Posted
on August 16, 2010, 5:33 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision Energy Guiding Principle is to incorporate sustainable energy principles into building, transportation, power generation, and all aspects of the region's economy.
Here is an article from Michael Buhler of the Glen Arbor Sun about his installation of solar panels at his home:
Two years ago I installed a photovoltaic (PV) solar array on my garage roof, all in an effort to cut my utility usage, and in a small way do my part toward America’s energy independence. The original article is available online here. To recap, 12 panels with a rated capacity of 1,920 watts (or 1.92 kilowatts per hour, or KWH) were installed on my garage roof. In the garage is the inverter, the brains of the system, which turns the DC current of the panels into AC current; synchronizes that with Consumers Power; charges the backup batteries, and decides if the house needs more power from Consumers, or can sell excess back to the electrical grid.
From day one the system performed to design specifications. But since Consumers was dragging their feet on buying back my power, it was hard to judge what the true capacity was: I could only use locally what was generated; the excess was wasted opportunity. I was soon assigned a new contact at Consumers, a sophisticated bi-directional electrical meter was installed, and regulations were updated. Beginning May 1 of 2009 (once the last of the snow had melted from that long winter), Consumers and I could meter and assess the true impact of the solar array.
The design assumed that the system would supply 25-33 percent of my pre-PV energy. On May 1 of this year I was able to fully evaluate the first year’s impact on my power consumption, and the PV supplied 30 percent. Over the summer that has dropped a little to 28 percent, but I’ve also had weeks of houseguests, and June was cloudy and cool (the furnace was running). So far, PV panels are living up to expectations.
Consumers’ Power Plans
Tom Shirilla is the Green Generation Program Manager for Consumers Energy, and my new liaison. He oversees the over 100 current green energy net metering participants like me, and all told we have about 210 Kilowatts of generating capacity. Most, like me, consume the majority of the power generated; a few are larger operations and true electricity suppliers. “Either way,” Tom says, “these generators offset conventional generation like coal,” and help to supply Michigan’s growing electricity needs.
In 2009 the State of Michigan mandated that by 2015, 10 percent of Michigan’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources. Today that number stands at 4 percent for Consumers. A recent agreement with Vestas-America (the American division of Danish wind turbine producer Vestas, which built Michigan’s first windmill in Traverse City) will supply the electric company with 1.8 Megawatt generators. Each turbine is 1,000 times more powerful than my solar array! And, they spin day and night.
By the end of 2012 Consumers hopes to have 150-200 windmills installed in Mason County, near Ludington. This will raise their green generation to 8 percent. They plan to meet or exceed the 10 percent goal by 2015. If individuals can continue to find new ways to conserve, and with this new generation capacity, we all reduce our need for additional traditional plants, and might even lower the need for coal (which by far is the least expensive — yet most polluting — way to generate power).
Conservation
The real story began five years ago, when I changed a few light bulbs, unplugged some unused transformers, turned off the heated drying in the dishwasher, and acquired a power-sipping computer.
Posted
on August 12, 2010, 9:06 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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Every two weeks we send out our Grand Vision update. In addition to a roundup of recent stories of interest, we feature a photo from our Grand Vision group on the photo sharing site Flickr. If you'd like to see YOUR photo featured here, click to join the Grand Vision group!
cmu chem prof (Phil Squattrito) took this picture in the vineyard at the Chateau Chantal winery on Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City. View it bigger in his Traverse City area slideshow.
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Posted
on August 12, 2010, 6:02 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision recently sat down with Sterling Speirn, President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to talk about the significance of the Grand Vision. The Kellogg Foundation has provided major funding to 3 organizations, Rotary Charities, the Michigan Land Use Institute and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments to support the activities of the Grand Vision.
Posted
on August 12, 2010, 5:05 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision Food and Farming Guiding Principle is to encourage local food, farming and rural development as a vital part of our economy, culture and identity.
Yesterday (8/11) at the Northwestern Michigan Fair there was a Cooking with Kids event.
400 kids and parents participated in the tasty fun!
It was all about having them taste the difference (if you will) of local foods and get them off the elephant ears and fried snickers.
FOX 32 News was there and you can watch this video report of kids connecting with local food and farmers!
Posted
on August 11, 2010, 7:20 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision Housing Guiding Principle is to expand diverse and affordable housing options that fit the region's character.
The Traverse City Business News has this story profiling three of our region's biggest residential projects:
Over the past two years, three of the region’s mid- to high-end residential projects have withstood every insult that the worst economy in decades could throw at them.
The onslaught had many components: rising unemployment, a credit meltdown, and a general downward spiral in the real estate and stock markets. And for a time, auto retirees – one of the most important consumer categories for the region – faced the potential collapse of their pension funds.
