Category Archives: Industry & Manufacturing

Will Michigan get its own version of the BP oil spill?

Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup In Is Michigan’s BP Disaster Brewing in the UP? addressing the Kennecott Eagle Mine north of Marquette, the Center for Michigan’s Phil Power writes: Today, TV screens, newspapers and the Internet are consumed worldwide with the horrendous British Petroleum oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico, now believed to be [...]

Will Michigan GM factories get new life as energy technology plants?

Oldsmobile by NewCityOne The Detroit Free Press reports that in a speech yesterday in Youngstown, Ohio, President Barack Obama announced that: Leftover and abandoned factories from the remnants of General Motors’ past could be used to lure new builders of energy-efficient technology to Michigan under the $836-million plan revealed Tuesday by the Obama administration. The [...]

Which Way Will the Wind Blow in Michigan?

Lillgrund by axelivarsson Early in February, Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center and the University of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute received $1.34 million in state grants to explore the feasibility of offshore wind turbines on Lake Michigan. Although this study is not yet even off the ground, Scandia Wind and [...]

Celebrate Fat Tuesday with paczki … then maybe The Twist

The Last Paczki by cseeman While groundhogs are a sign of spring’s approach around the country, the appearance of paczkis in grocery stores in Michigan lets you know that spring is not too far off. Our Fat Tuesday Paczki Day page on Absolute Michigan will load you up with 110% of the USRDA on these [...]

Solar Explosion: Solar Energy in Michigan

Enrico Fermi 2 by daryl.larkin Michigan Solar Solutions says that Michigan is Poised for ‘Solar Explosion’ in 2010: According to company President Mark Hagerty, the year is shaping up to be “a perfect storm for solar” in the state. “Many people think that solar won’t work in Michigan because it’s too cold and it doesn’t [...]

Michigan Says YES to Sulfide Mining

Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup In an article on ABC news, John Flesher wites: Michigan regulators gave final approval Thursday to a nickel and copper mine for the Upper Peninsula, despite opponents’ fears it would pollute streams that feed Lake Superior and provide habitat for a rare type of trout. Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. said [...]

Michigan @ Copenhagen

Windmill by reddeviltj University of Michigan student Aubrey Ann Parker is in Copenhagen and blogging for the Detroit Free Press about her experiences and observations at the 15th Conference of the Parties United Nations Climate Change Convention. Wherever you come down in the climate debate, I think it’s instructive to hear about the issues and [...]

Maker Faire Detroit – From Motor City to Maker City

It Must be Maker Faire time! by Erik Charlton In Maker Faire Detroit 2010, Dale Dougherty of Make Magazine announces the first-ever Maker Faire Detroit,  July 31-August 1, 2010 at The Henry Ford Museum : Last summer, after our Maker Faire in the Bay Area, I had a couple of speaking engagements in the Detroit [...]

Detroit innovation lives on

model T, by artsy T by artsy_T Our battered Michigan auto industry still has a trick or two up its sleeve. A couple of weeks ago, Michigan Radio had a feature on inflatable rear seat belts that will be offered as an option on next year’s Ford Explorer. Seat belts have saved an estimated 170,000 [...]

Veterans Day Special: How Detroit Won the War

Today is Veterans Day, commemorating the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when Germany signed the Armistice Agreement ending World War I. You can read more about Veteran’s Day on Absolute Michigan and also on Michigan in Pictures. Life Magazine has a feature titled WWII: How Detroit Won The War that [...]