempting them from property taxes.
Local governments say they must weigh clean energy’s impact on economic development against the loss of property tax revenue.
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Cities shed light on streetlight energy use
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Municipalities throughout Michigan are focusing on street lighting to save money and reduce energy consumption.
Some communities may overhaul street light systems to more energy-efficient ones. Others may reduce the time the lamps are lit.
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MONDAY MASHUP: Efforts underway to eliminate ‘food deserts’
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A number of Michigan counties have fewer healthy food outlets than the national average, a new study shows.
The overall percentage of counties’ access to healthy foods in the state is 73 percent, while the national benchmark is 92 percent, according to County Health Rankings, complied by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
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Grants to promote product stewardship, sustainable communities
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Product stewardship, a concept which puts environmental responsibility on consumers and producers, is one of the focuses of this year’s round of pollution prevention proposals to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which will award $50,000 to the winning community to implement its initiative.
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Michigan companies join biobased bandwagon
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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.
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Interest grows in native wildflowers
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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.
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More federal greenbacks to back more greens in schools
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The fruits of a national drive to promote healthy eating habits in children will soon be enjoyed by more Great Lakes schools.
Starting with the 2011-2012 school year, cafeterias will serve more fresh fruits and produce as part of a federal program.
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Michigan land conservancy protects 10,000 acres
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A lot has changed since the Michigan Nature Association (MNA) started creating nature preserves in 1960, says Steve Kelley, the organization president.
Just more than 50 years since MNA bought its first property, the Louis Senghas Memorial Nature Sanctuary in St. Clair County, its holdings have increased to more than 10,000 acres across the state.