Detroit Works Project, others, and you!

Detroit initiatives worth knowing:

1)  Detroit Works
[Important ongoing/upcoming events in motion] The Detroit Works project has the city municipality's attention and leans strongly toward economic revitalization.  It takes public recommendations, and would certainly benefit from balanced perspectives in community and environmental development toward comprehensive sustainability.

Schedule of events/strategic sessions (soonest August 14th at 2929 Russell Street the full schedule is in the link below, and pasted for viewing-purposes only at the bottom of this post):
http://detroitworksproject.com/engagement/how-to-engage/

2)  Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) framework
Thomas Stephens, a long-time Detroit community advocate (he gave strong comments at last year's EPA Enviro. Justice conference) and policy analyst for the City pointed me to the Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) framework, which outlines roles for community organizations and downtown development which are soundly informed by comprehensive principles of sustainability and existing visioning (earth charter, etc.):

CDAD Declaration (fair summary of principles, etc.):

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102398605/CDAD-detroit-Declaration-plus 

The Framework (Visioning--the big picture about what organizations fit in where)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102632046/CDAD-Revitalization-Framework-2010

This was informed by local input and key principles to sustainable cities from "Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems" [see bottom of this post for the key points and book it came from], some Detroit groups were using these to guide their visioning efforts and city/community development plans.

The CDAD was supposed to do what the Detroit Works project strives to do now and had a lot of heart put into it but before it really got traction a change in City administration seems to have hampered its promotion and use.  From what I've interpreted from reading the CDAD, it leans more toward vision than direct recommended actions, but the conditions established in the document are important for the amount of consideration they give.  I'd recommend they be included in the Detroit Works plans.

Key points from Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems (8 pages of bullet points, etc):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102626881/Cities-as-Sustainable-Ecosystems
The book from which it was sourced from:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19720427/cities-as-sustainable-ecosystems

Additional Detroit visioning initiatives:

At this point, I've counted and/or participated in four Detroit-shaping visioning events, I'm certain there are more that I'm missing.  I'm listing them here for any potential readers to consider and urge you to represent the insight from your experience as well as the insight found in these previous initiatives at the ongoing Detroit Works program.

The Engineering Society of Detroit Institute's Future Detroit youth symposium (Disclaimer: I was a facilitator there--middle school students from Detroit and Dearborn school districts came up with how and what they wanted Detroit to transform 30 years into the future. Their insight was very good, but I'm unclear if anyone followed up on the policy recommendations submitted to city administration garnered from this event.  Also, it's worth noting some important narratives were trimmed down for space concerns--some worthwhile ideas didn't make it into the final print but you can request the full drafts.):
http://bit.ly/FutureDetroitYouthSymposiumESDI

CDAD (mentioned above)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102632046/CDAD-Revitalization-Framework-2010

Detroit Vision 2012 (I don't know what came of the event, but here's what the website says is their "takeaway" message from having it happen--I suspect the wisdom garnered from the event was a "you-should-have-been-there" case, all of the recommendations seem rather generic but the community organizations are accessible and continue to do substantial work):
http://detroit2012.org/news/takeaway/

Detroit Works (mentioned above):
http://detroitworksproject.com/

Good science considers all data, and authentic community input is no exception--I believe the time, talents, hope, and effort put into these initiatives are invaluable and should not be wasted.  With all due respect to the creators and contributors of these events, from an outsider's perspective, there seems to be a substantial disjoint between good community engagement and coherent plans for focused actions among the people responsible and capable of enacting insight.  Hopefully this will change.

The Detroit Works schedule:

Please call 313-259-4407 or e-mail Info@DetroitLongTerm.com.

Please come out and participate in any of the events listed below (note: all times below are in E.S.T.):

Open Houses will be hosted at the Long Term Planning HomeBase at 2929 Russell Street in August and September from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with brief presentations at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The open houses will focus on Draft Strategies that relate to the following:

• Tuesday, August 7: Economic Growth;
• Tuesday, August 14: Neighborhoods;
• Tuesday, August 21: City Systems, Infrastructure and Environment;
• Tuesday, August 28: Land Use, Zoning and Urban Design; and
• Tuesday, September 4: Public Land and Facilities.

