For Friday, Dec. 9, 2022
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1 – Michigan has dropped in a national ranking of energy efficiency.
But we’re poised for major improvement in 2023, according to the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
ACEEE ranks Michigan 15th in its latest State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. We were ranked 13th in 2020.
The organization says “Michigan has pursued a variety of policies to encourage energy efficiency and posted strong levels of electric and natural gas/fuel savings for 2021.”
The report adds that “Working groups continue to meet to advance utility reforms and climate policies across multiple fronts.”
More information is online at aceee.org.
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2 – A $275,000 state Brownfield Redevelopment Grant will help Bay City and North Peak Brewing Co. clean up and redevelop a contaminated downtown site.
The site at 1108 North Water St. will house a restaurant and bar with three second-floor, loft-style apartments.
The property formerly housed the Stein Haus bar but has been vacant since 2016. It was operated as a gas station from the 1920s through the 1960s with several underground fuel tanks; contaminated soil will be removed as part of the cleanup.
State officials say the project will create 30 full-time jobs and 50 part-time jobs.
The property will be operated by North Peak Brewing Co., which has a similar location in Traverse City.
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3 – Bay City residents will be able to fill 96-gallon recycling carts thanks to the Every Bottle Back initiative.
The initiative is a collaboration between The Recycling Partnership and Michigan Soft Drink Association.
Bay City will receive $240,000 from the beverage industry and nearly $1.2 million in community and state funds to expand recycling services.
Larger curbside carts will go to 15,000 households. They’ll replace smaller bins, giving people five times as much room for recyclables.
Over the next decade, the expansion is expected to bring more than 28 million pounds of new recyclables into the collection stream.
– Mr. Great Lakes is heard Friday mornings in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes
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Mr Great Lakes 
[…] since 2019, collaborative grant projects with The Recycling Partnership have helped more than 200 Michigan communities, improving residential recycling and reducing contamination by up to 50 […]