The following post was contributed by my good friend Frank Houston. Frank is the Michigan Regional Program Manager of the BlueGreen Alliance, a group that encompasses a variety of progressive values: labor, environmental, and political action. For this reason, it’s a group that I’m happy to share this platform with. The gains made in federal environmental policy under the Obama […]

While the world was reeling and dealing with the outcome of the November 2016, an election won by a man who claims to value jobs over the environment and the climate, wind energy was quietly sneaking into fourth place as the source of electricity in America. In 2016, for the first time, wind energy became the leading source of renewable […]

Next Wednesday, April 13, 2016, Clean Water Action Michigan will hold their 2016 Great Lake Awards Celebration. As in past years, they will be honoring a number of people who have contributed to the important cause of clean water in the Great Lakes State and continue to make waves — keeping the fight to protect Michigan’s most important resources in […]

Earlier this year, the group Clean Energy Now created a website that allows Michigan energy consumers to choose the sources for their energy needs and to compare those choices to what they have now. The new site, PicMyEnergyMix.com, is interactive, allowing the user to make choices about the mix of sources that power their lives. When you have completed the […]

A group of 13 Greenpeace protesters are suspended from the St. Johns Bridge over the Willamette River leading to the Portland, Oregon harbor. The icebreaker MSV Fennica has been in the harbor for repairs and planned to return to Shell Oil’s artic drilling area. Oil drilling there cannot take place without the equipment being delivered by the Fennica. They are […]

While stumping in Nevada last week Rand Paul once again indicated that if he becomes President he will sell off some of the national parks and public lands that are currently owned by all Americans. He tied this notion of private ownership to the nation’s development in the 1800’s when the government sale of lands in the West raised money […]

Earlier this month I wrote about a truly horrible piece of legislation passed by Michigan Republicans that would have compelled county clerks to issue concealed weapons permits to stalkers & spouse abusers. Today, Gov. Rick Snyder used his veto pen to send it to the rubbish bin of history where it belongs: Gov. Rick Snyder today vetoed a controvhttp://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2013-2014/billanalysis/House/pdf/2013-HLA-0789-6F92BDA1.pdfersial bill […]

In a 2011 paper published in the journal Nature, Elsa Cleland studied the impact of biodiversity on ecosystems. Her study concluded with this summary: Evidence from multiple ecosystems at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, suggests that biological diversity acts to stabilize ecosystem functioning in the face of environmental fluctuation. Variation among species in their response to such fluctuation […]

Could this be the end of Pure Michigan? The following guest post was written by Janis Bobrin, Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner from 1989 to 2012. The Pure Michigan advertising campaign is so compelling because it touches on a fundamental Michigan value – the sense of place fostered by the state’s majestic waters, lands, fish and wildlife. No one who […]

Rick Snyder the MINO: Moderate in Name Only Today, the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club released a scorecard rating Governor Rick Snyder on his record regarding energy, environment, good government and related issues. Spoiler alert: He failed. Miserably. He received a rating of 25%. The Scorecard includes 32 key decisions made by Gov. Snyder on environmental issues including 25 […]

I pledge allegiance to flag of the Corporate State of America… State Attorney General Bill Schuette’s job is to be the top law enforcement official in Michigan. As part of that job, his role is to protect the health and safety of Michiganders. Apparently he didn’t get the memo. Schuette has sued the Environmental Protection Agency to keep them from […]