It would be hard to imagine a more toxic situation for a real estate market that depends to some extent on a steady flow of retirees from downstate and elsewhere. Fortunately, at least some of those dangers are now past.
Nonetheless, real estate developers still had to draw on reserves of stamina to make it through the hard times. We check in with three promising developments that started at the worst possible time in recent history to learn how they lived to tell the tale.
The article profiles these three development projects:
Douglas Valley (near Manistee)
Incochee Woods (near Slabtown in west Traverse City)
Sapphire Shore (West Bay frontage, at Crane Hill Road and M-22 in Elmwood Township)
Posted
on August 11, 2010, 3:42 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision Transportation Guiding Principle is to improve the region's existing network of roads and public transportation, and provide better infrastructure for bikers and pedestrians.
The Holland Sentinel has this article on how car pooling numbers have dwindled in the past two decades:
The days of hitching a ride to work with your buddy or joining the neighborhood carpool seem to be over, or at least dying down.
As more fuel efficient cars hit the market, gas drops below $3 a gallon and more people own vehicles, the need to carpool doesn’t seem as pressing as it used to be. As a nation that is struggling to find more ways to go green and to save in an economic slump, it seems now, more than ever, is the time to carpool.
But Nick Schirripa, spokesperson for Michigan Department of Transportation, says driving and owning a car is part of the American Dream – it’s not really something we want to share. “Historically, our culture has been built on one person, one car, being able to go wherever, whenever at your own pace. It’s an ingrained cultural behavior.”
0 – The amount it costs to download Avego’s iphone application designed to find fellow car-poolers. The application, called Shared Transport 2.0, was released in June and provides a way for drivers to fill their empty seats with passengers looking for rides. Seems a little creepy? Drivers can choose to filter the results by gender, accept all rider requests or choose to get matched with similar drivers.
388 – The number of Michigan carpool listings on eRideShare.com. To find a carpool, just join the site for free, place your listing or search for a listing in your area by clicking on the member ID. Rides are alphabetized by city name and most lay down ground rules for the carpool. Some questions to ask if you’re looking to join a carpool: Where will the pick-up point be? How many days a week will you be carpooling? Will the carpool be smoking or non-smoking? Will there be any unscheduled stops? How long will you wait for someone before you leave?
11 – According to a Census Bureau estimate from fall 2009, 11 percent of the country’s workers carpool to work, but just 20 years ago, 23.5 percent of workers carpooled. Schirripa says one of the biggest contributors to this trend is more fuel efficient cars which the Obama administration pushed with Cash for Clunkers. If you want to calculate how much you spend on gas a year log onto http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/ and try the Cost to Commute Calculator.
Posted
on August 11, 2010, 3:08 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, & Natural Design) with major support from The Neahtawanta Research and Education Center, Eden Foods, Fernand Footwear and Fox on a Hill present Permaculture For Abundance With Peter Bane & Keith Johnson.
It all takes place the weekend of August 28th and 29th.
What is Permaculture?
As a system of design, Permaculture provides a new vocabulary and pattern language for observation and action, attention and listening, that empowers people to co-design homes, neighborhoods, and communities full of truly abundant food, energy, habitat, water, income, and yields enough to share. – Keith Johnson
Peter & Keith are experienced permaculture site designers and teachers. They have been teaching and consulting on permaculture design for 26 years. They have developed an intimate knowledge of various regional landscapes and resources. With their wealth of experience in temperate climate permaculture systems they can offer a range of teaching and design services to regional and distant clients.
Peter is a native Illinoisan who grew up in the university city of Champaign-Urbana. He has lived in various regions of the U.S., taught permaculture extensively from Canada to Chile for 15 years, and was recognized in 2005 with the Diploma of Permaculture Design for his 18 years of publishing, teaching, design, and community work. He has trained over 1000 students.
Keith was raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and has been a commercial landscaper, stonemason, and organic gardener for over 33 years in places as varied as subtropical California, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the mountains of W. North Carolina. He's been teaching Permaculture for 13 years and has instructed more than 600 students.
Saturday, August 28th 1-5pm The Ecological Homestead: Permaculture and Food Production in Small Spaces
If you're interested in producing more food from your backyard, this is the workshop for you. Improved workshop description coming soon. At Birch Point Farm, 7506 E. Birch Point Rd, Traverse City (in Leelanau County). Sliding Scale donation of $25 to $75/person.
Saturday, August 28th, 7-9pm Introduction to Permaculture Design
Introduction of miniature rural and urban communities that meet most human needs within their regions. These models of bioregional self-sufficiency arise from a tide of cultural creation that has been in motion for fifty years and centuries in some cases. Its basic pieces have already been road-tested over several millennia. Permaculture is one of several models which addresses the increasing destabilization of civilization.