• August 9: Zion Chapel, 3000 24th St, Detroit, MI 48216
• August 16: Highland Park Housing Commission 13725 John R.  Please note this event has been cancelled.
• August 24: Boys and Girls Club, 20100 Schoenherr Street between E.7 Mile and 8 Mile Rd.

• July 31;
• August 7, 14, 21, and 28; and
• September 4 and 11.

• August 22
• August 29, and
• September 5.

Four Community Conversations about the Draft Strategies will be hosted between September 10 and September 14, 2012. They will provide another opportunity for Detroiters to connect with one another, learn about some Draft Strategies and provide their feedback. The locations and times are as follows:

• Monday, Sept 10: Northwest – Leland Missionary Baptist Church, 22420 Fenkell, Detroit
• Tuesday, Sept 11: North East – American Serbian Memorial Hall, 19940 Van Dyke St., Detroit
• Wednesday, Sept 12: Central/Near East – Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, 3606 E. Forest Ave, Detroit 48207
• Thursday, Sept 13: Southwest – Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, 1211 Trumbull Street, Detroit

February Science Café: Dispelling the Myth of the Big, Bad Wolf

Announcing our February Science Café Topic: Wolves!

Date: Thursday, February 9th

Time: 4:30-6:00PM
Place: Environmental Interpretive Center, Room 119 (Map)

Cost: Free

Have you ever wondered about wolves? Do we have wolves in Michigan? Are they harmful or helpful? What is wolf conservation like in our state? Join the Student Environmental Association as we explore questions like these and more at our upcoming Science Café. We hope to discuss the importance of wolves to our ecosystems and dispel the myths associated with these important carnivores.

Guest speakers will include: Dorothy McLeer, Program Coordinator and Interpretive Naturalist for the EIC, and University of Michigan-Dearborn student, Jerry Heath.


Science Cafés are friendly forums where members of the public can engage scientists and experts with questions and become a part of a grand conversation. You don't need a background in science to attend a Science Café -- Science Cafés welcome everybody, especially those who want to learn more! Coffee and light snacks are usually served.


This event is free and open to the public. All ages (including K-12 students) are welcome to attend! We promise it will be a howling good time!

Visit the Facebook Event Page for more info!
P.S. You can read about one of our previous Science Cafés here!

Procedural and Project comments for the Army Corps of Engineers Rouge River proposal

Dear Army Corps of Engineers... I hope I submitted my project comments in time.

Some comments submitted by Ian Tran to the Army Corps of Engineers (some of which undoubtedly submitted in great haste... pictures from the Army Corps of Engineers taken at Sault Ste Marie added for visual narrative purposes):

Procedural comment to the Army Corps of Engineers and all other relevant federal entities (please share with the EPA as well):

Greetings!  My name is Ian Tran.  I'm an undergraduate Environmental Science student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and resident of Canton Township who lives within the Rouge River Watershed.

Please disseminate project proposals and public comment/hearings concerning environmental issues on a more thorough watershed stakeholder basis. Reach relevant county commissioners, city officials, and if time permits, local watershed stakeholder organizations so as to ensure better dissemination of announcement in community newspapers and newsletters via other local government units.

It is extremely challenging for individual citizens to keep up with and find out about upcoming public hearings and projects. Delegating announcements and resources to local governments and their community stakeholders is a must—this was realized and expressed vehemently at this summer's (2011) EPA National Environmental Justice Conference in Detroit. An abysmal gap between federal and local communications exists and many people are impacted by this lack of awareness.

Using this Rouge Channelization announcement as an example: The Army Corps of Engineers could have notified Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb (which are constituents of the Rouge Rive Watershed) county commissioners of this project and public comment period with directions to distribute to their respective municipalities for release to the press.

