Waste

Planting with printers: Chicago man recycles paper with electronic forestry

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In his spare time Chicago resident Joe Miller runs what may be the coolest eco-friendly company with the coolest name ever. Print-A-Forest makes a free computer software that turns your  routine printing projects into a plant-a-tree fundraiser. By getting a small  message from plant-a-tree sponsors across the bottom of your printed pages, you pay for planting trees. An example: “Powered by State Farm” could appear on the bottom of the page if the insurance company sponsored the planting. Pretty simple.

Wildlife

Photo Friday: Gluttonous Squirrel

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My family has watched this bird feeder in the small tree outside our Farmington Hills, Mich., home for about ten years. I’ve never seen as many squirrels as this winter gathered under it or on the tree above it. There is an average of about ten squirrels a day. Maybe it’s the warm winter. Maybe they’ve finally learned the tricks of the trade.

Echo

A small, slightly overweight animal predicts the rest of winter

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One of the most famous wild animals in a Great Lakes state gets the environmental spotlight today.  Phil, a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pa., has predicted winter’s future for more than 125 years. Since 1886 the town has celebrated Phil’s waking. Groundhog’s Day events there this year include Oreo stacking and a walking tour of sculptures of the little guy. Thousands of people nationwide participate, according to the event’s official website. The events only break when Phil comes out of his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob.

Echo

Researchers discover what makes the best environmental citizens

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Researchers have found what they believe to be the traits that make the very best environmental citizens. Patient, confident, and persistent people make some of the best environmental citizens, according to Kyle Whyte and Matt Ferkany, researchers at Michigan State University. Friendliness, wit, self-confidence, humility, fairness, patience and dependability are other traits they discovered associated with environmental interest. Ferkany is an assistant professor of teacher education; Whyte is a visiting professor of philosophy. “(When one) has a lot of confidence and not inclusive they think they are always right,” Ferkany noted.

Echo

How Asian carp ruined a relationship

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Apparently threatening to completely upend entire ecosystems isn’t enough for Asian carp. Nope. Now they’re ruining my personal relationships. It started as most of my days do … coffee and reading up on the basin. But there was a new lady friend with me this morning.

Echo

Play games and learn about Great Lakes shipping

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Have you ever wondered what products are made from the raw materials shipped across the Great Lakes? Or how grain moves from South Dakota to your kitchen? Well wonder no more. The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute and Michigan Technological University have games to teach you. With Commodities to Products, match finished products like perfume, pet foods and rubber bands to the raw materials they’re made of: iron ore, coal, grain or bentonite clay.

Echo

Everything a birder wants to know about Lake Erie’s shoreline

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Hold onto your safari hats and binoculars, Great Lakes birders. Lake Erie Ohio Birding is a new website detailing about 84 birding sites along the Lake Erie shoreline. It has driving directions, species information and local attractions. It also has more than 1,600 photos of Lake Erie birds to get you amped up before you go get your bird on. The website covers approximately 312 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, one of the region’s best birding coasts.

Echo

If you’re an in-shape, wanna-be scientist, Isle Royale wants you

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Much like the skinny kid who memorizes sports stats because he doesn’t get picked for the team, I write about science because I love it but can’t do it. Along with science, you can also add the Great Lakes and wildlife to my “things I geek-out about” list, which is why the Moosewatch Expeditions project on Isle Royale really speaks to my inner nerd. Moosewatch expeditions are week-long, guided hikes through Isle Royale where regular old lay people are part of an ongoing wolf-moose research project. The purpose is to find moose bones and record data. Most of the bones come from wolf kills or starved animals.

Echo

Echo reporter hits the air waves

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Here at Echo we are always happy to see others use our content, provided it is properly credited. It’s especially nice when it jumps mediums.

Reporter Brian Bienkowski experienced that kind of shift recently when WILS radio interviewed him about his recent Echo story about Michigan authorizing the use of an unregistered pesticide to battle an apple tree blight. The disease is growing resistant to current treatments. The Echo version attracted a fair number of comments. It’s a fine story, but I’m always surprised by which ones generate comment and attention.