January 2, 2009
Avoiding A Coal Collision
On Tuesday, officers from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will hear citizens from around the state explain why they oppose or support building ...more

December 31, 2008
Udall: A Letter to My Grandchildren, Pt 3
The challenges that your generation faces will test your ingenuity and generosity. Whether you are a person of faith who believes the Earth is the ...more

December 28, 2008
Udall: A Letter to My Grandchildren, Pt 2
Ordinarily, a backward look at history is a detour into unproductive nostalgia. I am acutely aware of the profound differences between today’s culture ...more

December 26, 2008
Lansing Passes a Farm-to-School Test
Michigan’s lawmakers and the governor just gave school children, farmers, and the state’s economy a tasty end-of-year holiday present: Legislation ...more

December 24, 2008
Udall: A Letter to My Grandchildren, Pt 1
This is the most important letter I will ever write. It concerns your future—and the tomorrows of the innumerable human beings who share this vulnerable, ...more

December 22, 2008
In Ohio, Rumblings About Pet Coke
Eight years after an Ohio utility began burning petroleum coke at its coal plant, many nearby residents say the fuel switch has turned the facility into a ...more

December 18, 2008
Great Lakes Water: Public or Private?
Many conservationists hailed the passage of the Great Lakes Compact, which is designed to protect the world’s largest freshwater supply, as a major ...more

December 11, 2008
Local Food Means Local Infrastructure
When most people hear the word “infrastructure,” they think of roads and bridges or water systems and communications towers. But infrastructure is ...more

December 4, 2008
Tanner: Time to Fire Administrator Clarke
A new county commissioner is calling for Benzie County Administrator Chuck Clarke’s dismissal because of what he and others say is ongoing dysfunction in ...more

December 2, 2008
Welcoming Local Food Businesses
In early 2008, schools all across the country were throwing away hamburger patties, burrito filling, and other beef products after a federal recall of millions ...more

November 26, 2008
Entrepreneurs: Growing Local Food, and a Movement
Wayne Kyle, who grows about 1 million pounds of blueberries each year, sees a lot of good in re-localizing agriculture, both for his business, which is gaining ...more

November 24, 2008
Obama Readies Move to Clean-Energy Economy
For four decades, American politicians talked about ending U.S. dependence on foreign oil. But Barack Obama has made it clear that he really does intend to ...more

November 23, 2008
Local, State Officials Can Boost Local Food Economies
Michigan families and businesses are rebuilding regional distribution systems to bring more good, locally grown food to more people. There is already great ...more

November 20, 2008
More Michigan Farms, Food Firms ‘Thinking Local’
The quest by consumers for local food is opening doors for local farms, food businesses, and communities. But moving through those doors is challenging. ...more

November 16, 2008
Michigan Tastes Local Food's Potential
Lee Arboreal’s farm is growing, but not by competing with California lettuce or Chilean strawberries. It is producing products for Michigan’s ...more

November 12, 2008
In Rogers City, Pushback to Coal Rush
Hundred of people showed up at Rogers City High School to tell a state agency their thoughts about its initial approval of a coal-fired power plant that would ...more

October 27, 2008
Carbon Capture: Real, or Just Blowing Smoke?
In Otsego County, a drilling crew recently bored down nearly 6,000 feet and pushed Michigan closer to the center of a crucial discussion—whether storing ...more

October 15, 2008
County Chair’s Coal Plant Vote: Conflicted Interest?
An attorney writing on behalf of a township official has asked the Presque Isle County prosecutor to investigate a possible conflict of interest involving the ...more

October 13, 2008
Grand Vision Draws Another Record Crowd
More than 500 people packed Traverse City’s State Theater for another Grand Vision milestone. The largest citizen-based, regional planning project in ...more

October 6, 2008
Proposed Coal Plant Switches Fuels, Stirs Controversy
When Wolverine Power proposed building a large coal plant near Rogers City, the company called their proposal the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture. The proposal ...more

September 18, 2008
Benzie OKs Eliminating Its Planner
Benzie County Planning Director Dave Neiger is out of a job. Benzie County commissioners eliminated his position, saying it would help balance their budget. ...more

September 11, 2008
Benzie’s Battle Over Dual Directors Reaches a Crossroad
Veteran Benzie County Planning Director Dave Neiger is on the verge of losing his job. A long-running dispute over whether he should keep it came to a head ...more

September 10, 2008
McKibben: To Spread the Word, Push a Number
Bill McKibben, a foremost expert on climate change, urged more than 700 people at a rally in Traverse City to join his campaign to pressure international ...more

August 28, 2008
Grand Survey: In-Town Growth Is Best
A survey of Grand Traverse-area residents has found strong support for pointing new development toward existing communities. The survey, conducted for the ...more