At Higher Grounds Trading Company at the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City. Donations of any size are appreciated.
Sunday, August 29th, 1-5pm The Ecological Farm: Permaculture for Big Spaces
If you've got 2 or 3 acres, or 40 or 160 acres or anywhere in between, this is the workshop for you! Improved workshop description coming soon. At Birch Point Farm, 7506 E. Birch Point Rd, Traverse City (in Leelanau County). Sliding Scale donation of $25 to $75/person.
Sunday, August 29th, 7-9pm
Gardening in Nature's Image: Guild Design and Pest Management in the Home Garden
This presentation is designed to pinpoint two key areas of permaculture design. First, how to design your gardens so that plants actively support each other. This is a big step past "companion planting" and an important part of permaculture design on any scale. Second, how to mimic nature to keep pest insects and other unwanted creatures at bay, without expensive and potentially toxic applications. Go beyond organic!
Held from 7pm to 9pm at Higher Grounds Trading Company at the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City. Donations of any size are appreciated.
Posted
on August 11, 2010, 2:45 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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SEEDS, in partnership with the Michigan Public Service Commission, Grand Traverse County, and the city of Traverse City are developing a climate action plan for our region based on your priorities.
The results of this Climate Action Survey will directly influence the Action Plan that will be created. Why are we planning for climate action? Measuring greenhouse gases (rather than just measuring electricity use) is one of the most efficient ways to find out how we use our resources – all our resources – and where we can get more efficient.
We will use the results to further engage decision makers, utility providers and citizens like yourself to make our visions a reality. Take our short online survey and help our region save money and save the planet. Isn't that worth 5 minutes of your time?
In 2008, SEEDS completed a greenhouse gas emission baseline analysis for Grand Traverse County and Traverse City municipalities, as well as the Grand Traverse County-wide community. This was the first step toward accomplishing the US Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement – which Traverse City signed onto in 2007 with much community support.
This baseline analysis provides a benchmark from which we can measure future progress. SEEDS is using this survey to launch the next phase of this process, creating a Climate Action Plan.
In my humble opinion, there’s no better way to get from Wisconsin to mainland Michigan than hopping on the S.S. Badger, a 400-foot-long vehicle and passenger ferry that has been plying the waters of Lake Michigan for more than 50 years.
Once in Michigan, we drove north to Traverse City on Grand Traverse Bay in the heart of the state’s cherry universe and our base for the next three days. Not only does the town have an attractive center with many renovated buildings, but it’s filled with artsy shops, bookstores and good restaurants. Not to be missed is the Cherry Republic, a store on Front Street that champions the region’s main fruit and sells everything — you guessed it — cherryish.
If you like wine, you love this corner of Michigan for it has more than 18 wineries. The region also has a passel of golf courses for those who like whacking little white balls.
One of the best things about Traverse City is its proximity to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The big park has giant sand dunes, restored, 19th Century farmstead, one exceptionally cool blacksmith shop, light houses and rescue boats from the old life-saving service that plucked thousands of sailors and passengers from the cold waters of Lake Michigan.
My kids, ages 7 and 9, especially liked the monstrous sand dunes, which were more than 400 feet tall in some places. They climbed them and then raced back down as fast as they could, sometimes tumbling spectacularly in the — fortunately — soft sand.
Though we didn’t make it out to the two offshore islands that are part of the park, I’d one day like to return and take the small ferry out to either North or South Manitou Island for a few days of sea kayaking and camping.
This story wouldn’t be complete, however, without mentioning Neal Hughes, who once worked at a Detroit steel mill and now volunteers as a blacksmith during the summer months at the park. (His wife volunteers at one of the lighthouses.)
Neal showed us how to work the old forged, explained how the different tools in the smithy’s shopped were used and even made wrought iron hooks for my kids to hang their hats back home in Madison. Living history doesn’t get much better than that.
Posted
on August 9, 2010, 5:51 pm,
by The Grand Vision
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The Grand Vision Growth & Investment Guiding Principle is to foster public and private investments to strengthen cities, villages and planned growth areas.
The Detroit News has this article exploring the possibility of a double-dip recession:
With the recovery from the country's worst economic collapse since the Great Depression losing steam, some economists fear the United States is headed into a double-dip recession.
But after nearly three years of layoffs, foreclosures, cutbacks and canceled credit, others are asking: Who'd notice?
Despite four quarters of growth, the national unemployment rate still hovers near 10 percent, foreclosures and personal bankruptcies are on the rise, credit is locked up tight and the housing market is awash in unsold and uninhabited homes.
It's the closest a growing economy can come to feeling just as bad as a shrinking one, says Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.
"For most people," Baker said, "it's not all that different."
The Grand Vision Energy Guiding Principle is to incorporate sustainable energy principles into building, transportation, power generation, and all aspects of the region's economy.
