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Although it’s difficult to tell from one day to the next in southeast Michigan, spring has arrived and Earth Day is just around the corner.
For me, that means resisting the urge – at least for a couple of weeks - to celebrate the return of warmer weather and longer days by filling my porch and yard with flowering plants that help bring color and life to the neighborhood.
And with the return of all the green this time of year, it’s easy to reflect on the progress we’ve made as a county toward our goal of becoming more sustainable. A lot is wrapped up in that goal, from reducing carbon emissions to protecting and expanding green spaces in the county.
Many of our efforts are easy to measure, like the installation of solar panels on the roofs of our buildings and the addition of electric vehicles in our county fleet, to a $20 million investment to improve and expand our amazing system of county parks.
We’re truly fortunate that -- our residents value the importance of a robust parks system. A big thanks to the voters for overwhelmingly supporting the millage last November that will make our county parks even better.
But the less apparent connections to sustainability are just as important.
We’re helping to create livable neighborhoods and provide access to more affordable housing and accessible public transportation.
We’re investing in improvements to our water infrastructure to ensure clean, safe drinking water for all and we’re providing resources to our communities so they can begin their own sustainability plans.
And then, there are the things that make life just a little more pleasant – and sustainable – on our county campus. We’ve invested significantly in increasing the tree canopy on our campus and the natural meadows and wildflower acreage that don’t require mowing in the summer. That translates into savings on gas and emissions – and I can’t wait for the sunflower field just south of the county complex to bloom later this summer.
Finally, we know that home ownership often translates into seemingly unending projects, big and small. With a $5 million investment, we provided grants to more than 1,000 residents to make energy efficiency improvements in their homes.
This is helping people save money on their utility bills and cutting down on carbon emissions. Now that’s a win for our residents and for the environment.
Here’s to a happy, healthy and hopefully snow-free spring.
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