Go Green
A Blog by WARM Training Center
Getting Around in the D (and beyond)
Mar 25th
We here at WARM are largely focused on making buildings more efficient. However, a recent EPA study highlighted that WHERE you live has as much (or more) to do with your energy use and emissions as WHAT kind of dwelling you live in. Being an urban planner, I long ago got religion on this topic. Besides, it makes me feel better about buying a big drafty house since I can bike to work!
Here in the motor city, addressing the challenges of mobility is especially important. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that people who can use alternative modes of transport (walking, biking, mule) are healthier and less prone to disease.
Lucky for us, there are two related movements going on that seek to address how to enable people to live in places where they can use different modes of travel and to make streets more hospitable to biking and walking.
Complete Streets are roadways planned, designed and constructed to accommodate safe access for all users. On these streets, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transit riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across streets which may include sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes. For Detroiters, the Departments of Health and Wellness Promotion will be holding a forum in Corktown on March 31st. More info here.
LEED for Neighborhood Development is a progressive approach to neighborhood design that takes into account the spatial relationships between homes and businesses, access to greenspaces, and access to alternate modes of transportation. USGBC Detroit Regional Chapter and WARM Training Center are cosponsoring a full day workshop on LEED ND, featuring such heavy hitters as Doug Farr. For more information, go to the USGBC DRC Website.
I hope to see you at one or both of these events!
Joel
Energy Efficiency Webinar for Houses of Worship!
Mar 16th
DTE Energy is offering FREE webinars for their business customers. If your annual energy bill is $150,000 or less – these webinars are for you!
Register today for the March 17 Webinar starting at 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST.
Presented by Julie Lyons Bricker, Executive Director, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light. Julie currently holds designations and licenses as a US Green Building Council LEED® AP and Michigan Real Estate Broker.
Julie will talk about:
- Description of Michigan Interfaith Power and Light
- Benefits of joining MIIPL
- Portfolio management of Houses of Worship
- Energy tips for Houses of Worship
We have a full schedule of energy efficiency webinars for you to participate in — register today for one or all!
Detroit Incinerator Seeks $4.2 million in Tax Credits
Mar 15th
The Detroit Incinerator, which burns the vast majority of trash collected in the city of Detroit, as well as from several surrounding communities, is applying for a brownfield tax credit of $4.195 million.
The City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority will host public hearings Thursday on the Brownfield Tax Credit for the Detroit incinerator.
An informational session will be held at 5:30 p.m. The hearing on Detroit Thermal, which would purchase steam from the incinerator, begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by a hearing on the incinerator, to be owned by Detroit Renewable Energy.
The meetings will be held at the College for Creative Studies in the Walter B. Ford Classroom Building Auditorium on Frederick Douglass Street, between Brush and St. Antoine.
Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20110314/NEWS05/103140325/Incinerator-hearings-held
D-Yes Powershift Fundraiser Brunch
Mar 10th
Please join us to help send the hardworking kids of the Detroit Youth Energy Squad to the Powershift Conference in Washington, DC. D-Yes is holding a fun fundraiser brunch featuring Representative Hansen Clarke. Your presence and support are an inspiration to the D-Yes students and will help them attend an awesome conference.
Register Here - http://www.warmtraining.org/events/d-yes/
Date:
Saturday, March 26th
10:30am to 12:30pm
Location:
Fishbone’s Restaurant
(Greektown location
400 Monroe Street
Detroit, MI 48226
D-YES is an innovative program that strives to reduce household energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions by training young people ages 16-24 to help lower-income households conserve energy. Crews help lower-income residents understand their energy bills, recommend behaviors that conserve energy, and install about $100 worth of free energy-saving supplies, such as reusable storm window kits, low-flow showerheads, and weather stripping. Crew members completed a 30-hour training that covered a range of topics, including climate change, green jobs, and communication skills.
Taste of Bioneers – Meetings Shouldn’t Suck!
Mar 2nd
I just wanted to give a call out – please come join us this Saturday, March 5, at Marygrove College for A Taste of Detroit Bioneers.
This event features
- a great lunch,
- Compassionate Conversations in a Crazy World with Nancy Sylvester in the morning, (a great “learnshop” on how to engage with the world with compassion and approach life’s challenges from a contemplative perspective.)
- two opportunities to watch the film The Economics of Happiness
- Meetings Shouldn’t Suck with me! (Jacob from WARM)
I’m excited to have a full 2 hours to run this participatory workshop. Meetings shouldn’t suck. But most of them do. There’s a common wisdom understanding about what consensus is, and it’s wrong. And the result is bad meetings. This basic training in the use of consensus can make any meeting go better, whether it’s with your household, your work, your friends or elsewhere.
Find out more at www.glbd.org or by emailing river1143@comcast.net – and please come join us this Saturday.