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Welcome to our page! Our names are James Helmus and Emily Padyjasek, and we have been exploring energy consumption at Montague, Michigan. This webpage explains how we designed various solutions that can help the city transition to sustainable energy sources and improve energy efficiency. Thank you for joining us!
Climate Emergency!
Located on the west side of Lower Michigan, the city of Montague is 3.14 square miles and has 2600 residents. Being on White Lake, which connects to Lake Michigan, this scenic community cherishes its water quality and environment. Unfortunately, Montague has been facing the impacts of climate change, such as an increase in flooding, natural disasters, and precipitation. By declaring a climate emergency in December 2020, the city council started taking action toward reducing their carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable. Although they are still drafting plans, they intend to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and totally eliminate them by 2040.
Since Montague is in the early stages of transitioning to sustainability, our group wanted to jump on board and support the cause. To help the city be more green, we decided to focus on its energy consumption because unsustainable energy is a major factor that contributes to climate change. Our goal is to design several city and community initiatives that are feasible, viable, and desirable to implement.
Home to the world's largest weathervane!
Background Research
Our group performed research about Montague and what it takes for a city to be sustainable. Listed below are annotated bibliographies on what we found about green cities and renewable energy. Next, we took a tour of Montague with the city manager, Jeff Auch, where he explained some of the city's ideas for renewable energy, answered many of our questions, and showed us various aspects of the community. On this tour, we learned how they added LED lights to every city building, causing a 75% decrease in light energy usage. Also, they want to add meters to street lights to control when they are on and eventually convert them to solar. The major issue for solar streetlights is the tree branches in the way that could block them from receiving light. According to Auch, providing businesses with block grants and other subsidies can incentivize them to make the switch to renewable energy.
On the tour, we also learned about possible wind, solar, and electric vehicle projects. Wind projects would most likely take place on city properties where it would be easiest to build them. Solar projects included building solar panels on the pavilion near the Farmer's Market and on City Hall, and maybe installing a solar garden at the Industrial Park. For electric vehicles, they plan to get hybrid vehicles for the city police force and add charging stations at City Hall or by the Farmer's Market. Auch also expressed a desire to try to help the community get more involved. Having a strong environmental group lead the way is very important, and spreading awareness about the benefits of sustainability can help decrease energy usage.
Consulting Stakeholders
To really understand what Montague wants to achieve, we attended a town hall meeting about the climate emergency announcement. Speaking was Jeff Auch and a couple members from the environmental advocacy group, White Lake Area Community Action Council. Secondly, our group wanted to deepen our knowledge about energy, so we interviewed Roger Morgenstern, who is Consumer Energy's electric and natural gas media contact for Muskegon county and other counties on the west side of Michigan.
Afterwards, we organized key insights from the meeting and interview into an empathy map (above) so we could compare their thoughts, actions, feelings, and statements. Both Montague and Consumers want to achieve carbon neutrality by transitioning to renewable energies, like solar and wind. Each stakeholder agreed that community participation and advocacy are crucial for improving energy consumption, and leading by example helps convince more people to change. On one hand, Auch expressed the desire for more sustainable transportation, such as bike paths and electric charging stations. Meanwhile, Morgenstern emphasized the importance of energy efficient upgrades, including smart thermostats and pipe wraps. Conversing with different stakeholders greatly enhanced our perspective on how to deal with Montague's energy consumption.
Defining the Problem
1. Not enough of Montague's energy comes from a sustainable source
2. Too much energy is being consumed.
Root Causes
Before solving the issues, we had to explore why Montague is not using energy sustainably. We utilized a fishbone diagram (above) to organize the major contributing factors and possible causes.
Beginning with renewable energy sources, the initial transition can be expensive and the technologies do not meet people's standards yet. Some are weather dependent, like solar, and people might not see savings for years. Along the same lines, renewables have not been totally integrated into society because long term benefits are difficult to understand, so switching may feel unnecessary.
In terms of energy efficiency, many buildings and city fixtures are in need of energy efficient upgrades, such as LED lights or better insulation; however, upfront costs can be high and the money saved is not apparent right away. At homes, residents tend to be unaware of how much energy they use or they think decreasing usage is inconvenient. Without assistance or incentives, people may not be able to or willing to make sustainable changes.
Solutions
During our ideation session, we used a mind map (right) to brainstorm a wide range of ideas, and a now-wow-how matrix to narrow down the best practical solutions.
Learn more about our first three solutions (rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and Consumers Energy programs) by clicking on the corresponding images!
Rooftop Solar Panels
Wind Turbines
Consumers Energy Programs
Bike Share System
Launching a public bike share program will reduce transportation emissions and encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors. Anyone can rent a bike for a small fee by using a credit card or going on the app, or users can subscribe to an inexpensive membership. On average, each bike costs about $4000 to $5000, and station installations are included. In terms of funding, many bike share organizations offer grants to pilot the system, and there are federal grants for transit projects.
To optimize the bike sharing system, Whitehall and Montague should team up. Since Whitehall declared a climate emergency as well, they are probably looking to implement green initiatives. Between the two cities, there are about 5400 residents who can enjoy the new bikes. There should be one bike per 150 people, so each city should start off with about 18 bikes.
The map on the left exhibits locations that would be ideal for bike stations. Our group chose spots where the bike trail is easily accessible, and made sure the stations are spaced out enough to maximize the amount of users. In Montague, we recommend the stations are installed by Trailway Campground, Montague Marina near Bathing Beach, and Montague High School. For Whitehall, they should be by Lions Park, Svensson Park, and White Lake Community Center. For both cities, these locations are popular areas that support recreational activities.
Pamphlets
Public participation is necessary for Montague to reduce a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Through educational pamphlets, people can learn about the benefits of sustainability and how to help the environment. Below is a pamphlet for residents that describes ways they can reduce energy consumption at home. Our group also plans to design a pamphlet for business owners that explains what they can do to save energy. These pamphlets can really be placed anywhere, but we think the best location is the Artisan Market Village, which may become a meeting spot for environmental groups (more on this next).
Montague's Artisan Market Village
EcoHub
As the environment and sustainability become more prevalent in Montague, there should be an official location for planning green initiatives and organizing events. Presenting, the EcoHub! One of the 17 homes in the Artisan Market Village would be an ideal place to host meetings, seminars, and workshops. Since the Village has shops that sell local goods and is positioned next to the Farmer's Market, it already has an environmental vibe. If all of the tiny homes are rented out, then City Hall could be a nice backup location for the EcoHub.
Furthermore, any kind of environmental group, whether it be for birdwatching or clean water advocacy, can hold meetings here. Some workshops could include growing plants, upcycling old clothes or plastics, and making rain barrels. The hub can also hold seminars for businesses and residents about how to be more sustainable. Also, volunteer projects could be created and posted here. Another use for the hub could be a mini lending library, where people share tools, electronics, or other equipment that is only used a few times a year, so everyone does not need to own everything. For example, instead of everyone buying their own weed whacker, someone who rarely uses theirs can rent it out to others for a small fee. With a designated spot for planning environmental initiatives, all sorts of innovation can blossom.
Montague has plenty of opportunities to use sustainable energy and improve energy efficiency. When the city begins to implement climate action strategies, we hope our energy solutions are considered.
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