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Everything we do revolves around food, yet it’s not so easy to define. Go ahead, give it a shot. Now take that definition and ask yourself: Do soft-drinks qualify? How about alcoholic beverages, or bottled water, or fast-food or a protein bar with mysterious ingredients that look a lot like that pharmaceutical ad? This is our challenge as we try to measure our work in the food system, and it’s just the beginning. ...
2015 will be a watershed year for energy policy in Michigan – and few states will be watched as carefully by energy policy experts and interested observers....
It is getting to be crunch time for wind power development in Michigan, so next week’s Michigan Wind Energy Forum, scheduled for Tuesday at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center in East Lansing, is arriving right on time....
Last month, the Michigan Senate passed a package of bills that would invest about $1.2 billion into the state’s aging transportation network. Now with only six days remaining in the lame-duck session, it’s up to the Michigan House of Representatives to act on a crucial investment strategy for Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. MLUI believes the Senate’s package is the right approach. ...
Green roofs—roofs covered with soil, grasses, and plants rather than shingles or metal—could soon become a more common sight in Grand Traverse County and other parts of the state....
At the recent 2014 Michigan Good Food Summit, I was one of 425 people who heard story after story about how the movement to support local food and agriculture is growing across the state....
Several area entrepreneurs say they see another way to use PACE—which stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy and treats the loans, which are private, like property taxes. They believe PACE can help them grow their companies, which are manufacturing and selling a brand-new, innovative, high-efficiency classroom heater and ventilator known as Aristotle Air....
For 15 years, Central Lake Elementary School has participated in the Farmer to Community Fundraiser, a program that has students selling locally grown produce, fish, meat, honey, milk, and jam to raise funds for school field trips in the spring. Dozens of schools are embracing non-traditional fundraisers featuring local products. ...
Experts will host a panel discussion providing information on how to bike and bus this winter. Topics will include: How to navigate the TART Trail Network in winter weather; winter transit tips for utilizing the Bay Area Transit Authority (BATA) system; and advice from NORTE! on how families and kids can enjoy cycling throughout the winter....
Major improvements could be on the way for one of Traverse City’s busiest roads and one of the region’s greatest transportation challenges: Division Street. And right now, local residents can help shape its future....
My name is Kate Lewis and I am the newest addition to the MLUI team. I am currently serving a second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA here in Traverse City and I'm excited to be hosted by such an outstanding organization....
Earlier this month, I set out on a mission to ride the bus from Traverse City to Frankfort. The nearly 80 mile round-trip task seemed daunting at first, as I imagined spending the better half of my day commuting back and forth. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the TC Express, a Benzie Bus route that takes an average of one hour to get from city to city....
The Michigan Land Use Institute convened food, farm and health leaders from throughout the northwest Michigan region and state to brainstorm, network and plan on how local food can be used to promote good health. ...
Schools throughout northwest Lower Michigan are cooking up locally grown food for lunch this October as part of National Farm to School Month....
Ray Minervini, the local developer and visionary responsible for transforming an abandoned state hospital into a vibrant multi-use community known as The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, received the 2014 Milliken Distinguished Leadership Award at the inaugural Harvest@TheCommons event on October 11....
October is National Farm to School Month! For the next 31 days, we’re celebrating local food in school cafeterias, gardens in schoolyards and food & ag education in classrooms. To kick the month off right, we wanted to share some of the great stories from our FoodCorps service members, Meghan McDermott and Lianna Bowman. ...
Abhilash Kantamneni, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at Michigan Technological University, has an unexpected, spot-on message for Michiganders living in the cold, snowy, and, when it comes to energy costs, pricey Upper Peninsula: There is a large, untapped, economically smart opportunity to develop rooftop solar systems for homes and small businesses in the U.P....
When she was a high school sophomore, Jane Lively rode the bus from Traverse City to Washington, D.C., with 55 other concerned citizens to join the February 2013 Forward on Climate rally. Now, 20 months later, Lively, a senior at Glen Lake High School and the daughter of Jim Lively, MLUI’s program director, is even more involved in the battle against climate change....
Most climatologists agree that, thanks to global warming, powerful storms are likely to get worse. So, as climate change works its steadily more destructive ways on modern civilization, building a power system that can stand up to more powerful, more frequent storms is crucial. ...
In the dizzying array of ever-evolving studies about which foods are healthiest, eating more fruits and vegetables is one fundamental piece of advice that health experts all agree is important in preventing chronic disease and living a vibrant, healthy life....