From non-profits and local community members to city advisors and corporations, there is a lot going on in and around East Lansing to improve sustainability and access to recycling. Vast improvement in these areas is no easy feat, but people at all levels of the community are working to increase access to going greener.
At the grassroots level is Michigan Energy Options, a “consulting non-profit,” as Outreach Coordinator Chelsea Stein calls it.
One of the non-profit’s locations is in East Lansing, and Stein helps plan events and community projects. Her biggest is the Community Solar Project in East Lansing. This will allow Board of Water and Light customers to lease solar panels and get money taken off their monthly bill for switching to solar power.
Stein said that Michigan Energy Options has one Community Solar Project up and fully operational in the Upper Peninsula. The one in East Lansing will begin construction when 800 to 1,000 panels have been leased, according to the community website.
“It’s a fairly new idea to people in the community,” said Stein.
Even though it is a new idea, the organization is working to bring it to more communities. Stein said one of the non-profit’s goals is to bring another Community Solar Project to Lansing.
Renewable energy is a hot topic. However, according to the Sierra Club only five other cities in the United States run on 100 percent renewable energy.
“I’d love to see the city be 100 percent renewable energy,” said East Lansing City Council Member Shanna Draheim. She said she would like to see the city hit that goal in the next five to 10 years.
Recycling is part of the picture
One big issue in these communities is access to recycling. Draheims aid East Lansing implemented curbside recycling about a year ago.
“There has been a huge increase in recycling,” said Draheim, “diverted from trash bin to recycling bin.”
Old apartment complexes did not require recycling, but according to Draheim, any built since seven to eight years ago are required to provide recycling services.
“Wherever people go, we want them to be able to recycle,” said East Lansing Environmental Services administrator Catherine DeShambo.
To read the full story, visit http://news.jrn.msu.edu/2017/12/going-green-isnt-just-about-the-spartans-in-east-lansing/