There has also been some good media coverage, including FOX  17 and the Muskegon Chronicle.

Some of the coverage has sparked interesting reader comments and questions. What do you think? Will more charging stations help boost use of electric vehicles in the region? Will an infrastructure of charging stations be an economic benefit for the region?

The program was started earlier this year, and the article is about financial literacy classes  held in Holland.

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A green infrastructure tool is a resource that informs or helps planning officials make decisions about managing the six types of environments that are the focus of the Green Infrastructure Initiative: shorelines, forests, farmland, watershed, biodiversity, or green urban space. Tools include documents, checklists, model ordinances, booklets, websites, and programs. Users are encouraged to submit tools that they have used or developed, so that best practices may be shared throughout the region. 

“The Tool Shed provides examples of what has worked, challenges faced, sample documents and templates, and general information about the preservation of environmental assets,” says Elaine Sterrett Isely, WMSA Green Infrastructure project manager. “The site will help local and regional decision-makers as well as the general public to preserve, protect, and manage our valued outdoor features in West Michigan.”

This particular effort is part of WMSA’s Clean Cities Coalition. The initiative is focused on the development local markets for clean vehicle technologies and creating alternative fuel corridors along 196 and I-196 between Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland.

This does not take into consideration the other types of trails and bike paths.

Source: Jeffrey Mitchell, Van Buren County Road Commission

Don’t forget to check out the recently released West Michigan Parks & Recreation Inventory at: www.wm-alliance.org/parks

For more information about the Foundation, please visit: www.grfoundation.org.

The SOURCE led to the creation of West Michigan Team, a program to help area residents gain long-term employment, that received funding from our WIRED initiative.

It’s good to see the collaborative spirit of SOURCE continues and is being recognized.

In “West Michigan sets the national standard” Brimmer recounts the LEED certifications and other activities that set our region apart from others in the country with regard to green building and other sustainable practices. But what most impresses us at WMSA is the noted collaboration between business, government, and educational institutions. Cross-sector collaboration is the core of our mission, and the key to success in our green infrastructure and other initiatives. We applaud those who work together toward common goals that benefit our region.