The Grand Blanc View reported on the City's energy projects. Read the article HERE.

Every individual makes an impact on the environment.

See how your actions personally affect global warming, through the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Use the following link to calculate your personal CARBON FOOTPRINT.

Energy Links for Adults:

 Energy Links for Kids

Michigan Saves has financing programs to make energy saving methods affordable. Programs are available for Residential, Commercial and Public Sector energy upgrades - including a program for owners of multi-family dwellings. Get more information here: MICHIGAN SAVES.

The Freecycle(TM) Network is a grassroots and nonprofit community gifting movement made up of thousands of entirely local and individual city groups that promote reuse through local gifting among their members. Members have the opportunity to give and get items for free, in an effort to keep unnecessary waste out of landfills. Numerous local nonprofit organizations in each community are also members of local groups. Each group is run by a local moderator and membership is free.

WHAT FREECYCLE "IS" ABOUT
Freecycle IS about keeping things out of the landfill. It IS about giving away something that has no use in our life anymore to someone who could extend its usefulness a little longer. It IS about giving gifts to people while clearing out our own clutter. It IS about creating, building, and sustaining an environmentally
aware community.

WHAT FREECYCLE "ISN'T" ABOUT
Freecycle is NOT about giving only to the poor. It is NOT about getting as much free stuff as we can. It is NOT about getting things to earn money on the side. It is NOT about getting rid of junk that would be better off in the landfill. It is NOT about posting a "wish list" for expensive items and expecting a fairy godmother to fulfill it for us. It is NOT a community bulletin board for finding rentals, dentists, mechanics, or advertising our businesses and services or special events.

OFFERING ITEMS WE NO LONGER NEED TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM
When we post an OFFER, we're offering to give someone a gift. It is up to us to give this gift to whoever we feel would be the best recipient. We're not obligated to give our gift to the first respondent. We can put their names in a hat and do a draw, or we can wave our magic fingers over our screens and pick one that way. We can choose the first, 3rd, or 53rd respondent. We can wait 24 hours and then decide. It is up to us.

LETTING OTHER PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE NEED
When we post a WANTED message, or respond to an offer, we're requesting a gift. The odds are that no one on this list will be able to give us what we're asking for. But sometimes somebody will see a WANTED for a bowling ball and go "AHA! I have one in my closet!" But, you know what? Just because we're rich, poor, single, married, have no kids, have 15 kids, have a car, don't have a car, does not mean we're more worthy of receiving a gift from a fellow Freecycle member than the average person living down the street.

Sending emails that don't say "please" or "thank you" are a way to not receive an item. Sending emails with nasty comments in them are one way to find ourselves in a bit of trouble.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN FREECYCLE
When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure. You can even post a Wanted message to the group because somebody might have just the exact thing you really need stored away in a closet.

One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

YOU'RE BUILDING A COMMUNITY BY PARTICIPATING
We're part of a community. In every community, there are people who don't get along. And in most communities, when two people don't get along, they just avoid each other. To do that on Freecycle, all you have to do is set up a filter to send any email from someone you don't want to hear from straight into your trash bin. If you need help with that, let the moderators know and they can help you.

So, just remember: If you're offering a gift, it's up to YOU to decide who gets it.

And if you're requesting a gift...well, be patient. Your turn will come eventually, but if you're not careful your name could end up on a 'will not give to' list. You may want to try making an OFFER to the list, just to see how the process works. Look in your closet or in that box you haven't unpacked since you moved in two years ago. Prime stuff for Freecycle! Above all - keep on keeping "stuff" out of the landfill!

FIND A FREECYCLE GROUP NEAR YOU
To find more information and a Freecycle community in your area click HERE.

Compared to incandescent traffic lights, LEDs have greater light intensity and are designed to absorb, not reflect, most sunlight that enters the lenses. Also, LED lights are more visible, last much longer, and use much less energy.

Various forms of LEDs have been in use in the U.S. for many years. Most of the tiny red and green indicator lights you notice on your appliances, radios, and other digital visual effects are LEDs. However, in the last decade, their use has expanded to many other areas, including use in automotive tail lights and turns signals, as well as traffic signals.

Research: Timing is Everything

For several years, the City of Grand Blanc monitored the development of LEDs as an alternative means for street signal operation.  Since LEDs require much less energy to operate, they cost less to operate.

Until recently, LED traffic light implementation was not an economically sound investment due to operations and reliability concerns as well as high costs for materials.  However, technology has changed significantly in recent years, making LED light implementation an economical possibility for the City.  However, technology has changed significantly in recent years, making LED light implementation an economical possibility for the City.

The City reviews signal operations annually and determines necessary upgrades Grand Blanc's signal system.  During one of these reviews, it was determined to many of the City traffic signal components (see photos at right) were scheduled for upgrade or replacement.  To save on installation costs, LED traffic light implementation was considered as part of the traffic signal upgrade or replacement program.

The City of Grand Blanc also consulted with several Michigan municipalities that use LED traffic lights and determined that these lights have become very reliable considering the various climate changes in the state.

Efficiency of LED vs. Incandescent Lights

The basic mechanics of how LEDs create light are very different than that of incandescent lights used in traditional traffic signal operations. As described below, efficiency can be measured by the amount of useable energy.

Efficiency of Incandescent Lights

A standard light bulb relies upon electrically heating an element to emit visible light. Light emission requires a significant amount of power to occur. This process is called incandescence. Approximately 2% of the emitted energy from an incandescent source is useable visible light with the remaining 98% being wasted heat. Incandescent bulbs are likely to burn out frequently and require replacement each year.

Efficiency of LED Lights

In contrast, LEDs are much more efficient and last longer. That’s because LEDs emit light by using an electrical current to create a bond between positive and negative charges. This process is called electroluminescence. This is much more efficient, as nearly 100% of the emitted energy from an LED source is useable visible light. Due to varying energy use, LED traffic lights are known to last approximately 10 times longer than incandescent traffic lights. LED traffic lights usually have a replacement warranty of five years, but are expected to last longer.

Standard incandescent light is diffused light, which basically means the light spreads out when in operation. Standard LEDs produce direct light but can be manipulated to diffuse, or spread out, so the light is visible at different angles. This can be controlled by altering the size, shape and location of some of the LED components that make up an LED traffic light.

Reduction in Energy Costs

Through a coordinated effort with Consumers Energy, a system has been developed to make sure that once the LED work at each signalized intersection is completed, Consumers Energy will be immediately notified. Once notified, Consumers Energy will place the information in their system and reflect the changes on their next billing cycle to the City of Grand Blanc.

To Find Out More...

For more information regarding LED lights, check the following websites:

  ENERLEDS Traffic Lights - http://enerleds.com

 Olympus Microscopy Resource Center - http://olympusmicro.com

 Consortium for Energy Efficiency - http://www.cee1.org

 Institute of Transportation Engineers - www.ite.org