Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Citizens Utility Board of Michigan and Michigan Environmental Council urged municipal utilities Friday to better protect their customers’ physical and financial health and well-being.

Michigan Environmental Council’s board of directors is composed of 17 members who are committed to Michigan’s environment and whose experiences and perspectives make them champions of it. At-large member Tony Ambroza, chief brand officer of Carhartt, is supporting his company's new effort to protect human health by producing gowns and masks for COVID-19 first responders.

Waking up warm and comfortable. Pouring milk for cereal. Logging your child into online schoolwork. Making stir fry over the stove. Listening to the news on the radio.

This is a snapshot of what many Michiganders likely experience each day as they stay at home protecting themselves and their community from COVID-19. It is not the case, however, for thousands of Michiganders and potentially thousands more.

“Man, Isaac was crazy,” said MEC CEO Conan Smith, who knew Representative Robinson for more than two decades. “He was just crazy for justice.” MEC is so saddened to learn of the tragic death of State Representative Isaac Robinson yesterday. Rep. Robinson was a powerful advocate for his constituents. His passion for doing the right thing on behalf of his community -- the residents of the City of Detroit -- was truly inspiring. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order Saturday requiring water reconnections to homes that have been disconnected due to nonpayment or damaged infrastructure and allocating $2 million in state grants to local utilities to cover associated costs. Conan Smith, president and CEO of Michigan Environmental Council, issued the following statement on the order.

DTE Energy’s attempts to significantly raise rates on residential customers and continue operating dirty, expensive power plants recently took a significant hit from an administrative law judge who issued a set of recommendations on the utility’s proposed rate case.

The Michigan Energy Efficiency For All coalition, of which Michigan Environmental Council is a part of, sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday urging her to protect and strengthen the essential services residents need to remain healthy and in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter is provided in full below. You can view a PDF version here.

Today Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s second executive budget was released. It included $10 million for a new Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund to protect Michigan families from lead in their homes. Michigan Environmental Council released the following statement in support of this funding recommendation:

“We applaud Governor Whitmer’s creative proposal to invest $10 million to unlock private capital and get low interest loans in the hands of residents who simply can't afford the high cost of making their home lead safe,” said Tina Reynolds, Michigan Environmental Council Program Director for Environmental Health.

In Northeast Detroit, just south of Eight Mile Road, lies a neighborhood called Denby, a once thriving community that has struggled with vacancy, blight, and crime. But by putting youth leadership at the center of its revitalization efforts, Denby is becoming a greener, more vibrant and sustainable community.

In 2013, longtime resident and MEC Community Engagement Director Sandra Turner-Handy encouraged the local high school to assign a capstone project designed to empower young people to be active players in revitalizing their neighborhoods.

The senior class was tasked with identifying a neighborhood challenge and designing a solution. Out of 200 submissions, one proposal rose to the top -- the need for a safe outdoor space that would provide recreational opportunities for everyone. The students decided to renovate Skinner Park, a largely abandoned park adjacent to Denby High School.

After securing funding and a partnership with Life Remodeled and other foundations, Skinner Park has been transformed into an amenity-rich community greenspace -- a shining example of how we can take abandoned land and blighted properties and transform them into green spaces.

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