Michigan local governments have a new tool to earn recognition for and measure their progress in implementing energy, economic development and environmental improvements. The updated Michigan Green Communities Challenge uses a rating system to recognize sustainability accomplishments and serves as a guide for communities looking to learn from their peers. Participation is free and open to all local governments in Michigan.

Participating communities earn points for their green initiatives and bonus points for reporting quantitative data. Top achievers will receive emblems to display on their website and promotional documents and a customized press release from the network. All participating communities will be recognized at the third annual Michigan Green Communities conference Friday, November 2 at the Michigan Municipal League’s Lansing office. Register now for the conference, free of charge, at http://mml.org/green/events.php.

To coincide with the launch of the Challenge, Michigan Green Communities will be offering a series of workshops to help local government staff and officials become familiar with the reporting mechanism, an online-based checklist. These workshops should provide ample time for an individual to complete the checklist and Green Communities network members and supporting staff will be present as technical advisors. Essentially, we want these workshops to make it as easy as possible for communities to participate in the Challenge, because the larger we grow, the more opportunities emerge for your community to enhance its sustainability practices.

Workshops are free and open to any local government staff or official. We will be offering workshops September 17 in Farmington Hills, September 24 in Saginaw and September 28 in Grand Rapids. We are also planning additional workshops, as well as a webinar, for the fall. RSVP for a workshop by email here.

September 17 Workshop, 1-4pm

31555 W. Eleven Mile Road

Farmington Hills, MI

September 24 Workshop, 8:30am-2pm

Curtiss Hall

Saginaw Valley State University Main Campus

September 28 Workshop, 1-4pm

DeVos Place

303 Monroe Ave NW

Grand Rapids, MI

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him via email or Twitter.

Fall 2011 will bring a number of training, conference and funding opportunities for community leaders looking to increase environmental sustainability and/or speed implementation of complete streets:

• Global ReLeaf of Michigan is offering two free training sessions titled "Creating and Implementing a Community Forestry Management Plan". The sessions are August 23 in Midland and August 24 in Traverse City. The organization is also soliciting applications for assistance with community tree planting events this fall. For more details and/or to register, email globalreleafmi@aol.com or call 800-642-7353.
• The Michigan Department of Community Health is offering five Complete Streets Institute trainings beginning September 7. The Complete Streets Institute is a comprehensive and standardized 5-module training program designed to increase awareness of complete streets principles, support local advocacy efforts, and provide practical, realistic instructions and techniques to help communities create, adopt, and implement Complete Streets policies and projects. The curriculum was designed to cover all aspects of Complete Streets, from introduction of the concept (Module 1) to design applications in your community (Module 5). You pick the modules YOUR community needs to move ahead with success. For more information, click here.
• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering $28 million in Sustainable Community Challenge Grants for local governments working to update master plans, zoning ordinances and other policies to promote mixed-use development and neighborhood sustainability. Applications are due September 9. Learn more here.
• MDOT is offering bicycle facility design training in eight communities across the state starting September 12. "Training Wheels" is an educational course on the planning and design of on-road bicycle facilities. It will consist of two hours of classroom instruction on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities followed by an on-road, on-bike portion. For more information click here. 
• The national Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference is coming to Detroit May 10-11, 2012. This fall, the conference organizers are seeking proposals for workshops and panel presenters. Proposals are due September 30. Visit http://www.greenjobsconference.org/2012-Conference/Workshop-Proposals for the application guidelines and form. Michigan's Green Communities have made great strides in adopting policies and projects that create green jobs, so we encourage you to submit proposals and spread the word at the conference next year.

Stay tuned to the Center for 21st Century Communities blog for future updates, including an announcement about the 2nd annual Michigan Green Communities conference coming soon. You can also join the Green Communities group on micheen.org.

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him by email, by calling 734-669-6323 or on Twitter @l4est.

The Bureau of Energy Systems (BES) is soliciting grant proposals for Advanced Lighting Technology Demonstration Grants. This announcement seeks to obtain proposals from Michigan cities, villages, townships and counties to implement indoor and/or outdoor lighting projects that utilize the following technologies: Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), also known as Solid State Lighting; induction lighting; and plasma lighting -- also known as High Efficiency Plasma Lighting (HEP). There is approximately $1 million available to fund an estimated 15-20 grants ranging from $30,000 to $100,000. The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant program. Proposals are due by 3 p.m. on May 26, 2011. BES estimates that grants will start on August 1, 2011, and run through June 30, 2012. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is available now and contains more details . A pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him at 734-669-6323 or lforrest@mml.org.

Federal agencies are offering two new grant opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. US EPA will fund feasibility studies for renewable energy developments on brownfields or other contaminated properties. Local governments are eligible grant recipients. Applications are due May 20. The Department of Agriculture is offering grants and loans to rural small business owners and agricultural producers for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects through its Rural Energy for America Program. Applications for the next round of grants are due June 15. 

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him at lforrest@mml.org or 734-669-6323.