Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/echo/page/160/)
These photos of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, Michigan came to Great Lakes Echo from Tim Stein. Thanks Tim! To submit to Great Lakes Echo Photo Friday, send your photo, a caption and your name to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.
Miles of coastline, beautiful beaches and spectacular sand dunes. But Michigan’s wines and beers, fresh fruits, fish and other local flavors are attracting visitors as well. On Jan. 10, state organizations meet to promote culinary tourism.
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Ohio’s Cuyahoga River once was noted for catching fire. But check out another temperature extreme in this clip from the Today Show featuring a Lake Erie lighthouse at the river’s mouth near Cleveland. The river is a heck of a lot cleaner now – it doesn’t burn. But I’m not sure any amount of flames could melt that ice coat this week.
Training for alternative energy jobs is a hot new mission for community colleges.
Eleven schools in Michigan are part of an alternative energy collaborative that helps schools create curriculum and training programs.
As the industry grows, finding qualified instructors is a challenge.
People feel more productive and healthier in green buildings, according to an MSU study. But some researchers say buildings made airtight for energy efficiency could trap gases that pose health problems.
Several years after Michigan and other Great Lakes states imposed tougher regulations on ships, there’s still a call by environmental groups, biologists and shippers for federal rules.
State standards for ballast developed piecemeal, and Carl Lindquist, the executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust based in Marquette, said they were a step in the right direction. But ballast water is still carrying invasive species, he said.
Heavy rainfall often overflows Detroit sewers, dumping untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials and other debris into streets and waterways.
Separating sanitary and storm systems is costly and time consuming. So Detroit is tackling water before it hits the streets.
These photos came to Great Lakes Echo from Derek Kelly, a science education student at Buffalo State College. Thanks Derek! To submit to Great Lakes Echo Photo Friday, send your photo, a caption and your name to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.
Once prized for its medicinal value, the water produced at Waukesha, Wisc., is at the center of a fight with precedent-setting ramifications for using Great Lakes water.
This time the battle is over replacing instead of capturing the city’s water.
Train ridership has reached all-time highs and President Barack Obama has proposed a big boost in federal aid to transportation. Advocates want more direct routes, an increase in the frequency of trains and schedules that better accommodate business travelers. They say paying for public transportation is far cheaper than expanding and maintaining highways.