When I think about Smart Commute Week, I’m enveloped by a sense of warmth, camaraderie, and the feeling of being among friends (even if they are strangers). Everyone involved seems to be in a great mood, and it’s contagious! The 31st...
GROUNDWORK News
Ice storm should serve as ‘canary in the coal mine’ for Michigan utilities
Above: Northern Michigan ice storm, March 2025. Courtesy Kevin Donner. This op-ed first published in On March 28th, 2025, Northern Lower Michigan was hit by a historic ice storm and Cori Fitzpatrick, Groundwork Center’s Farm to Institution Specialist, and her family...
I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams
By Tony Vu As part of our ongoing series of equity articles, Tony Vu—restaurateur, nonprofit-preneur, and journeyer—shares a poem he wrote that reflects on his Vietnamese-American roots. We send the piece today in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage...
Passenger rail study: We’re listening
Above: The renovated and re-purposed train station in Mt. Pleasant. The Michigan North+South Rail study is moving full steam ahead. The study, happening this year, is regarded as one of the most significant phases in advancing a new rail service because it is taking a...
Why voting in rural electric co-op elections matters. (Cherryland voting open thru noon 6/11 online.)
Gardens are getting planted, camping gear is being prepared, the mornings are full of bird songs—yes, spring is arriving in Northern Michigan. While these signs are widely known, another sure sign that spring is here is that Cherryland Electric’s annual Board of...
Enbridge is at critical juncture for Line 5 tunnel — and Michigan must push back
This forum piece first ran in the Detroit Free Press. Enbridge is pushing forward with a series of permit applications that ignore the risks of running a 4-mile oil tunnel through the heart of the Great Lakes ― the Straits of Mackinac. In March, Enbridge submitted...