2008 Woodie Awards
Earth Day 2007: It's cool to be green
Tina Lam, Detroit Free Press (MCT)
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: Life
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DETROIT- Just in time for the 37th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth is back. Green is cool; global warming is hot.
"It's a great time to be an environmentalist," said Lana Pollack, executive director of the Michigan Environmental Council in Lansing. "I really believe the public has reached a tipping point in terms of concern and understanding about global warming. There's been a big change, even in just the last year."
Consider:
Wayne County runs its road-maintenance and salt trucks on biodiesel and Novi is urging all developers to build green buildings, which conserve energy and water.
Fuel-efficient cars and trucks powered by gas engines and electric motors are proliferating, as General Motors joins Toyota, Honda and Ford in the hybrid race. GM unveiled a plug-in hybrid concept at the Detroit auto show in January that may never need gasoline.
The Earth is big on magazine covers. May's Vanity Fair magazine is its Green Issue; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fight against global warming graced a recent Newsweek cover.
Retailers are joining the green movement. The goal of the world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, is to get 100 percent of its energy from sustainable sources and produce zero waste. Home Depot, the nation's second- biggest retailer, announced plans last week for a line of 3,000 eco-friendly products like natural insect killers and energy-saving light bulbs.
A Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll of students at the state's three biggest universities this month found that 3 of 4 students think global warming will worsen in the next 15-20 years. On no other issue, including global terrorism and nuclear proliferation, were students so pessimistic about the future.
A USA Today/ Gallup Poll last month found that more Americans than ever before _ 60 percent, up from 48 percent a decade ago _ believe global warming is already changing the world's climate. A slightly larger percentage of Americans think it will cause major or extreme changes in climate and weather over the next 50 years.
"It's a great time to be an environmentalist," said Lana Pollack, executive director of the Michigan Environmental Council in Lansing. "I really believe the public has reached a tipping point in terms of concern and understanding about global warming. There's been a big change, even in just the last year."
Consider:
Wayne County runs its road-maintenance and salt trucks on biodiesel and Novi is urging all developers to build green buildings, which conserve energy and water.
Fuel-efficient cars and trucks powered by gas engines and electric motors are proliferating, as General Motors joins Toyota, Honda and Ford in the hybrid race. GM unveiled a plug-in hybrid concept at the Detroit auto show in January that may never need gasoline.
The Earth is big on magazine covers. May's Vanity Fair magazine is its Green Issue; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fight against global warming graced a recent Newsweek cover.
Retailers are joining the green movement. The goal of the world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, is to get 100 percent of its energy from sustainable sources and produce zero waste. Home Depot, the nation's second- biggest retailer, announced plans last week for a line of 3,000 eco-friendly products like natural insect killers and energy-saving light bulbs.
A Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll of students at the state's three biggest universities this month found that 3 of 4 students think global warming will worsen in the next 15-20 years. On no other issue, including global terrorism and nuclear proliferation, were students so pessimistic about the future.
A USA Today/ Gallup Poll last month found that more Americans than ever before _ 60 percent, up from 48 percent a decade ago _ believe global warming is already changing the world's climate. A slightly larger percentage of Americans think it will cause major or extreme changes in climate and weather over the next 50 years.
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