Energy Network:
Wednesday, May 2
The Energy Demonstration Center at NMC is showing "Beyond the Light Switch," a documentary film about the challenges facing our electrical generation infrastructure, on May 2 at Milliken Auditorium. A panel, moderated by Detroit Public Television's Ed Moore, will discuss local energy issues. Cost: $5 at the door, students are free. More info and flyer.
Thursday, June 14
A Community Leadership Summit: Energy Efficiency and Local Economic Opportunity will be held at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City. Join us for breakfast and some important, new information about the strong, positive effects of a comprehensive, community-based, energy efficiency campaign: More jobs, investment, and prosperity. For more information, contact Brian Beauchamp at 734-904-9915 or brian@mlui.org.
Food & Farming Network:
Monday, May 7
The Leelanau Farmers Market Association & MSU Extension are proud to present an educational session on Michigan's Cottage Food Law on Monday, May 7, 2012 from 1-4 pm at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center at 6686 S Center Highway, Traverse City, MI 49684.
Michigan's Cottage Food Law was approved in 2010. This law allows those with an entrepreneurial spirit the opportunity to prepare and sell certain homemade foods prepared in home kitchens. Cottage foods are basically non-hazardous foods. They can be safely kept at room temperature and do not require refrigeration. Examples include: jams, jellies, breads and similar baked goods, cookies, cakes, fruit pies, vinegars and other non-potentially hazardous foods.
The objectives of this workshop are to provide information on how to safely make, label and sell cottage foods. MSU Extension educators Wendy Wieland, Business Consultant and Agriculture Specialist and Jennifer Berkey, Food Safety Educator, will present the business and food safety aspects of preparing and selling cottage foods. The registration fee is $20 per person and the registration deadline is Friday, May 4. Register online at: http://web2.msue.msu.edu/cottagefoods
For more information, contact Rob Sirrine at MSU Extension at 231-256-9888 or msue45@msu.edu.
Growth & Investment Network:
Monday, May 21
Placemaking Summits will be held on May 21st in Traverse City and in Petoskey. This year's Summit is designed to inspire local implementation and features keynote speaker, Chris Leinberger, Land Use Strategist, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute and plenary speaker, Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director, Michigan Municipal League. More information is available on the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments' website: Placemaking Summits.
Housing Solutions Network:
Two Housing Partnerships Workshops are coming up: May 10 and June 14; click for more info:
Thursday, May 10
Understanding the Fair Housing Law and Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords/Tenants. Learn from experts on fair housing and rights and responsibilities of landlords/tenants.
Thursday, June 14
Energy Optimization: Learn ways to maximize the energy efficiencies in your rental units and save money on utilities.
Natural Resources Network:
Friday, April 27
Author Jerry Dennis to Keynote Annual NMEAC Environmentalist of the Year Celebration
On April 27 the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council will host the 24th Annual Environmentalist of the Year Awards & Celebration. The Great Lakes Bioneers will be part of this year's program and will present their Bioneer of the Year Award. The event will feature Jerry Dennis as Keynote Speaker and will take place from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Friday, April 27 at the Park Place Dome in downtown Traverse City.
In the 25 years that Jerry Dennis has earned his living as a freelance writer, he has emerged as one of America's most celebrated writers about nature and the outdoors. His essays in such publications as Audubon, Smithsonian, Orion, National Geographic Traveler, and the New York Times have won many awards and are frequently reprinted and anthologized. His 11 books, most recently The Windward Shore: A Winter on the Great Lakes, have appeared on national bestseller lists, have been translated into five languages, and are taught in many universities and high schools. His book The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas, has been chosen 17 times for community reads programs in Michigan, including Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads in 2010.
Among Jerry's awards are the Michigan Author of the Year Award, the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, Michigan State University's Great Lakes Culture Award, and three Best Book of the Year awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
For more info and to register for the Environmentalist of the Year event, please visit: http://nmeac.org/
Transportation Network:
The Grand Vision Transportation Network reviewed the results of the 2011 Regional Asset Management process in April.
Asset Management is a strategic and systematic process of maintaining, upgrading, and operating physical assets cost-effectively. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and all road agencies in the region use this process to identify and evaluate road conditions, thereby applying resources where they are most needed to maintain roads and the transportation system in general.
Each roadway is rated based on the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) system that is broken into the three rating range categories: 1-4 (Poor); 5-7 (Fair); and 8-10 (Good). Ratings for each county in The Grand Vision region, as well as the 10 county northwestern lower Michigan region, can be reviewed in the report. The complete 2011 Asset Management report is available on the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments website: nwm.org/planning/transportation/asset-management/.
