Flint, Michigan will stay on the Great Lakes Water Authority for at least one more year to allow enough time to construct a new stretch of pipeline that’s necessary for water testing.
The entire state has been dealing with a well-known water crisis and according to C and G Newspapers, state officials even requested residents to stagger their lawn-watering schedule this summer. Experts say that a property owner should use about one inch of water per watering session, but Michigan was so strict that it warned residents not to water their lawns at the top of any hour.
“We’ve seen some very dry periods in southeast Michigan this summer season, and water use is certainly rising,” said Sue McCormick, head of the Great Lakes Water Authority. “Lawns are large, thirsty plantings, and not watering them can really reduce water usage.”
A $285 million pipeline between Flint and Lake Huron is almost finished, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants an additional 3.5-mile pipeline added on so that Flint residents can receive drinking water from the Great Lakes Water Authority while the local water is gathered and tested for at least six months.
Detroit Free Press reports that the new pipeline is expected to be completed by the beginning of March and Flint’s emergency contract for Detroit’s water system, which has already been prolonged, is scheduled to end at the end of June.
“Should Flint continue to be under a public health emergency at the time of the end of that contract, the Great Lakes Water Authority would be willing to extend it,” said Amanda Abukhader, water authority spokeswoman.
After a struggling year, Flint now faces another bacterial outbreak called Shigellosis, which can cause severe fever and other health issues. Shigellosis is commonly caused when people do not wash their hands.
“People aren’t bathing because they’re scared,” said Jim Henry, Genesee County’s environmental health supervisor.
CNN reports that in addition to fighting the statewide water crisis, Michigan is now pushing a “wash your hands” campaign to address the bacterial outbreak.
The California-based company that is now in over six continents and 300 cities is coming to the Motor City.
“We have engineers come up to Detroit to meet with suppliers. We’ve also had discussions with automakers,” said Sherif Marakby, vice president for global vehicle development at Uber. “What we’re realizing is there is a huge critical mass of talent in the Detroit area.”
According to USA Today, Uber plans on opening a new research center in Detroit by the end of 2016.
Uber and other ride-hailing programs can potentially decrease drunk driving, which caused 31% of all vehicle-related deaths in the U.S. in 2014.
Along with the revolutionary service idea Uber and similar companies created, the next step is to have self-driving cars.
The Detroit News reports that Uber is attempting to reach agreements with nearly every automaker around the world about potential partnerships. Marakby believes Detroit could be a great location for a self-driving fleet. It does, however, depend on Detroit lawmakers.
“Positive legislation that allows technology companies like Uber to operate in Michigan will only help that,” Marakby added. “We’re very much working with the state on that. We hope it’s going to be a positive result.”
A few laws have been passed regarding autonomic vehicles in late September, although many believe two of the bills could potentially limit a company’s roll in operating self-driving vehicles in Michigan. As defined by the legislature, autonomic vehicle manufacturers are ones that have “distributed motor vehicles” in the U.S. before being allowed to run an autonomous ride-sharing business in the state of Michigan. Uber, although being one of the main companies leading the fight for autonomous vehicles, technically do not sell and distribute vehicles.
Uber has been running a fleet of autonomous Ford Fusion hybrid vehicles in Pittsburgh and has since invested $150 million to invest in the next stage of their autonomous car strategy.
“We’re very optimistic that we will launch in many areas that are open to us, including Michigan,” Marakby added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, one out of every six Americans becomes ill by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. So far this year, just in Genesee County, Michigan, there have been 85 cases of shigellosis, a foodborne disease caused by the Shigella bacteria. Half of these cases have occurred in Flint.
Flint is a struggling rural area that is still suffering from the lead poisoning of its water supply back in 2014. Health officials believe that the water crisis indirectly caused the shigellosis outbreak, as residents have limited their exposure to water altogether, thus neglecting their personal hygiene.
“People aren’t bathing because they’re scared,” said Jim Henry, Genesee County’s environmental health supervisor. “Some people have mentioned that they’re not going to expose their children to the water again.”
Unbeknownst to them, the very same hygiene supplements Flint residents have been using to avoid contaminated water may be increasing their risk of developing the illness. Instead of washing their hands, many people are relying on baby wipes to rid their skin of bacteria. Unfortunately, the unchlorinated wipes don’t kill the Shigella bacteria, so they are lacking the protection they need.
There are typically about 500,000 cases of shigellosis each year, according to the CDC. It is a form of dysentery, causing acute inflammation in the intestines. Patients suffer painful cramps and bloody diarrhea for about a week, and while it is rarely fatal among people in the developed world, it is highly contagious. It is most dangerous for the young and old as well as others with weaker immune systems.
Unfortunately, Flint residents feel that they have been neglected by government agencies, saying that there has not been enough communication or involvement on the part of state health officials.
