WMEAC took middle school students from Grand Rapids to Hoffmaster State Park as part of its "To the Lake" program, with many students visiting Lake Michigan for the first time. WMEAC also introduced a Kill-a-Watt loan program to help consumers reduce energy use. Additionally, Fifteen to the River debuted a video on stormwater education and there were announcements for upcoming bikestock and green events.

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WMEAC took 26 middle school students from Grand Rapids to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park last week as part of its To The Lake
program. For many of the students, this was their first time visiting Lake Michigan.
In This Issue:
-WMEAC Introduces Kill-a-Watt Loan Program
-Fifteen to the River Debuts Stormwater Education Video
-How to Make Your Lawn “Greener” and Save Money
-Bikestock III Is This Saturday!
-Green Drinks is This Thursday at Charley’s Crab
-WMEAC in the News
-This Week on The WMEAC Blog
-Green Events from wmeac.org
Building Sustainable Communities
WMEAC Introduces Kill-a-Watt Loan Program
Ever wondered how much energy your appliances use? Want to reduce the amount of money you spend on
energy that you don’t need? Try a Kill-a-Watt meter.
Consumers Energy and WMEAC have launched a Kill-a-Watt meter loan program that will allow WMEAC
members and Consumers Energy SmartStreet participants to measure power consumption of household
appliances and to determine the actual cost of power consumed. The unit will also project the cost of continued
use of your appliances by the hour, day, week, month, and year.
Program participants will be able to take out meters for a period of two weeks. WMEAC has a limited number of
Kill-a-Watt devices. Reserve yours by contacting Nick Occhipinti at nocchipinti@wmeac.org

2. Protecting Water
Fifteen to the River Debuts Stormwater Education Video
Fifteen to the River last week launched an educational video explaining how stormwater affects water quality in
the Grand River watershed. Unfortunately, the video link did not appear in most versions of this e-mail. Please
check it out this week and share it with your friends.
See video here.
Protecting Water
How to Make Your Lawn “Greener” and Save Money
The most common solution to lawn and garden problems is to liberally apply chemicals in the form of fertilizers,
pesticides, or herbicides. Unfortunately, compounds contained in these products have been shown to
contaminate groundwater and contribute to the eutrophication that leads to decreased oxygen levels and
harsher environmental conditions in nearby lakes.
So what can you do to minimize the impact of your gardening methods?
There are natural fixes to most common lawn concerns that are not only healthier and more beneficial to the
environment, but also often less expensive than chemicals.
Continue reading at The WMEAC Blog.
Building Sustainable Communities
Bikestock III Is This Saturday!
Bikestock III, presented by the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition, will be held from 12:00pm to 9:00pm on
Saturday, August 20, 2011. The venue is south of Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids in Parking Area 1
east of Bistro Bella Vita.
Enjoy Bikestock's vintage bicycle show brought to you by the Grand Rapids Vintage Bicycle Club and bike polo
brought to you by the Grand Rapids Bike Polo Club. There will also be a pursuit style alley cat race sometime
during the event and other possible games in the midst of being thought up!
Bikestock III will feature six musical acts:
× Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys
× Paucity
× The Little Village
× Chinook
× Charles the Osprey
× DJ Mr. Squid
There will be a beer tent hosted by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, and What The Truck will be
there to sell food.
Bikestock is a non-profit event that educates and advocates for a more bicycle-friendly Greater Grand Rapids. It
is a musical festival with the flavor of Woodstock. It combines local businesses, community organizations, and
bicycles in a fun-filled family festival. It also features local politicians and influential citizens speaking on behalf
of bicycling.

3. Protecting water/Building Sustainable Communities
Green Drinks is This Thursday at Charley’s Crab
Green Drinks is back! This month’s edition of the popular gathering is set for this Thursday at Charley’s Crab, 63
Market Ave. SW. This month’s edition is sponsored by WMEAC, which recently announced the 15 to the River
stormwater management campaign.
For more on Green Drinks, visit www.greendrinksgr.org.
Protecting water/Building Sustainable Communities
WMEAC In The News
WMEAC Takes GR Teens to the Lake for the First Time
WZZM13
Thursday, August 16, 2011
Read the story here.
Protecting water/Building Sustainable Communities
This Week on The WMEAC Blog
The WMEAC Blog focuses on environmental news and issues in West Michigan and national news and best
practices relevant to West Michigan environmentalism.
This Week on The WMEAC Blog:
WMEAC Presents FernGully: The Last Rain Forest at Wealthy Theatre
Mar 15, 2012 03:22 pm | KarieSchulenburg
West Michigan Environmental Action Council will present FernGully: The Last Rainforest at Wealthy Theatre on
Wednesday, April 4. The film will screen at 7 p.m. with free treats and giveaways for kids and kids at heart
before the film. FernGully: The Last Rainforest, directed by Billy Kroyer, invites viewers into a magical rainforest
where humans [...]
comments | read more
Update on Saugatuck Dunes Plan, Meeting Next Week
Mar 14, 2012 01:03 pm | KarieSchulenburg
The debate over Oklahoma billionaire Aubrey McClendon’s plan to build an out-of-scale resort on the Saugatuck
Dunes continues. The development seeks special variances by the Zoning Board of Appeals which would allow a
doubling and tripling of height restrictions. A similar plan was proposed and refused two years ago. Currently
McClendon’s proposed settlement has been [...]
comments | read more
Local First to Hold Conference on Sustainable Business Development
Mar 13, 2012 10:58 pm | KarieSchulenburg
Local First will be holding its 4th Annual Sustainable Business Conference March 28th, from Noon-5:00pm, in the

4. Wege Ballroom at Aquinas College. This conference is an opportunity for West Michigan Business owners and
aspiring business owners to come together and learn about the most cutting edge sustainability practices. Local
First is honored to have Jackie [...]
comments | read more
Protect Michigan Composting: Don’t Trash and Burn!
Mar 13, 2012 01:55 pm | KarieSchulenburg
The Michigan House House of Representatives moved closer to passing a a package of bills that would allow the
co-mingling of yard clippings with garbage in landfills. Currently Michigan residents are required to separate yard
waste from trash due to the “Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act” of 1994, among other
benefits of the law. [...]
comments | read more
A Watershed Moment: Anybody Want Some Worms?
Mar 13, 2012 09:44 am | KarieSchulenburg
On today’s episode we hear from Luke Malski of Reformation Growers as he explains how vermicomposting
benefits our food and soil. Vermicomposting is a process that allows worms to turn food scraps and other
decomposable foods into nutrient rich soil, right under a kitchen sink. Worm bins come in a few different styles
and can [...]
comments | read more
Protecting water/Building Sustainable Communities
Green Events from wmeac.org
Any organization with an environmentally-themed event is welcome to submit event details for posting on
wmeac.organd possible listing in WMEAC’s weekly newsletter. To submit an event, go to wmeac.org/events and
fill out the submission form completely.
Bikestock III
Saturday, August 20 - Noon to 9 p.m.
See above
Horizen Hydroponics Grand Harvest Festival
Saturday, August 27 - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Come join Horizen Hydroponics annual celebration of the summer harvest. The event will be held at the
company’s Grand Rapids location on 1614 Leonard NW from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kent County Saturday Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Kentwood

5. Saturday, September 10
We will be collecting your household hazardous waste. This service is free to our Kent County residents. A list of
acceptable items is on RecycleKent.org. Any questions please call our office at 616-336-2570.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
1007 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
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