This future environmentalist playfully drills for renewable energy at the solar array on M-72 near Traverse City, as part of the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities’ sheep and solar open house on Oct. 4. The event allowed guests to discover one of the most exciting developments in solar energy: growing pasture and crops among solar panel installations. It helps farmers earn income at a time when this is much needed and also addresses the concern of solar replacing farmland.
A dozen counties in northern Lower Michigan experienced a disastrous ice storm that lasted from March 28-30. The storm is long gone but the damage remains, and farmers need help. Reports from local farms have been staggering: entire plantings and livestock lost, miles of fencing down, greenhouses collapsed, maple forests for syruping destroyed, debris hindering future farming efforts. With farmer livelihoods under threat, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology, and the Local Food Alliance have partnered to launch the Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund to help the region’s farmers recover. Click here to read more and access the GoFundMe Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund.
As the Lively NeighborFood Market on M-72 east of Empire prepares to enter year two, owner Jim Lively continues to build on its success by increasing the store’s stock, as well as making improvements at the campground. Don’t forget the music, and it just recently received word that funding for its solar array has been approved. Lively will host the inaugural Neighbor Fest on May 25. Lively says the free show is a way to give back to the community that has supported the market, including those who donated through the GoFundMe crowdfunding effort. The show will also serve as the monthly fundraising concert for the Empire Area Emergency Fund.
Leland Township Public Library is hosting a special two-part series to address food access challenges in our community, as part of the Leland Library Summinars. These events will explore some local efforts that are being made to ensure everyone has reliable access to healthy, nutritious meals. Session 1 features “From the Heart – 5Loaves2Fish” on Tuesday, July 23, at 10 am.
Food, folks, farm and fun—plus a festival or two. Those are all part of the plan at the Lively Farm, a.k.a. Backyard Burdickville, f.k.a. the Eagles property on M-72 just east of Empire. Lively NeighborFood Market is set to debut Memorial Day weekend, pending any surprises with the buildout or weather. The brainchild of Jim and Kelly Lively is the latest addition to the property, which has also served as home to the LivelyLands music festival and the Lively Farm, a CSA farm.
On July 20, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer chose Suttons Bay High School as the venue to sign the state’s record-setting new education budget which allocates $24.3 billion for pre-K through 12th grade during the coming school year. Whitmer said the programs funded by the budget will help achieve education equity across Michigan. The new allowance per student will be $9,608 with more funding for students with disabilities, low-income families and English-language learners. “We know that potential is universal, but opportunity is not,” Whitmer said. “And when we make investments in the education of our kids, we’re creating opportunity for all. This is how we level the playing field. This is how we ensure that every student is prepared to be successful.” “It’s about priority,” Suttons Bay Superintendent Casey Petz told the Sun. “If we’re gonna put our money where our mouth is, this is the place to come. Suttons Bay has an incredibly diverse student population. We have a high-needs population. When a Governor and her team make it a point to come to a place like this, what they’re saying is, ‘We see you. We hear you’.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cherry Republic’s 31 Days of Giving annual campaign, which runs through December. Throughout the past decade, the Glen Arbor-based company has provided grants to dozens of well-deserving organizations—“from loyal stewards of our climate to big-hearted groups that care for our neighbors who need a bit of a hand up during difficult times,” the company wrote in a news release. We caught up with Sara Harding, Cherry Republic’s vice president of climate and community impact, to learn more about the giving campaign.
Think of it as a holiday. Think of it as a celebration. Think of it as a living, active, fun love-note to our region and our health. The All-in-One-Day Day mission is simply to get outside with friends and do as many activities—both winter and summer—as you can.
Within the next few weeks, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will officially open its third leg, which stretches roughly from the Crystal River dam (on County Road 675, 1.5 miles east of Glen Arbor) up to the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. That 3.4-mile stretch will make the popular Heritage Trail nearly 13 miles long.