Without much help from the state of Michigan, the Genesee County Health Department has launched a public health campaign to encourage Flint residents to start washing their hands again.
Some people are interested in solar energy but don’t know enough about it to get started. They might ask, how do you get solar energy? The answer to this is solar panels, either a home solar panel or an agriculture solar panel installation. However, this then leads to the question of how do you get solar panels? They may seem expensive and the process to get them is not always clear. So if the government wants more people to get electricity from the sun, they need to provide clearer information on how people can get that information.
They need to know what solar panels are, as well as how to buy them and what programs are in place to help regular people afford to buy solar panels for their homes. Since it can be so expensive, there are rebate programs and cheap loans available. If people know about both these things and how cheap solar power is once it is set up, then the idea of getting solar energy becomes both much more feasible and much more appealing to them.
UPDATED 2/9/21
The O’Shea Solar Park will generate electricity from solar energy, the source of which is the sun, nature’s fusion reactor in the sky. Solar for power is one of the fastest-growing technologies for generating energy, surpassing fossil fuels in many cases. Solar green energy is one way that solar panel distribution companies such as DTE Energy use to fight the ravages of climate change while helping customers keep the lights on. Indeed, solar panel and sun power and technologyandnbsp;require no fuel and emit no pollutants.
The cost of solar energy will not rise and fall with the price of coal or natural gas. The sun sheds its rays on everyone on Earth, for free. Solar energy technology allows us to tap into that free power and convert it into electricity. Solar is part of a comprehensive solution that includes conservation and weatherizing homes and buildings to reduce our carbon footprint and help to preserve the fragile blue planet where we all live. Solar is a win-win response to the energy problems facing our community.
Solar-powered electricity isn’t the only thing DTE Energy hopes to generate with its new solar panels in O’Shea Park. The company also hopes to cooperate with the city of Detroit to deliver new energy into the economy and community of the blighted West side itself.
DTE began construction earlier this month, installing 7,000 panels across ten acres in O’Shea Park, which will make the area home to one of the largest urban solar projects in the country once it’s completed at the end of this year.
The construction itself will bring jobs to the community and is expected to generate over $1.4 million in tax revenue for the city over the next 20 years.
“This great project is one of the ways the city is developing new partnerships to put our vacant land back to use in a way that strengthens the surrounding neighborhood,” said Mayor Mike Duggan in a press release. “What DTE Energy is creating here will help to stabilize and strengthen this community.”
Of course, the project is also about creating sustainable energy from renewable resources. The solar panels should be able to generate enough electricity to power 450 homes and will assist DTE in retiring 11 older coal-fired units over the next decade.
Additionally, homeowners themselves can also take measures to reduce personal energy usage. A cool metal roof typically reduces heating and cooling costs by 25% compared to dark asphalt shingles, for example.
The newfound community and civic support behind the solar initiative is in many ways a relief for DTE and for renewable energy advocates alike.
“It is a big deal that people, especially utilities, are spending money on solar after a past where they resisted it,” said Dan Whitten, spokesman for the national trade group Solar Energy Industries Association.
“It’s a learning opportunity in the sense that solar power is a renewable source whose costs are coming down,” added David Harwood, DTE’s director of renewable energy. “DTE wants to be ahead of the game if and when this becomes competitive. [It’s an] opportunity to spur some growth in Detroit.”
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SRG Global, Inc. opened its new world headquarters this summer in Troy, Michigan. The company, which is a subsidiary of Guardian Industries Corp., is one of the world leaders in plastic coatings for the automotive and commercial truck industries. In 2014, the auto refinish sub-segment had a value of $2 billion, and was considered the largest sub-segment of the industrial coating industry. SRG specializes in interior and exterior trims that support style and efficiency.
The new headquarters, in Detroit’s northern suburbs, was commemorated with an opening ceremony on Sept. 19, which was attended by employees, representatives from Guardian Industries, and human resources leaders from the company’s international locations.
The new building measures 51,000-square-feet, and currently hosts over 250 employees. SRG wanted to open its new headquarters in southeastern Michigan, the leading global automotive manufacturing center.
“Our vision is to be a trusted global partner, to continue to grow and provide engineering solutions that create superior value for our customers and society,” said President and CEO Dave Prater, addressing the ceremony’s attendants. “This new facility is another step toward upholding that vision and serves as a flagship for our company.”
The purpose of the new headquarters was to foster a more innovative and team-centric approach, with an open layout. Several common areas, as well as comfortable natural lighting, were chosen in the facility’s design to encourage conversation and collaboration between employees in multiple departments, as well as develop each employee’s personal effectiveness as a team player.
Since its inception, SRC Global Inc. has opened many facilities, including an Advanced Development Center in nearby Taylor, Michigan. The company believes that centralizing its developmental branches near Detroit is essential for the company’s success. SRC has many locations throughout North America, as well as facilities in Europe and Asia Pacific
