Earth Day

April 19, 2006

Earth Day Meet-up:
There’s still time to put together a costume for the Earth Day Parade planned for Saturday, April 22 in downtown Traverse City. Dress up as your favorite animal (or plant) species within for the “storybook” parade that will feature the chapters of earth, wind, fire, air and center. All are invited to make costumes from recycled materials this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, 5-9 p.m. at the Community Art Studio on 11th and Elmwood Streets. Suggested donation, $5.
The parade takes off at 1 p.m.; the meet-up is at Central Grade School on 7th Street and spontaneous participants are welcome (just find your appropriate theme). The route includes Union, State, Front and Sixth Streets, ending at Hannah Park (weather permitting) with a special puppet and mask performance and community.. A bad weather date is scheduled for April 29. For more information go to www.littleartshram.org or call 276-2328.

Reach the Beach
Michigan‘s beach grooming controversy has become a focus for the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in Petoskey, which hosted a town hall meeting with State Rep. Gary McDowell (D-Rudyard) on Monday, April 17.
In June 2003, Michigan’s Legislature passed PA 14 which amended wetland law to allow certain types of “beach grooming” on exposed Great Lakes bottomlands. Those measures are scheduled to sunset in June, 2006 and November, 2007 respectively, giving the Legislature a chance to reconsider its stand on the issue.
The DEQ recently released a report stating that vegetation removal and beach maintenance activities have long-lasting negative impacts on Great Lakes coastal wetlands.

Powering Up
There was lots of hand-wringing over talk of building a power plant on West Grand Traverse Bay in Greilickville to burn wood, but Linda Johnson, chair of the Traverse City Light and Power Board, quickly announced that “We are not building a plant on the bay.” So what’s the deal?
Very succinctly, the cost of buying out-of-town energy is zooming up, the city wants to go sustainable, wood seemed like a good idea because tree tops go to waste, so why not burn them? But the scrap wood would have to be transported by rail or boat because what’s the point of using diesel-burning trucks to get it here? So there was talk about “hiding” a wood-burning plant really far back off M-22, and to transport wood from the bay to the plant underneath the road.
The plant would look like a big pole barn with a “steam stack”—nothing as huge as the old power plant, said Matt Schmidt, a Traverse City commission member who sits on the Light and Power board.
Meanwhile, the board must first decide on which sustainable technology is best for the area—burning trash or woodchips or building wind turbines. A second research trip to Europe to explore energy options is planned for late May, and is covered by a grant.

Under the
Influence of… Art
Speaking of new wine tasting events, savor fine art and new release wines at the Downtown Traverse City Art Walk on May 5. That’s when people are invited to hobnob in the town’s most excellent art galleries and shops, enjoying Leelanau County’s new release wines, chocolate fountains, appetizers, and watching a real artist or two creating their magic. Next, visit Leelanau’s 13 wineries on May 6 and 7th for more of the same … good wine, gourmet food. It’s all part of the Leelanau Peninsula Spring Sip and Savor Weekend. Tickets are $25.
Not to be outdone, Old Mission Peninsula Blossom Days will feature wine tasting on May 20-21. For $10, participants receive a special glass to be used as a “ticket” at each of the Old Mission Peninsula wineries.

Changing of the Guard
Lynn Larson will step down at year-end as chair of the Grand Traverse County Democrats. She said it’s time for new energy and creativity plus there’s that ole burn-out factor after six years on a strictly volunteer job. When she took over, there was no permanent office, no newsletter, and hardly a soul willing to run as a Democrat or at least admit they were. Now there’s all that plus Dems are contenders in almost every local and state race this fall. They’ll have a lot to contend with. Sen. Jason Allen, for example, has already raised a whopping $315,000, according to the Michigan Secretary of State Internet site.

The Buzz on the Bus
The new hybrid BATA Bus is riding high. Older folks love the fact they can step right on, no stairs, and the quieter ride is nice, too. BATA’s number crunchers are also feeling good. The hybrid bus, at $300,000, is far more costly than the $180,000 conventional bus, but it gets twice the gas mileage at 12 mpg and relies partly on vegetable oil, often cheaper than diesel fuel. There’s also tremendous savings on brake repairs, because the bus slows down immediately after the foot comes off the “gas,” said Don Scharmen, operations manager of BATA, the bus line serving Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. A federal grant will cover the purchase of eight to 10 more hybrids over the next three years.
Wait, there’s more green. BATA is in the process of developing a wind turbine generator within the next two years to recharge batteries with zero emission, renewable electricity.

Earth Day Meet-up:
There’s still time to put together a costume for the Earth Day Parade planned for Saturday, April 22 in downtown Traverse City. Dress up as your favorite animal (or plant) species within for the “storybook” parade that will feature the chapters of earth, wind, fire, air and center. All are invited to make costumes from recycled materials this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, 5-9 p.m. at the Community Art Studio on 11th and Elmwood Streets. Suggested donation, $5.
The parade takes off at 1 p.m.; the meet-up is at Central Grade School on 7th Street and spontaneous participants are welcome (just find your appropriate theme). The route includes Union, State, Front and Sixth Streets, ending at Hannah Park (weather permitting) with a special puppet and mask performance and community.. A bad weather date is scheduled for April 29. For more information go to www.littleartshram.org or call 276-2328