Category: Great Lakes Echo
Michigan home energy efficiency standards stalled amid homebuilders lawsuit
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen
Michigan’s attempt to adopt new home energy efficiency standards is facing more delays because of stiff resistance from homebuilders. The new standards were supposed to go into effect in August but are on hold while a lawsuit filed in June by representatives of the construction industry plays out in court.
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John Ball Zoo Fights for Great Lakes’ Rarest Butterflies
By Donté Smith
Butterfly populations are in decline across the continental U.S., dropping by 22% between 2000 and 2020 according to a study in the journal Science. Almost a third of the 342 species studied have seen their numbers fall by more than half. To help combat that trend, the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, launched its Great Lakes Rare Butterfly Program in 2021 to protect the region’s most threatened species.
The post John Ball Zoo Fights for Great Lakes’ Rarest Butterflies first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
Michigan high schoolers take statewide road trip in solar-powered car
By Clara Lincolnhol
On a cool and cloudy summer day, Michigan high school students recently drove the car they’d been engineering for months around the block and parked it in front of the state Capitol. The three wheeled, sharply angled, gray, white and black camo-print car seats two people and is powered by solar-charged batteries.
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Michigan is selling over 120 plots of land. Why?
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen
Lakefront property in Wexford County, 40-plus acres of forested land in the Upper Peninsula and a tiny island sitting in the middle of Lake Ponemah are up for grabs this year. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is auctioning off those and over 100 other “surplus properties” that officials say are better off in private hands, with the proceeds helping the state acquire more useful land.
The post Michigan is selling over 120 plots of land. Why? first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
Wild berry foraging gains popularity
By Rachel Lewis
With summer in full swing, you-pick farms have been seeing customers picking their own fruits and vegetables across the state. From blueberries and strawberries to tomatoes and asparagus, many people have opted for gathering their produce themselves. For some, this food gathering goes beyond the farm. In recent years, many people have been turning to wild berry foraging. Instead of grocery stores, these foragers seek out fresh fruits, nuts and herbs from local hiking trails or even off the side of the road.
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