Sustainability

Business grows as customers become educated about solar

Kathy Jennings Thursday, October 13, 2011

Solar power is something Mike Linsea has believed in for 30 years. He decided to make it his business three years ago. Kathy Jennings catches up with the owner of Solar Winds Power Systems at one of the largest the solar arrays his company has installed in Kalamazoo.

What's Working In Cities: Placemaking

Michelle Bruch Thursday, September 22, 2011

We're taking a closer look at people and organizations in cities across the country that are transforming neighborhoods and driving change in urban areas. The second in our series about good urban ideas focuses on how the best city spaces are built from the ground up rather than planned from the top down.

Rare birds in the city inspire nature photographer to document their life

Kathy Jennings Thursday, September 15, 2011

Everyone has seen squirrels, the occasional urban raccoon and more recently the neighborhood deer. A privileged few have seen the fox, coyote and weasel. Matthew Clysdale makes it his business to find the animals others miss and capture them on film.

Second Wave takes a Labor Day holiday break

Kathy Jennings Thursday, September 01, 2011

Southwest Michigan's Second Wave will be observing the Labor Day holiday next week and will not publish Sept. 8.

Learning and growing go together in urban garden

Kathy Jennings Thursday, August 18, 2011

It doesn't take long for a youngster to find the joy in growing something he or she can eat. At the Fair Food Matters Garden on Westnedge programs are tailored to teach them what they need to know.

Leading the charge for renewable energy

Kathy Jennings Thursday, August 11, 2011

Daniel Doerhman is looking for the people who share his dream of a Michigan where 100 percent of the energy is renewable. Second Wave's Kathy Jennings talks to him about his work with Green Earth Michigan.

Seeds of the future: Restoring Chipman Preserve

Kathy Jennings Thursday, August 04, 2011

The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy has 12 properties entrusted to its care. Of those, the Chipman Preserve in Comstock Township draws the most visitors and volunteers. Second Wave's Kathy Jennings reports on what makes this property a place people come back to over and over.

Kalamazoo People's Food Co-op builds green into its future

Kathy Jennings Thursday, May 26, 2011

When the Kalamazoo People's Food Co-op decided it was time for a new building it wanted more than a new location. The co-op wanted to see just how green it could get. The co-ops' Chris Dilley talks with Second Wave's Kathy Jennings about some of the energy saving features built into the new store.

Second opinion: Incentives for brownfields, historical renovations must be preserved

Second Wave Media Thursday, May 12, 2011

The Michigan Legislature is having hearings this week on tax breaks that have been used to reshape Michigan's cities. What they decide could influence what our cities look like for years to come.

Second opinion: The story behind the story about Jean Klock Park

Kathy Jennings Thursday, April 28, 2011

There may be legitimate concerns with Michigan's law that allows the take over of local governments when fiscal disaster is at hand. The future of Jean Klock Park isn't one of them.

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Video

Gone to the Dogs

Jordan Hochstetler of Joho Productions Thursday, May 20, 2010

The first time Mary Vowell's dogs saw a mush team go by they quivered in excitement. She knew they were born to run. Vowell went on to teach them to mush and now takes them out running in the woods all year round.

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