Category Archives: nature

“Pierless” Piers: Longest Public Piers in the USA

Posted on June 12, 2017 by

The list below includes fishing and entertainment piers of 500 feet in length or more, but does not include commercial shipping piers/docks, private docks, jetties, breakwaters, former bridges, under bridge piers, or piers that parallel the coastline. The length is … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, entertainment, fun, geography, historic preservation, infrastructure, land use, nature, placemaking, Statistics, tourism, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

247 Smart cities and counting…

Posted on June 7, 2017 by

Above is a map of showing the 247 cities to date (as of 6/6/17) where the mayor has pledged their city will adhere to the Paris Climate Accord commitments on greenhouse gases. I am very proud to say our own … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative energy, branding, cities, climate change, culture, education, environment, geography, government, health, humanity, Maps, nature, planning, politics, pollution, Renewable Energy, States, sustainability, transportation, urban planning, weather | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan’s ‘skyscraper’ coastal sand dunes

Posted on April 25, 2017 by

Michigan is blessed with some of the most beautiful and tallest coastal sand dunes on the planet. Below is a list of the tallest dunes as measured about the level of the adjoining lake elevation, many of these freshwater dunes … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, place names, planning, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Canaries in the climate change coal mine

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

I challenge any partisan climate change denier to travel to Alaska and tell the residents of the 31 communities shown on the map depicted above that climate change isn’t real. It’s easy to sit behind a microphone and blow steam … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, climate change, Climate Change, culture, diversity, economics, environment, geography, health, humanity, land use, Maps, nature, planning, poverty, rivers/watersheds, Science, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, urban planning, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Michigan’s absurd groundwater giveaway

Posted on December 13, 2016 by

While the good people of Flint still await safe drinking water following the horrible decision to change the city’s water source, our un-illustrious state leaders appear to be about to commit yet another environmental blunder that further tarnishes their role … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, civics, consumerism, environment, geography, Geology, infrastructure, land use, nature, planning, rivers/watersheds, Science, Statistics, topography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Lakes doomsday scenario pipeline

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

If you thought the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota was bad, boy do we have a doozy of one for you here in Michigan. A 63-year old submerged twin pipeline (Enbridge #5), that was built with a 50-year lifespan … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, civics, climate change, energy, environment, geography, health, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, logistics, nature, politics, pollution, product design, rivers/watersheds, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

This is why you want street trees

Posted on November 10, 2016 by

A picture says a thousand words – need I say more?

Posted in Advocacy, Cities, climate change, environment, infrastructure, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, spatial design, sustainability, tourism, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged | 4 Comments