This outreach approach is important to the Rouge Project because upriver citizens in communities like Canton Township can be unaware of their tie-in to down-stream communities and the river. In the interest of promoting awareness for green infrastructure, a decision making event such as a public hearing may be the first time they encounter the topic and the bigger picture goals for regional development. I appreciate that green space is an acknowledged need for the Dearborn/Detroit community. However, as the Corps may be aware, flood alleviation requires upstream coordination and prevention as well.

Public hearings are an outstanding opportunity for local community organizations and educational institutions to provide outreach on complex issues such as watershed education, other environmental, economic, and political implications of potential projects.

Potential project announcements:

Please work with other Federal entities like the EPA to devise an educational phase as part of the plan for projects apart from and in advance of the public comment period and hearings.

With more advance notice about projects or issues under consideration, community organizations and educational institutions can provide authentic, coherent, and credible educational outreach prior to an impending decision. Citizens can decide and comment more incisively after they've been thoroughly educated about the principles of an issue.

Thank you for your consideration!

Project questions and comments (in strange formatting thanks to the magic of cut and paste...):

1. Has coordination with local non-government organizations been considered? Would annual volunteership at the proposed sites by non-profits like The Friends of the Rouge and student organizations such as the Student Environmental Association help

2. Do stipulations exist for favoring local contractors as groups that would implement the projects?
3. Despite its Area of Concern Status, do public access sites to proposed green spaces/river exist at this time? Would this breach the conditions for the project's designated goals? Several residents do kayak and canoe the river annually.

4. Can the Army Corps of Engineers stipulate a local purchasing guideline for contractors undertaking the re-vegetation effort? The Lakeplains Cluster Stewardship Network has a directory of native plant nurseries which may be useful for this.

5. Documentation and educational signage:
   In addition to monitoring, I'd like to request that the Army Corps of Engineers provides or helps to coordinate outreach for documenting near-term and long-term project progress (near as in 1,3, 5 years from now, long being 15, 25, or more—at least establish a framework outreach strategy with stakeholders like the University/community college, City, and non-profits like Friends of the Rouge).
6. Will the Army Corps of Engineers provide updates on project status to the community?
   
   7. Is it possible to allow permission for University, non-profit, and local government to install educational signs about the site and project?
   Continued citizen involvement/input:
   8. Please provide continued dialog and opportunity for involvement with the project with citizens. What ways can we direct inquiry or contribute further questions?
   Also,

We're glad to know that the Army Corps of Engineers is looking at alternatives to concrete.

I second this recommendation:
"Please consider installing bio-engineered materials that can handle
higher near bank velocities along the transition zone downstream of the remaining hard

A real Army Corps Engineer pondering at the Soo Locks (photos from Sault Ste Marie, MI by Ian Tran).

armored structures, such as the CSO outfall."  As an alternative, use previous hard-shore engineering (concrete) and arrange small banks akin to log jams that run tangent to a river bank--particularly in areas susceptible to accelerated bank erosion.

UM President Mary Sue Coleman declares University Commitment to Sustainability

"We will be aggressive and relentless.
As a campus, a community, and a planet,
there is no other approach to take.

I want the message to be clear:
Sustainability defines the
University of Michigan."

- Mary Sue Coleman,
University of Michigan President

Source: http://sustainability.umich.edu/news/going-green-staying-blue-sustainability-michigan

A few observations about her speech:

1) Coleman seems to view sustainability as something specific to environmental programs only. This view ought to be updated--clearly social justice and economic issues are integral to our relationship with the world we live on. Reading "The Death of Environmentalism" might be a good way to start out: http://thebreakthrough.org/PDF/Death_of_Environmentalism.pdf

Comprehensive sustainability in Institutions of Higher Education like the University of Michigan can provide a coherent focus for educational programs to address real world problems on the local and global level, while encouraging people to understand the interconnections between the scales. Advancing sustainability with exclusive focus on environment denies the opportunity for better insight to complex issues--how does one implement solutions justly to all communities concerned (social)? What is the most prudent course of action (economics) for doing so?

2) For those wondering, her hesitation to sign the President's Climate Change Commitment in the past seems to arise solely from legal concerns:

"After seeking expert counsel, we have concluded we cannot set a date by which we will achieve carbon neutrality. There is simply no viable way forward at this time to achieve such a feat, and I will not place an undue burden on the backs of future presidents of this great institution."

