Sunday is Earth Day, but how can you show some love for Mother Earth around Macomb Township? Here are five green ideas to help keep the our environment in tip top shape for the next generation. Adopt-A-County Road There are roughly 1,700 county roads in Macomb and County Executive Mark Hackel wants residents to adopt 1,000 miles of them. Hackel issued the 1,000 Mile Challenge in October of 2011 and 504 miles of road have been adopted to date. Adoptive groups receive safety vests and trash bags for their clean-ups, a road sign recognizing the group after completion of the first clean-up and …

A Macomb Township resident’s college paper has members of the scientific community turning a critical eye on the use of fertilizers along the southern Mississippi River. Oakland University senior Danielle Kaminski’s report, “Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone,” was recently selected by the American Society of Safety Engineers’ Foundation as the winner of the 2012 Student Paper Competition. “Our professor encouraged us to write about an environmental topic and I wanted to talk about the Clean Water Act and some of its flaws,” said Kaminski, 27, who will graduate this summer with a bachelor’s degree in …

So many ideas, so little time. Only a few months old, the Seneca Green Team is wasting no time in planning and undertaking projects to make their school and community more environmentally friendly. “They are really outgoing and really want to get involved,” said Shari Fogolini, Seneca Green School coordinator and sixth-grade teacher. “They really care about the environment and they have a lot of ideas. It’s hard to keep them focused, there is so much they want to do.” The team was formed in late 2011 to lead Seneca Middle School's efforts to gain Official Michigan Green School status for the …

In honor of Earth Day on Friday, April 22, Macomb County offers services to help residents think green by keeping Lake St. Clair and local drinking water supplies free of contaminants.  Kathy Vosburg of Chesterfield Township, chairperson of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, said residents can visit www.greenmacomb.com for eco-friendly ideas on helping the environment. The website offers useful links and tips for the public, such as ways to protect the purity of drinking water. Even changing a simple habit like how one disposes medications can have a big impact. Improper disposal of …

Having recently earned "Evergreen" status as a Michigan Green School, L'Anse Creuse High School North owes much of its "green" progress to its Go Green Club. Through yearly projects and events, the club works to educate the student and teacher population in being "green." Name: L’Anse Creuse High School North Green Dream: In each and every "green" effort at the school, the Go Green Club has been at the fore. Installing bins for plastic bottles and used paper in all classrooms, club members trek through the school each week to collect and recycle these items. The pop bottles collected are …

Earth Day may be this Friday, but opportunities to give back to Mother Earth run year round. Whether its recycling at home, or organizing a community clean-up event, every little bit helps when working to save the environment for future generations. Here is a list of local programs and events offered throughout the year to keep the community green. Adopt-A-Highway If you have at least two friends, you can participate in MDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program. Participants adopt both sides of a section of state highway roadside to clean up for at least a two-year period. All types of state highways …

The path to healthier and greener living in Macomb County is becoming more plentiful. Construction will be visible over the next few months as Shelby Township, Utica and New Baltimore host phases of an ambitious, multimillion dollar, 70-mile trail loop project. The overall creation of roughly 25 miles of 10-feet-wide, non-motorized asphalt paths aims to connect and extend the existing 44 miles of trails. The mission is to form a cohesive, consecutive path for recreational use. Meandering through 16 communities—as far south as Harrison Township and as far north as Armada and the city of …

To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Patch is thinking green. Southeastern Michigan offers plenty of natural beauty, from Stony Creek Metropark to Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. Yet there are problems, including recent PCB contamination in St. Clair Shores, that threaten the state’s natural resources as well as people’s health. To explore some of these issues, Patch has asked some community residents and environmental leaders their thoughts on the environment and protecting the planet, particularly right here in Michigan. Check back with Patch throughout the week for more stories …

Name: Ojibwa Elementary School Green Dream: Long before earning its "Evergreen" status, the highest level of Michigan Green School status available, Ojibwa Elementary has been leading the way in "green" practices. With its Eco-Team organizing the school's efforts, Ojibwa has been recycling paper, cardboard, plastic water bottles, batteries, cell phones, ink cartridges and Styrofoam lunch trays since the beginning of the school year. The Eco-Team, headed by fifth-grade teacher Mary Jo Strizic, has also created reusable water bottles that are sold at Ojibwa events throughout the year and used …

Name: Justin Palm, director of sales and marketing for LumaSmart Green dream: To develop, manufacture and sell high-quality, cost-effective lighting products that allow end users to save energy and money without harming the environment. We want to build products that allow users, be it homeowners, businesses or government entities, to save energy and money. Why go green? "Because we only have one planet," Palm said. "We only have one earth and we pretty much have an obligation to make sure we preserve it as best we can while we’re here." LumaSmart is a leading innovator and manufacturer of …