The Walk And Toast

Found via BoingBoing - Won’t You Be My Drinking Buddy Neighbor?

Finding Salt-Free Ways To De-ice Roads

In Japan, there is a region where apples are grown and sea scallops are processed. Together, they create an eco-friendly road de-icer.

Northwest Michigan has fruit processors and lots of zebra muscles in Lake Michigan. Perhaps these could be used together to make roads safer in the winter, similar to what has been done in Japan?

The Timber Industry In Leelanau County

The Leelanau Enterprise has a short article on the forest products industry of Leelanau County - Timber county's first 'cash crop'

Northern Spirits

Grand Traverse Distillery has opened their web site.

Coverage from the Record-Eagle - One man's spirited endeavor

Black Star Farms has a distillery to produce brandy in addition to their award winning wine and cheese.

And there are rumors of another distillery opening in Suttons Bay.

These are great additions to the breweries and wineries in northwest lower Michigan. It is clear Traverse City is now the culinary capital of Michigan. Next, domination of the Midwest.

Those No Good Articulate Young People

For some reason the Traverse City Record-Eagle decided to print two anti-ADU letters in last Sunday's paper. Neither one is very convincing but this letter is priceless - No single-family ADUs by Adrienne Rossi

Advocating for citywide change are... a cadre of articulate young people interested in more rental choices or in adding a rental unit to their own property.

Yep, the last thing any city in Michigan needs is a cadre of articulate young people. Why don't they move to Chicago?

Sigh... what Adrienne fails to mention is that she has a garage with a granny flat but now is trying to prevent others from making the same choice. This is why opponents of ADUs are being called "selfish and guilty of NIMBYism."

Everything In Wyoming Is On A Different Scale

With one purchase, the Green River Valley Land Trust preserved 837 acres.
Land trust buys ranch easement

Even more amazingly, the Land Trust has preserved 20,000 acres in seven years.

For comparison, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has preserved about 26,000 acres in 16 years.

Cows + Biofuel = Financially Solvent Family Farms?

From the East Valley Tribune - Land of milk and biofuel

Using farm waste streams for energy is an old idea and been used in Cuba to survive the U.S. embargo. If farmers can use the byproducts of their farm to create biofuel then this makes it much more likely that the land will remain rural. And if farmers put their land under conservation easement and construct wind turbines maybe they can even make good money?

Seems like a good option for northern Michigan farmers.

Detroit Gains One

Via Green Car Congress - Azure Dynamics Packs Up to Head to Detroit

Azure Dynamics, a Canada-based developer of hybrid electric and electric powertrains for commercial vehicles, has closed its head office in Toronto as well as the UK Kenilworth office and service center. The company plans to open a new corporate head office in or near Detroit.

Any move like this is good for Michigan. But MoTown needs to know that it isn't a car town - it is a transportation and technology town (or should be).

Rust To Wind

From The Buffalo News - Windmill power spins into reality

Lackawanna, NY has turned a Bethlehem Steel site into the United States' first urban wind farm. And it is changing minds and getting international media coverage.

For Michigan to thrive again the state will have to pursue projects such as this so that innovators can have cheap access to sustainable energy.