It's interesting to see that some of the legal pushback regarding accelerated anthropocentric climate change was carefully considered here. Perhaps I'll have more substantial comment about this later, but I wonder what recent climate change litigation (perhaps the communities bringing suit to major petrol industries?) prompted this statement.

3) A friend said: "Wow! So what does that mean for Dearborn? She talked a lot about Ann Arbor." Maybe she forgot about Dearborn and Flint; more likely, however, I suspect she doesn't have a good feel for what's going on in the way of sustainability at these other campuses.

Either that or she relied almost exclusively on the results from the report for the Ann Arbor campus "integrated assessment" for her speech.

In any case, this is a good opportunity for all of our campuses to take the lead and demonstrate what comprehensive sustainability at a University ought to be about. It would be nice if the three major campuses got together for a meeting of the minds between interested students, faculty, and staff finally.

Juliana Goodlaw-Morris of the National Wildlife Federation offered her support to help coordinate or moderate between the three campuses so we can flesh out a comprehensive framework for sustainability as The University of Michigan, but also so as to inform our particular needs at our specific geographical locations (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint).

We've invited several key individuals from U of M Ann Arbor and U of M Flint to join us at Campus Sustainability Festival and hope that they'll join us there. We'll be as politely relentless and aggressive about getting something coherent going (as aggressive and relentless as civil students can be at least). We just need some reciprocal lovin' to come from them in the form of a "yes, let's do something together".

As an aside, I've got mixed feelings about that "aggressive and relentless" statement from President Coleman--it sounds more like an angry battle cry than anything else. In any case, it certainly was fun to use in this post!


Edit [Nov. 5 2011]:  I just found a separate article outlining additional goals for "The University", which brings forth additional questions and suggestions:

How do they define "The University"?

• Protect the Huron River through best-in-class storm water control strategies and by applying 40 percent fewer chemicals to campus landscapes, and ensure that at least 30 percent of stormwater runoff does not flow into the Huron River.

Why wasn't the Rouge River watershed considered for better storm water control strategies?  The native garden/bioswale project is an excellent fit for meeting or surpassing the goal of a 40% reduction in chemical applications and 30% stormwater runoff reduction.

• Promote sustainable foods while supporting more Michigan farmers and producers. From the residence halls to the unions and hospitals, the university is introducing new purchasing guidelines and making a commitment that at least 20 percent of U-M food comes from local and sustainable sources.

How does this affect our campus?  Do these policies apply to all UM campuses?  Where can we access these purchasing guidelines?  When does this take effect, and how does our contract with Aramark get adjusted?

An EPA afternoon: participatory community learning and education

First, there's still time to participate in the EPA's Environmental Justice Conference here in Detroit--it's free, they take walk-ins, and your participation is meaningful!  Go here to see where it's at and what's going on tomorrow:  http://www.cleanairinfo.com/ejconference/agenda.htm

This is a mix of summary and commentary on today's events from the afternoon EPA Federal work group session.  I participated in the community organization working group, and later attended the panel for "The Detroit Story".

Interesting news came out of the ongoing EPA Environmental Conference today. This afternoon we realized that people all over the U.S. are striving to organize, but there's a lot of organizational fragmentation.

[More after the page break]

“UM-Dearborn Natural Area Appreciation” Questionnaire

Greetings, Friends and Lovers of the University of Michigan - Dearborn Natural Area!

My name is Sara Cole, long-time student staff member at the Environmental Interpretive Center, and I am reaching out to you on behalf of fellow students and staff who regularly use the Natural Area for educational programs and wish it to stay accessible as a place of learning far into the future. In order to do that, we need to hear from you. Our goal is to compile a great collection of feedback which attests to the UMD Natural Area's educational value to those who have participated in a program/class there. If the Rose Garden Pond and Natural Area mean something to you, we want to hear about it! 

