GRAND RAPIDS - West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum elected eight local professionals to its 16-member board of directors at its Annual Meeting last week. New board members include Amy Butler, Director of Sustainability at Michigan State University; Misti Stanton, Assistant Vice President and Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Mercantile Bank, Zachary Verhulst, founder and managing
CADILLAC—Officials of Consumers Energy, the state of Michigan, and the city of Cadillac last week dedicated the company’s third solar power plant, Cadillac Solar Gardens. Consumers Energy’s Clean Energy Plan proposes using nearly 8,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2040, ending the use of coal by 2025, achieving net zero carbon emissions and saving customers
GRAND RAPIDS - West Michigan Sustainable Business has hired Wesley Watson as its new Engagement Manager. In this new role, Watson will provide tactical support for the Forum's growth as a regional and statewide network, its educational programming, and collaborative projects. Among other initiatives, he will be leading our work to engage underrepresented communities in
WASHINGTON DC - President Joe Biden has announced a plan to spend $174 billion to make it easier for Americans to choose electric vehicles. Biden wants $15 billion of that money to go toward building a national network of 500,000 charging stations by 2030. The day after Biden's announcement, Representatives Andy Levin and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—both Democrats—announced
LANSING - EGLE announced the recipients of the Renew Michigan grants to encourage recycling in West Michigan. The grants are the largest single effort to encourage recycling in West Michigan. Recipients include: West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, Kent County Department of Public Works, City of Holland, Goodwill Industries of West Michigan and PADNOS Recycling and
JACKSON—Officials at Consumers Energy have announced an agreement to purchase 140 megawatts of clean, renewable energy—enough to power about 70,000 homes—from the Calhoun Solar Center. Invenergy, a Chicago-based developer and operator of green energy installations, is building the project. Said Tim Sparks, vice president of electric grid integration at Consumers Energy: “We are committed to
LANSING - Michigan State University’s Institute for Water Research has been chosen to conduct an economic study of the Long Run Risk management strategies for groundwater contamination under a $349,808 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The research team will use case studies to better understand the long-term implications,
JONESVILLE—Officials at Consumers Energy announced that it had taken ownership of the 166-megawatt Crescent Wind farm in Hillsdale County, which is now producing clean, renewable energy for residents and businesses in Michigan. Said Dennis Dobbs, vice president of enterprise project management, engineering and services for Consumers Energy: “It’s amazing to consider the addition of Crescent Wind
CAMBRIDGE, Ma. - After Brandon Sorbom graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2010, he decided to take the “couple of thousand dollars” he had saved and his credit card (he had 0% interest for a year) and fly to Boston. Sorbom wanted to get his Ph.D. in nuclear fusion but had been rejected
LANSING - Michigan joined 11 states across the country in exploring the comprehensive electricity planning that will be required for states to create a more optimized grid that’s also more affordable for customers. The Michigan Public Service Commission and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy participated in the nationwide Task Force on
