SBN Detroit

03/30/2026

What does it really mean to know where your food comes from?

Ping Ho, founder of Marrow in The Market, is answering that question from a 14,000-square-foot former chicken processing facility in the heart of Detroit's Eastern Market, now home to a restaurant, two bars, a retail butcher shop, and a working meat-processing operation.

From sourcing animals raised on pasture to tracing every cut back to the farm, Marrow is working to build a more transparent, sustainable food ecosystem in Detroit.

Watch the video to hear directly from her on why it matters and what a better meat industry can look like.

What does it really mean to know where your food comes from?Ping Ho, founder of Marrow in the Market, is answering that question from a 14,000-square-foot fo...

03/24/2026

What does it really take to build a more sustainable city, and how do we measure progress along the way?

In this episode of The Green Stream, Tepfirah Rushdan, director of sustainability for the City of Detroit Government, sits down with Zahra Seblini, analyst & project manager at the City of Detroit Office of Sustainability, and Kendal Kuneman, executive director of the Detroit 2030 District.

Together, they break down:
• The impact of Detroit’s benchmarking report on the community
• Why tracking energy and water use is critical for buildings and developers
• Challenges in implementation and how the city is navigating them
• Innovative partnerships driving sustainability forward
• Practical steps businesses and individuals can take to make a difference

This conversation is all about turning data into action and building a more sustainable Detroit.

🔗 Resources & Links:

Detroit 2030 District
https://2030districts.org/detroit/

Energy & Water Benchmarking Ordinance
https://detroitmi.gov/government/mayors-office/office-sustainability/energy/energy-and-water-benchmarking-ordinance

2025 Benchmarking Report
https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2026-02/2025_Benchmarking%20Report%20Final_web.pdf

What does it really take to build a more sustainable city, and how do we measure progress along the way?In this episode of The Green Stream, Tepfirah Rushdan...

03/20/2026

To all of our followers, thank you for being part of our community.

Whether you joined an event, shared a post, partnered with us, or simply followed along, your support helped build a community focused on practical sustainability across Southeast Michigan.

As SBND transitions into SustainabilityNext, reimagined by Inforum, the work continues with more ways to connect and more opportunities to elevate what’s happening across Michigan.

Interested in knowing more? Contact Cindy Goodaker at [email protected].

This transition is being hosted with the support of the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation.

03/19/2026

"Detroit is experiencing growth in new development, but we also have a large number of older buildings that will require ongoing investment. Benchmarking provides data that can inform how those investments are prioritized." – Seblini, Senior Energy Analyst, of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability

In November 2023, the City of Detroit enacted an Energy and Water Ordinance requiring buildings 25,000 square feet and larger to annually report their energy and water usage to the city.

We interviewed Galarza, deputy director of the of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability and Seblini about how the ordinance works, what early data is revealing about Detroit’s building stock, and why benchmarking can be an important first step toward improving building performance.

Click the link to learn more.

How the City is Using Data to Improve Building Efficiency

03/19/2026

Textile waste is a growing supply chain challenge, and Detroit-based startups are developing solutions focused on extending the lifecycle of materials.

In this episode of The Green Stream, host Wafa Dinaro, executive director of New Economy Initiative, speaks with Madeline Walker Miller, CEO of NexTiles, about how the company converts discarded textiles into new products through recycling and upcycling.

The conversation covers what early-stage sustainability companies need to reach scale – including access to capital, cross-sector collaboration, and frameworks for measuring impact alongside revenue.

Watch the full episode here: https://tinyurl.com/38ykhwk3

03/18/2026

"Sustainability is a broad and complex topic, and many organizations struggle to define what 'fully embracing' it even looks like." – Samantha Svoboda, founder, The Green Business Lab

The Green Business Lab is a sustainability-focused simulation designed to help businesses tackle real-world challenges while measuring success through the : people, profit, and planet.

We interviewed Svoboda to explore the pressing sustainability challenges businesses face and how tools like The Green Business Lab aim to address these gaps in a practical, results-driven way.

Click the link below to read more.