It would be absolutely wonderful to get responses from the following people: 

1. Students (and Alums) of Field Bio, etc.
2. SEA Members
3. Staff at the Environmental Interpretive Center  
   

   (current and past)
4. K-12 students & the General Public

The deadline for responses is September 12 [edit: the deadline is tentatively extended to October 1st]. 

I'll send everyone reminder email next week, and an update in September.

Bonus: Select responses may be featured on the EIC website. . 

I look forward to hearing what the UMD Rose Garden Pond and Natural Area mean to all of you

Thank you,

Sara Cole sscole(at)gmail.com
EIC Staff/Student Naturalist (2008-present)
RRBO Volunteer Bird Bander (Fall 2010)

“What one does is what counts. Not what one had the intention of doing.”- Pablo Picasso

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda


If you'd like to download the survey, here's the link: http://scr.bi/UMDbrnNatAreaSrvy


###Survey begins here (click on the jump break)###

Science Café #1: The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity

Photos and notes from our first Science Café: "The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity":

Thanks to everyone who came out -- special thanks to everyone who helped set up/tear down, featured guest speaker Sara Yearout for sharing her senior research project and passion for sustainably sourced foods, Julie Craves (head of Avian Research at Rouge River Bird Observatory and shade-grown coffee authority) for sharing her expertise, Sara Cole for sharing the photos, Birds and Beans for their wonderful "Chestnut-Sided Warbler" blend of coffee, and the SEA members who helped make this event happen! Though the books didn't arrive in time for the event, great things happened nonetheless.

In case you missed it, here are some "tasty tidbits" from the discussion:

• "triple crown" (fair trade, organic, bird-friendly) coffee is the golden standard at this time.

• Look out for the fine print on certified coffee! Some certifications, like those awarded by the Rainforest Alliance, may actually certify only a certain percentage of the coffee to be shade-grown (30% for example) in the fine print.
• Some growers and suppliers cannot afford to get certified, but may still label their coffees as "bird-friendly".
• Caribou Coffee is working to get all of their coffee Rainforest Alliance Certified by 2012, while Starbucks has internal standards for suppliers that tend more toward fair treatment of the farmers, but may not necessarily be bird-friendly at this time

• You can find out about some of the impacts through this blog by our resident celebrity (she was interviewed on PRI's The World not too long ago) Rouge River Bird Observatory researcher and UM-Dearborn alum Julie Craves: http://www.coffeehabitat.com

• For some insight on how coffee (and chocolate) tie in with climate change, this rainforest alliance webpage is a fair source: http://my.rainforest-alliance.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=6361.0&dlv_id=10981
• Even if you're not a coffee drinker, are there places where you can educate coffee consumers about their connection to coffee, or help them make more sustainable purchases? Local cafes, the workplace or at home might be good places to start.
• Since coffee is exported into Michigan, it's worth recognizing that it does have a substantial ecological footprint.

Birds and Beans: http://www.birdsandbeans.com/
Sara's Co-Op, Ypsilanti Food Coop: http://www.ypsifoodcoop.org/
Equal Exchange Coop (Chocolates and other things): http://www.equalexchange.coop/

A pleasant coincidence I forgot to mention: the event was hosted at the Environmental Interpretive Center, a building was designed to look like a bird in flight from above!

Here's to drinking sustainably -- cheers!

Campus Sustainability Integrated Assessment Public Forum

(Sigh)

Some day notice of other U of M sustainability events will trickle over to UM-Dearborn and UM Flint more than a week before the event happens, and people from all campuses will rejoice...

I just found out UM Ann Arbor's holding a Campus Sustainability Integrated Assessment Public Forum at the Ross School of Business Monday, July 26th 3:30-5:00 pm in the Ross Building.


http://www.graham.umich.edu/outreach/event.php?nid=418

You may want to see if this counts for ESCI/ENST 395 credit.  The deadline to register is the 23rd (this Friday), and if you're unable to attend, you can submit ideas and suggestions online.  It should be a substantial event for that campus, it'd be interesting to see what you can take back to apply in Dearborn.  Also, if anyone attending can help build relations between campuses I'm certain it would be a benefit to all.



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