Patty Birkholz, director of Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes, talked wind energy recently with MEC member group Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI). While she wouldn’t speculate about when – or how vigorously – Gov. Rick Snyder might take up the issue of offshore wind turbines, she did say the administration supports wind energy. 

Obsessed with a wily gopher, golf course groundskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) creates his own experimental mix of explosives to blast the critter to kingdom come in the finale of the movie classic “Caddyshack.” At Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, Golf Course Superintendent Chad Corp also experiments with the unconventional. His goals are much different.

Crystal Mountain isn’t alone. Ski resorts throughout Michigan are implementing sustainable systems and practices.