Leelanau Christian Neighbors provides food for children living below the federal poverty line to take home with them over the weekend, a critical time when they might not get all the nutrition they need. The Lake Leelanau-based nonprofit received a Building Healthy Communities grant to build two dozen raised beds to grow produce for those it serves.
With the June 30 release of an “Alternatives Analysis” commissioned by the State of Michigan, momentum is growing to decommission the Line 5 oil pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac. The conclusions of this analysis, and its popular and political impact in the weeks ahead, represent another crucial step in the march to shut down this catastophe-waiting-to-happen in the heart of the Great Lakes.
Environmental Law & Policy Center and Groundwork urge pushback against Trump administration’s war on the Great Lakes and effort to de-fund Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Three fellows recently joined the Groundwork team for a nearly three-month period. Food Equity fellow Sarah Perez-Sanz is working with Food & Farming Director Meghan McDermott on food equity and access; Farms, Food and Health fellow Katie Wheeler is working with Senior Policy Specialist Diane Conners on Community-Supported-Agriculture (CSA) wellness programs, and Clean Energy fellow Abby Hackman is supporting Clean Energy Policy specialist Dan Worth.
Attorney General Bill Schuette was quoted again this week with his strongest language yet about decommissioning Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac. Disagreeing with an assertion that the pipeline could last “indefinitely”, Schuette called for a “comprehensive plan … to drive the timeline for the (pipeline’s) closure”. Yet in the same statement he suggested the pipeline could be replaced with a tunnel under the Straits, a risky and expensive alternative that ignores the long-term solution of getting oil to Michigan from other existing pipelines and, ultimately, reducing our demand for oil and transitioning our economy to run on cleaner fuel sources.
When Gary Cozette and Joe Lada climb the ladder to the roof of their “Tower House” near Maple City, they behold a breathtaking view of the Glen Lakes, with the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan in the distance. In their immediate foreground is an array of recently installed, cutting-edge solar panels that harness the power of the sun, represent their commitment to the environment, and make them energy independent. Their solar investment represents both a moral statement and a smart utilitarian choice.