Consumers Energy Leading by Example
Consumers Energy is leading by example by releasing an ambitious Sustainability Report for 2018. It serves as a snapshot of their progress while pursuing the goals towards the triple bottom line of “people, planet, and prosperity”. Some key takeaways from this year’s release is that the energy provider is aggressively pursuing 80 percent carbon emissions…
Read MoreUSGBC-WM in the Community: Where We Live, Learn, & Labor Matter
This year’s annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration was hosted by the Committee to Honor Cėsar E. Chávez on Friday, May 4th at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Proceeds went to the “Si Se Puede” scholarship fund, a Legacy Endowment Foundation which supports Latino students in West Michigan schools who demonstrate the ideals espoused by Cėsar…
Read MoreBack to Our Roots: Thriving Communities from Urban Forestry
Trees play a vital role in a healthy urban environment by providing city streets with shade, wildlife habitat and beauty, among many other benefits. Anyone who has ever visited a neighborhood that has lost its tree canopy due to disease, rampant urban development or simple neglect knows what a difference this greenery makes to the…
Read MoreUSGBC-WM attends the Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit
The 4th annual GR Neighborhood Summit, hosted by the City of Grand Rapids at the GVSU Pew Campus in the DeVos Center, proved to be another successful year in which City residents left inspired about the possibilities in their community. The annual event is designed to connect residents, build skills and leverage their leadership to…
Read MoreNavigating Building Audits: an enlightening start to the ZNE Series
The first of a series of Zero Net Energy (ZNE) events hosted by the Grand Rapids 2030 District, titled “Navigating Building Audits”, was inaugurated on the 20th of February, 2018 for a Lunch & Learn at The Knickerbocker – New Holland Brewery. Local experts, Mark Zoeteman from Fishbeck Thompson Carr & Huber, Eric DeVries from…
Read MoreGeothermal Energy Comes to Michigan’s State Capitol Building
By Chuck Otto, USGBC-WM Staff Writer The Michigan Capitol in Lansing is in the midst of a conversion of its heating and cooling system to geothermal energy. The geothermal renovation is part of a two-year, $70 million project known as the Capitol Infrastructure Upgrade (CIU), an effort designed to bring the 138-year-old building into the…
Read MoreZero Net Energy: Workshop Highlights
At a workshop sponsored by Consumers Energy with partners from Grand Rapids 2030 District (GR2030) and New Building Institute (NBI), experts took a deep dive into Zero Net Energy (ZNE) for midwest buildings. The event took place at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) on Tuesday, November 14th, 2017. Cheri Holman, Director of the GR2030…
Read MoreGVSU Wins the 2017 EXPI Award
Grand Valley State University Facilities Planning Department was the Sustainable Construction and Innovation Award Recipient at the 2017 West Michigan Design and Construction Expo. The Sustainable Construction and Innovation Award recognizes construction and innovation that has proven economic, environmental and/or social benefits, contributing to sustainable building practices. The innovation will be recognized as a robust project,…
Read MoreCity of Grand Rapids Pace Launch Celebration
Mayor Bliss, GR 2030 District and Lean & Green Michigan celebrate launch of Grand Rapids PACE program Mayor Rosalynn Bliss joined representatives from Grand Rapids 2030 District and Lean & Green Michigan, along with the City’s new sustainability manager on Monday at an event celebrating the launch of the Grand Rapids PACE (Property Assessed Clean…
Read MoreNo Time to Waste; Waste Diversion in Construction
Managing waste has been a ball and chain on society throughout the years, and we are still in the process of ironing out systems that are efficient and sustainable. According to the EPA’s 2014 study on Waste Management, published in 2016, 258 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) were generated. With a statistic like…
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