(MI) Detroit Free Press - White-nose syndrome, thought to be caused by a fungus previously unknown in the United States, settles on the noses and wings of hibernating bats.

By Haley Walker
Oct. 19, 2009
Planting the rooftops in Detroit has the same environmental benefit as removing 10,000 SUVs off the road, according to a recent study.
Michigan State University researchers found that planting vegetation on roofs can store heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“This study is the first of its kind,” said head researcher Kristin Getter. “We knew these roofs had benefits, but we didn’t know they would be able to store carbon.”

By Mehak Bansil
Oct. 18, 2009
LANSING, Mich. — Another bill in the saga of Michigan’s move toward a greener future targets driver’s education.

By Nick Mordowanec
Oct. 17, 2009
LANSING, Mich. – Some Michigan recreation areas are having difficulty staying above water financially.

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By Hyonhee Shin
Oct. 17, 2009
LANSING, Mich. – After a fine dinner with a glass of wine or beer, where do the green bottles go?

By Andrew Norman
Oct. 16, 2009
Covering the Great Lakes and its environment for two decades made Jeff Alexander the obvious environmental sleuth to write a comprehensive history and investigative exposé of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway.
The award-winning reporter and author’s most recent book, Pandora’s Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, does just that. With evocative detail and carefully crafted imagery, he details how an engineering marvel allowed a biological plague into the Great Lakes.
Alexander covered the environment in the Great Lakes region for 20 years for Michigan newspapers, …

By Sarah Coefield
Oct. 15, 2009
The Great Lakes teem with fish, but anglers looking to them for their next meal should be cautious.
The fish contain an array of contaminants, including some known to threaten human health.  Methyl mercury inhibits brain development. PCBs can suppress the immune system and thyroid development and may cause cancer. The contaminants have lead to consumption advisories on many popular fish species, such as walleye, lake trout and salmon.
Meanwhile, fish are lauded as an excellent source of lean protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.  The fatty acids …

By David Poulson
Oct. 14, 2009
I recently took one of those Facebook quizzes for my favorite television series: Which character on House are you?

By Rachael Gleason
Oct. 14, 2009
Bicycling is gaining momentum in the Great Lakes states.
About 14 percent more residents in those eight states said they biked to work in 2008 than in 2007, according to the American Community Survey, an annual U.S. Census bureau survey of about 3 million households.
Minnesota had the most in 2008 — close to 1 percent of its working population.

In 2007, Minnesota was second to Wisconsin, but a large spike of people switching to bicycles last year pushed it to the top.