LANSING, Michigan - A Sustainable Communities Leadership Academy will take place June 7-8 at Michigan State University. The event is co-hosted by MSU Citizen Planner, School of Planning, Design and Construction and MSU Extension. The Michigan Municipal League also is a supporting partner in the event. Placemaking and Sustainable Community Planning have been hot topics for cities throughout Michigan. This workshop will provide in-depth information for the practical application of these concepts for municipalities throughout Michigan. For details and to register go here.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org or (734) 669-6317.

Fall 2011 will bring a number of training, conference and funding opportunities for community leaders looking to increase environmental sustainability and/or speed implementation of complete streets:

• Global ReLeaf of Michigan is offering two free training sessions titled "Creating and Implementing a Community Forestry Management Plan". The sessions are August 23 in Midland and August 24 in Traverse City. The organization is also soliciting applications for assistance with community tree planting events this fall. For more details and/or to register, email globalreleafmi@aol.com or call 800-642-7353.
• The Michigan Department of Community Health is offering five Complete Streets Institute trainings beginning September 7. The Complete Streets Institute is a comprehensive and standardized 5-module training program designed to increase awareness of complete streets principles, support local advocacy efforts, and provide practical, realistic instructions and techniques to help communities create, adopt, and implement Complete Streets policies and projects. The curriculum was designed to cover all aspects of Complete Streets, from introduction of the concept (Module 1) to design applications in your community (Module 5). You pick the modules YOUR community needs to move ahead with success. For more information, click here.
• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering $28 million in Sustainable Community Challenge Grants for local governments working to update master plans, zoning ordinances and other policies to promote mixed-use development and neighborhood sustainability. Applications are due September 9. Learn more here.
• MDOT is offering bicycle facility design training in eight communities across the state starting September 12. "Training Wheels" is an educational course on the planning and design of on-road bicycle facilities. It will consist of two hours of classroom instruction on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities followed by an on-road, on-bike portion. For more information click here. 
• The national Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference is coming to Detroit May 10-11, 2012. This fall, the conference organizers are seeking proposals for workshops and panel presenters. Proposals are due September 30. Visit http://www.greenjobsconference.org/2012-Conference/Workshop-Proposals for the application guidelines and form. Michigan's Green Communities have made great strides in adopting policies and projects that create green jobs, so we encourage you to submit proposals and spread the word at the conference next year.

Stay tuned to the Center for 21st Century Communities blog for future updates, including an announcement about the 2nd annual Michigan Green Communities conference coming soon. You can also join the Green Communities group on micheen.org.

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him by email, by calling 734-669-6323 or on Twitter @l4est.

There is a free seminar Aug. 3 on renewable energy in Waterford. The seminar, called "Energy 101: Energy & Renewables for Local Government" is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Aug. 3 at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center in Waterford. To register go here.

This session is part of the Oakland County Sustainable Community Seminar Series.

Two other sessions are planned for 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 in Oakland County. Those sessions will be on the Sustainable Sites Initiative and local food resources in Oakland County.

Having sustainable communities with green initiatives is one of eight assets the Michigan Municipal League has identified as making vibrant communities in its Center for 21st Century Communities effort. Click on these links for more information about the eight assets and green initiatives.

Matt Bach is communications director for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 or mbach@mml.org.

Learn how to get service grants worth more than $150,000 for your community through an online course backed by the Michigan Municipal League. And you can learn about it FOR FREE without leaving the office.

This webinar taking place 3-4 p.m. Friday (April 23, 2010) will is about the service grants available through the Partnerships for Change (PfC) Sustainable Communities Program. Funded by private foundations and backed by the Michigan Municipal League (MML) and Michigan Townships Association (MTA), the PfC Program will award service grants valued at over $150,000 late this June. If the local governments in your community are ready to work together for land use planning and community development, please consider this fabulous opportunity. This webinar is free to all local governments, however, registration is required and is limited to 20 people or sites. For details or to register go to www.partnershipsforchange.cc or call LIAA at (231) 929-3696.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org or (734) 669-6317.