Echo

Green campuses get spot in national honor roll

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By YANAN CHEN

LANSING– Several Michigan colleges and universities have made a national list of 311 green campuses. The list includes Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, Aquinas College, University of Michigan and Kalamazoo College. And according to the guide, when students chose colleges or universities, they look not only into academic levels but also consider whether the schools are committed to going green. The roster was compiled by Princeton Review, an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The guide was based on factors such as whether students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, how well a school is preparing students for employment in the economy and how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are.

Echo

Take an ecofriendly Great Lakes break

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By Nicole LaChance

Between gas and fast food, a relaxing retreat can be hard on the planet. You can help by bringing a refillable water bottle and buying snacks in bulk before leaving. Other tips for eco-vacations are at the Michigan Green Lodging page or The International Ecotourism Society. Some Great Lakes getaways try to ease the planet’s burden and provide fun for travelers. A few eco-friendly vacation ideas in the region:
Candlelite Inn Bed & Breakfast
Location: Ludington, Mich.

Echo

Great Lakes states “win” award; strive for the bottom

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It’s always good to make a top ten list, right? Well, that’s not the case in a list where Great Lakes states rank in the top 10 for being least green. The Huffington Post reported on the list compiled by 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and opinion website, and surprise! Great Lakes states claimed four of the 10 spots, including first (also known as last) and second places. 24/7 Wall St.

Echo

Beaches, farms, sewers and journalists

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I suspect that the whole “knee bone connected to the thigh bone” aspect of environmental issues is what fascinates scientists and journalists alike. Frustrates them both, too.  Nowadays it borders on cliche to note the complex interrelationships that make up an ecosystem. Pull a thread on one corner of an ecosystem – an invasive species introduction, for example – and the consequences elsewhere are surprising, fascinating and oftentimes troubling. That’s true of a common summer environmental story – the inevitable closing of beaches due to bacterial contamination. It’s a good story for a journalist – human health, economic impact, political posturing.

Echo

Terrestrial Terror: Final land brawl

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By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason

Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series. Four weeks ago 16 of the most troublesome terrestrial invasive species in the Great Lakes region took to the ring to find out which one readers thought was the worst. Plants entered land brawls facing mammals; birds took the sky to ward off insects. But now it’s time to make the final decision.

Echo

Terrestrial Terror Final Four results: Emerald ash borer vs. Feral Swine

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By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason

Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror is an on going Great Lakes Echo series. Last week The Green Menace and The Beast faced off in the first match of the Terrestrial Terror Final Four. So will it be the boar or the borer? In the polls, 75 percent of readers chose swine over the green-plated insect.