Charging Stations in West Michigan

WMSA and a coalition of partners recently announced a project to bring 50 electric vehicle charging stations to West Michigan. Details about the effort  can be read in this news release.

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?

Internship Project Manager on Tony Gates show today!

Listen to Internship Project Manager, Cindy Brown, on the Tony Gates show (1340 AM – WJRW) at 2:00 PM today.   Check it out and let us know what you think!

Literacy to Work Featured in Sentinel

The Holland Sentinel carried a nice feature about one aspect of our Literacy to Work initiative.

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

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WMSA Unveils Green Infrastructure ‘Tool Shed’

WEST MICHIGAN, October 27, 2010—As part of its ongoing Green Infrastructure Initiative, and in collaboration with the Land Information Access Association and the Michigan Association of Planning, the West Michigan Strategic Alliance has launched a ‘Tool Shed’ – an online collection of green infrastructure planning and preservation best practice tools.  The address for the Green Infrastructure Tool Shed is: http://www.greentoolshed.org/

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.”

Collaboration on Charging Stations for West Michigan

Another example of regional collaboration was on display in the regional newspapers this weekend. As part of a series of articles about the Chevy Volt, an article in the Grand Rapids Press and Muskegon Chronicle reported how the three major cities in the region–Grand Rapids, Holland, and Muskegon–are working together to receive federal subsidies for 98 charging stations for electric vehicles.

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.

State of Michigan Leads U.S. in the Number of Miles for Rails to Trails

Michigan is now #1 in the U.S. for Rail to Trail miles with  2,478 miles, followed by Minnesota  2,309 miles, and Wisconsin coming in at 3rd with 1,788 miles.

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

Economy, Energy, Environment Event 9/24

A Celebration… 20th Anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, 5-year Progress Report of the Green Suppliers Network Program, and the new West Michigan E3 Initiative Hosted by Steelcase Inc., The Right Place, Inc./MMTC-West and Sustainable Research Group, LLC Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. (includes lunch) Followed by plant tours from 1 to 3:30 pm for a limited number of guests.  Please see details on the agenda below. Steelcase University Learning Center 901 44th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 Please join West Michigan manufacturers and energy providers at this event to: Celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Pollution Prevention week. Discuss the accomplishments of West Michigan manufacturers in “lean and green” efforts through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Suppliers Network program. Discuss the intent to launch an E3 (Economy, Energy, and Environment) initiative in West Michigan, a federal, state and local collaboration focusing on manufacturing growth, energy efficiency and environmental performance. Agenda (10 am – 1 pm): Integrating Sustainable Principles into West Michigan Manufacturing Greg Northrup, President, West Michigan Strategic Alliance Pollution Prevention, the Green Suppliers Network and more Jim Jones, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention What is E3 and how does it complement the Green Suppliers Network? What are the Michigan-specific resources to support these efforts? Tom Murray, Senior Scientist and  Chief of the Prevention Analysis Branch, EPA’s Pollution Prevention Division, and Laura Rauwerda, Senior Environmental Analyst, Michigan Department of Natural Resources & Environment How energy efficiency helps West Michigan Consumers Energy Lean and Green Manufacturing and theExtended Value Stream – Waste Reductions and Cost Reductions along the Supply Chain Jack Puricelli, Director, Supply Chain Management, Steelcase Why Sustainability is important to Steelcase(and how pollution prevention has evolved into new opportunities) Jim Keane, President, Steelcase Group, North America Lunch (12 – 1 pm) Optional plant tours (1 to 3:30 pm) – theExtended Value Stream (limited spots available) 1:15 – 2:15 pm: Steelcase Kentwood East Plant; then 2:30 – 3:30 pm: Magic Steel (with presentations from Mike Welch, VP, Magic Steel, and Bill Small, VP, The Right Place Inc., & Regional Manager, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West)

No cost to attend this event. Seats are limited so please RSVP by Friday, September 24, 2010, and indicate whether you would also like to attend the plant tours. Please RSVP to:  powersn@rightplace.org or 616-771-0327

Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees votes to approve over $213,000 in new grants

This week, Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted to approve over $213,000 in new grants to local nonprofits including  the Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Literacy Center of West Michigan, The SOURCE and Women’s Resource Center.  Click here for more information.

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

SOURCE/Spectrum Collaboration Awarded

Congrats to the “Commit to Be Fit” program, a collaboration between Spectrum Health and The SOURCE, a nonprofit work force  collaboration. The employee wellness program received the 2010 Ludwig Community Benefit Award.

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.

West Michigan’s Impressive Sustainability

It was nice to read that West Michigan is a national leader on sustainability in a recent column in MiBiz written by Jesse Brimmer, sustainable business consultant.

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.