A Blue-Collar Michigan Town Goes Green

The state of Michigan has mandated that municipalities generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015. Wyandotte, a 24,000-resident enclave downriver from Detroit, is at 30 percent. “You think of places like Portland when it comes to green energy, but Wyandotte is this blue-collar community that just wants to get things right,” says John Sarver, who worked with the town when he was at the Michigan Energy Office.

The big push toward conservation and renewable energy came from a program of free energy audits for homes and businesses, says Paul LaManes, assistant general manager for Wyandotte Municipal Services. That was combined with 1.99 percent guaranteed loans to do those “unglamorous” things such as insulation and wiring.