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Sustainability Leaders: Ox Creek Watershed Initiative Protects Local Water

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When the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality listed Ox Creek as a water body not meeting water quality standards, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) went into action to secure funding and convene partners, launching what would become the Ox Creek Watershed Initiative.

Studies concluded that the creek had been degraded by storm water run-off from both agricultural fields and a Benton Harbor retail hub at Orchards Mall.  The initiative has the potential to restore 1,060 acres of wetlands while improving water quality by reducing the amount of sediment and pollutants running into Ox Creek. Another  project goal is to  improve aesthetics and creatie placemaking opportunities that will attract development and encourage investment.

“Ox Creek is probably the most polluted creek in southwestern Michigan. This waterway leads to the Paw Paw River, which leads to the St. Joseph River,” says Marcy Hamilton, SWMPC deputy executive director/senior planner. “It doesn’t take too long for the pollution to get to Lake Michigan where our beaches are. We are all part of a bigger picture. We know that e what happens upstream will affect downstream areas.”

The Ox Creek Watershed Initiative has been awarded the 2018 Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainability Business Forum Community Sustainability Leadership Award.

A Complex Project with Many Partners

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) serves Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. Its mission is to promote a sustainable, high quality of life through facilitating sound planning and decision making.  It is coordinating a $1.2 million project to clean up Ox Creek with partners: Berrien County Drain Commission (the grant recipient), Cornerstone Alliance, Benton Charter Township, Two Rivers Coalition and Berrien Conservation District.  The project’s technical consultant is Wightman.

In rural areas, agricultural land owners are being encouraged to utilize no-till farming methods and plant buffer strips and cover crops that will reduce run-off into the creek. In urban areas, businesses like Brookfield Dodge are being recruited to remove pavement, install  rain gardens and  bio-retention areas on their property.

“This is a really complex project with so many moving parts. There is not one organization that can do this,” Hamilton says. “We need buy-in from several groups, government entities with jurisdiction over the properties and especially the landowners.”

Project partners also have their eyes on Orchards Mall. While shifting ownership has slowed plans to transform the struggling suburban retail location, hopes are that reducing paved areas, installing raingardens and swales, creating pedestrian- and bike-friendly features and renovating buildings will create a vibrant retail destination that supports a healthy Ox Creek watershed. If mall ownership declines the project, partners will work with other landowners on a similar project that will offer equal benefits for the Ox Creek watershed.

“There are a lot of impervious surfaces along the urban course of Ox Creek that were built before we had any storm water regulations,” Hamilton says. “The storm water goes into drains and rushes straight out to the creek, carrying pollutants,  causing erosionand degrading fish and other aquatic wildlife habitats.”

Improving Local Green infrastructure

Project partners are also talking to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as it redesigns and rebuilds the I-94/Pipestone Road interchange near Orchards Mall. Discussions include improved stormwater management and wetland detention where the creek runs.

Another facet of the project, is planning for a walking/bike trail extending from the mall area to downtown Benton Harbor. When the creek has been restored, hopes are for establishing a water trail where paddlers can traverse a beautiful ravine and forest as well as urban areas.

“The old railroad corridor owned by CSX could be an incredible trail. It would be a couple-minute bike-ride (from Orchards Mall) to the Benton Harbor Arts District,” Hamilton says. “If we can do all of this to help improve the creek, we can also revitalize the area. These efforts will make the area more attractive, so both companies and people will want to be there.”

Sustainability Leader:  The Livery Brews a Better Way

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In 2004, a group of progressively minded folks bought a century-old building at 190 Fifth St. in Benton Harbor’s Arts District. Though unoccupied and in disrepair, the buyers’ vision came to include starting a brewery that embraced sustainable practices. The vision became reality when The Livery opened in 2005.

“Anything you can do to minimize your impact on the environment is a really important thing to do,” says Simon Rusk, head brewmaster and current owner of The Livery. “That should be a part of a successful business plan, to think about your impact and plan accordingly.”

Open seven days a week, The Livery has 16 beers on tap, running the full gamut from light lagers to imperial stouts and specializing in sour, fruited brews. Its kitchen serves tasty lunch and dinner fare. On Friday and Saturday nights, live music entertains its patrons—local bands as well as regional and national touring acts.

Because all of its stakeholders were environmentally minded, The Livery has made sustainable practices as much a part of its business as the craft beers it brews. For starters, much of the brewery equipment is repurposed rather than newly purchased. Old tanks acquired over the years serve as fermentation vessels and brewing kettles. A robust recycling program reclaims everything from cardboard, paper and plastic to spent grains from the brewing process, which serve as an ingredient in The Livery’s pizza crust. Leftover spent grains feed cows at a local farm. Because the kitchen actively composts, it creates very little food waste.

“We also reuse and reclaim water from different activities we are doing in the brewery,” says Rusk, who purchased the business in 2015. “Patrons eat on real dishes with real silverware. We use reusable plastic cups for water and glass for beer. And, we utilize compostable to-go materials.”

Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum has selected The Livery as winner of its 2018 Leadership Award for Small Organizations.

A Local Leader

To reduce fuel used by long distance shipping, The Livery buys locally as much as possible. Kitchen ingredients are sourced from local farmers. Hops for most of the beers The Livery brews grow nearby at Hophead Farms in Baroda.