A conversation With Samantha Svoboda of the Green Business Lab

03/18/2026

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has launched its first school sustainability planning toolkit, the MI Green School Guide, designed to help school communities build long-term sustainability plans.

The guide includes five core tools: a team building tool, a school environmental assessment, a project catalog, a funding resource hub, and an action plan template. It also includes school-eligible funding opportunities and project guides that schools can use to plan or expand green operations.

EGLE says the guide was developed with input from agency staff, community organizations, teachers, students, and parents, and was led by Charlotte Nana Mayworm, a MI Healthy Climate Fellow and EGLE school sustainability liaison. EGLE’s environmental education program plans to use the guide to support 20 to 30 school communities with sustainability planning in 2026.

For a limited time, EGLE is offering one-on-one technical assistance for school community members using the guide.
Check out the guide: https://tinyurl.com/5fnyu4ef

03/17/2026

Planet Detroit’s Voices column, “Why Solar Still Makes Sense,” breaks down recent cost and payback data for rooftop solar and what it can mean for households evaluating an installation.

Based on the article, here are a few steps homeowners can use to review the same inputs it references:

✅Start with your electricity use.
Pull a full year of bills so your usage, seasonality, and current costs are clear before you size a system.

✅Compare lifetime cost assumptions.
The piece cites solar at $58/MWh in Lazard’s 2025 analysis, alongside $78/MWh for natural gas and $122/MWh for coal, which is the type of comparison used to discuss long-run cost.

✅Ask for payback and lifespan in writing.
The column notes an average payback period of about 10 years and a system lifespan nearing 30 years, so quotes should clearly show projected payback and the warranty terms behind it.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/yrvuu8wb

03/13/2026

Pictured: Tepfirah Rushdan, director of sustainability for the City of Detroit, at a future solar farm in the Airport Sub. Photo by David Lewinski, Model D

Detroit’s Solar Neighborhoods Initiative is moving forward with community support by pairing utility-scale solar development with direct home upgrades for nearby residents.

The initiative is expected to generate clean energy credits for 127 municipal buildings through five solar arrays located on vacant or underused land across the city.

While the solar power is tied to city buildings, homeowners in the project areas receive no-cost energy efficiency improvements, with upgrades ranging up to $15,000 or $25,000 depending on the site.

For , this approach connects neighborhood investment with climate goals by reducing emissions tied to public buildings, improving housing conditions, and repurposing blighted land in ways designed with resident input.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/5d95e5zu

03/12/2026

A common reason partnerships stall is that people are solving different problems at the same time.

One takeaway from this conversation on is to start with a shared urgent issue, then bring together the people already working on it. Water stewardship is an example. The challenges look different across the automotive supply chain, defense, agriculture, and real estate, but progress starts when partners align on the same pressure point and get specific about what support means in that context.

Another takeaway is transparency. Sharing wins and failures, along with data and progress, builds trust and makes it easier for more organizations to participate without guessing where things stand.

Dive into the full conversation featuring Meaghan Kennedy, co-founder, Penny Pickup, and Brittany VanderBeek, director of development of AquaAction
, hosted by Alissa Sevrioukova, community engagement, DTE Energy

Join the complete discussion with Meaghan Kennedy, Penny Pickup co-founder, and Brittany VanderBeek, AquaAction's director of development. This conversation is moderated by Alissa Sevrioukova from DTE Energy's community engagement team.

https://tinyurl.com/2a5984nx

03/11/2026

"As a community leader, I’ve seen firsthand how significant the burden of utility costs can be. The issue I most wanted to help address is the cycle of energy burden and the disproportionate impact it has on low-income communities." – Shawna Forbes Henry, director of community programs at Elevate

Detroit-based nonprofit focuses on the intersection of , stability, and .

Through community partnerships and programs that connect residents with energy efficiency upgrades, education, and job training opportunities, the organization works to strengthen neighborhoods while helping families reduce costs and improve living conditions.

We spoke with Forbes to learn more.

A Conversation With Elevate’s Director of Community Programs, Shawna Forbes Henry