“As Detroit automakers look to increase their global portfolios, Fortune Magazine is betting on seven cars to play a major role in saving the Motor City,” MLive’s Michael Wayland reported today.

Fortune Magazine released a list of “7 cars that will save Detroit.” Their picks share in common a global appeal in markets all over the world where big gas guzzlers aren’t in high demand. Globally viable, efficient cars is the direction Detroit auto manufacturing should go in 21st century.

The report supposes; “The demands of growing international markets and the requirements of global platforms will speed the obsolescence of Detroit’s car lines. Vehicles that are too big, too thirsty, or otherwise ill-adapted for driving outside North America will face a higher hurdle to justify their survival.”

Among the 7 so-called saviors, only one is an SUV - the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The rest are smaller cars like the Chevy Cruze, one of the most popular cars in America.

According to a PRNewswire release today, DTE Energy is installing 16 public electric vehicle charging stations in Southeast Michigan. Six of these PEV (plug-in electric vehicles) stations will be places in Detroit Metro Airport’s main parking decks, McNamara Terminal lot, and in the Big Blue Deck by the North Terminal. Public charging stations in Ferndale, Mount Clemens, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, and Saline will also be installed.

It reports that the PEV charging stations will be free of charge. “There will be no cost for PEV drivers to use the charging stations,” it promises.

Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) Interim CEO Genelle Allen makes a strong argument for why it is necessary to build infrastructure for the use of electric vehicle in Metro Detroit. “With the assembly line for the Chevy Volt just 20 miles down the road, we want our customers to know that we’ll soon be ready to accommodate such alternative-powered vehicles when they’re parked at Detroit Metro Airport,” she is quoted as saying.

Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info

The Michigan American Security Project is concerned that the effects of global warming and climate change will have a negative impact on Michigan’s industries. They make this point in a their report “Pay Now, Pay Later: Michigan.” The report also makes a case for encouraging renewable energy industries in Michigan. And it concludes with an argument that Michigan has a lot of potential to grow and develop its renewable energy sector.

I get the impression that one of the challenges researchers faced creating the report was probably the fact that “the effects of climate change...are difficult to predict with precision,” the report concedes. However, they took a look at scientific and economic data, research, and scholarship to take an educated stab at predicting how the effects of climate change might impact Michigan’s industries. 

The report concludes that “Michigan faces significant losses in industries crucial to its economy if no action is taken to combat the effects of global warming.” In particular, they are worried about manufacturing and shipping, agricultural and forestry, and tourism, as well as other Michigan industries. It also makes a case for renewable energy industries in the state, and shares some statistics that suggest that Michigan is in a unique position to grow the sector, save residents money, and create jobs. 

“If we give Michigan’s population, businesses, and investors clear and consistent signals by properly offering initiatives and cultivating demand, investment and innovation in renewable technologies will follow,” the report concludes. 

Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info

The National Association of Realtors® has found that the majority of Americans prefer living in mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods, “where shops, restaurants, and local businesses are within an easy stroll from their homes and their jobs are a short commute away,” according to the NAR’s newly released 2011 Community Preference Survey.

According to the survey, 56% of people in the U.S. prefer living in a “smart growth community,” and 43% opt for a “sprawl community.”

It seems that the cost and hassle of driving these days is impacting how people choose where to live. Most people would opt for smaller residences, if it means they can drive less, the survey found. This point is also made by Kaid Benfield, the director of Sustainable Communities & Smart Growth, in his blog post on the Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog “SWiTHBOARD.”

On the other hand, the many people who “prefer the sprawl community are motivate mostly by desire to live in single-family homes on larger lots,” according to the survey. And the privacy that single-family homes and larger lots provide appeals to many people. 

Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info