“Michigan grows some very fine hops and some of them grow right here in Berrien County,” Rusk says. “We do buy hops from other regions but primarily from right here. This supports our local economy — it takes a lot of fuel to ship hops around the world.”

Rusk gives credit for The Livery’s green successes to its original stakeholders and current staff.

“I’m very fortunate to be working with so many people who have a high-level concern about these types of issues and make it happen,” he says. “It’s important to preserve the environment for the future generations. The resources we have are not endless. It’s the right thing to do, to be a good steward.”

J.B. Hoyt is Michigan’s Great Southwest’s Sustainability Practitioner of the Year

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Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum has selected J.B. Hoyt as the 2018 recipient of the Sustainability Leadership Award at the Second Annual Great Green Gala.  A MGSSBF co-founder and board member since 2010, Hoyt focused both his 36-year career at Whirlpool and his post-retirement activities on providing awareness and education for sustainability practices.

Retiring as Director of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Hoyt spent the last 10 years of his career improving the energy and water efficiency of appliances, promoting sustainable materials selection, and developing an industry-first program for recycling appliances at end-of life.

“In the early days, we were just pawing the ground, putting a strong foundation for sustainability practices in place,” he says. “After I retired six years ago, the team grabbed hold of sustainability and really ran with it.”

Hoyt working with St. Joseph Mayor Mike Garey to install recycling stations downtown.

Today, Hoyt consults on sustainability initiatives with for-profit and non-profit organizations. Two years ago, his input installed recycling at the Krasl Art Fair in St. Joseph.  The recycling program is now embedded in the Art Fair’s operations. Because it took place the weekend after the Fourth of July, Hoyt influenced the City of St. Joseph to piggy-back testing of the recycling program at its downtown parks. St. Joseph has since instituted a permanent recycling program both downtown and at its parks. Hoyt has continued to consult with the City on a number of sustainability initiatives, including a tentative sustainability report. He also serves as a Berrien County Parks Commissioner, providing strategic guidance for six major park facilities.

“People tend to look at sustainability as something that’s going to cost them extra money. For the large part, that’s not true. We have an opportunity to help organizations understand that sustainability makes economic (as well as social and environmental) sense,” Hoyt says. “An example is replacing streetlights with LED light bulbs, which cost more initially but last much longer, while using substantially less energy.  And they do not require replacement as often, thus saving the hidden costs of employing a bucket truck and personnel for frequent bulb replacement. When you look at the big picture, you see that the total costs are far less. Helping people see that has been rewarding for me.”

Additionally, Hoyt is involved in Michigan’s Great Southwest Strategic Leadership Council where he is developing both a county-wide vision for recreational trails and a potential funding approach for developing and maintaining recreational facilities of all types.

Second Annual Great Green Gala to honor Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainability Leaders

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Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum will host the Second Annual Great Green Gala On Wednesday, November 7  6 to 9 p.m. at the Box Factory of the Arts in St. Joseph.

The signature function for southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana sustainable business professionals, the Great Green Gala spotlights local organizations and professionals that are driving positive outcomes for their environment, community and economy. The program will include dinner, a wine and beer bar, door prize packages, and The Green Family Feud, a comic entertainment customized for the region’s sustainability community.

The Great Green Gala is presented by Indiana Michigan Power. 

In addition, the following awards will be presented:

Sustainable Leadership Award: J.B. Hoyt of JBH Strategies

Co-founder of Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum, J.B. Hoyt has served on the Forum’s board since 2010. During his 36-year career at Whirlpool, he focused his last decade on sustainability in the areas of water use, energy efficiency, sustainable materials selection, and an end-of-use appliance recycling program. Since retirement, he has consulted on sustainability initiatives for Krasl Art Fair and the City of St. Joseph and serves as a Berrien County Parks Commissioner.

Sustainability Leadership Award for Large Organizations: Whirlpool Corporation 

As outlined in its 2017 Sustainability Report, Whirlpool Corporation met its energy and water intensity goals three years early. In addition, 95 percent of its waste goes to recycling.  Whirlpool has long set the pace for sustainable business in Southwest Michigan.

Sustainability Leadership Award for Small Organizations: The Livery

At The Livery, much of the brewery equipment is repurposed rather than newly purchased. The business recycles cardboard, paper, plastic and spent grains from the brewing process, which serve as an ingredient in its pizza crust and feed cows at a local farm. The kitchen composts food waste while water used for brewing is reclaimed. Kitchen ingredients are sourced from local farmers as are hops for most of the beers.

Community Sustainability Leadership Award: Ox Creek Watershed Initiative.

Cleaning up the Ox Creek Watershed will not only revive one of the most polluted bodies of water in Michigan but potentially reclaim 1,060 acres of wetlands. The project will improve aesthetics, create placemaking opportunities, and attract development. Partners in the $1.2 million project include Berrien County Drain Commission, Cornerstone Alliance, Benton Charter Township, Two Rivers Coalition and Berrien Conservation District. SMPC is also working with MDOT in the redesign of the I 94/Pipestone Road interchange.

For information on tickets visit https://wmsbf.org/greatgreengala/.

2017 Honoree Becky Kliss and MGSSBF members.

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