It's that time of year when 19 million acres of woods slowly explode in a frenzy of color. It's when an entire state is in its annual blaze of glory. It's when autumn arrives in Michigan. And there's no better place to see the dynamic colors of a trillion trees aflame than along our highways, country roads and coastlines. So let's head out to the forests. And let's prepare to be amazed, on the fall color tours of Pure Michigan.

A key goal of SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, is to improve decision making by providing leadership and consensus building on key plans and policies. One way the agency achieves this is through the public involvement process, which provides opportunities for interested parties to comment on SEMCOG’s regional plans, programs, and activities. The document that guides the public involvement process is SEMCOG’s Public Participation Plan.

The revised Draft Public Participation Plan has been released for the 45-day public comment period. Now through November 22, 2011, anyone interested may review and comment on the draft (see link below). Your comments will help ensure the ongoing opportunity for effective, broad-based participation in the development and review of regional plans and programs.

Michigan's Harvest: Food, Farming & Community is taking place from September 24 to November 20, 2011 at the Albert L. Lorenzo Cultural Center at Macomb Community College. You'll find exhibits, presentations and activities on a variety of food topics including Michigan's agricultural heritage, modern methods of food production, and the local foods movement. Most events are free but require pre-registration.

Save energy and cut your bills by Nick White — offers practical advice on how to cut your consumption and costs at home. From reducing your fuel and electricity use to generating your own energy it has solutions for the busy homeowner. As cold weather approaches you may also want to check out CPL's other home energy resources. CPL also has Kill A Watt energy meters available for check out. The Kill A Watt energy meter can help you find out how much energy your appliances are consuming. By connecting appliances to the meter it will assess how efficiently they are running.

Energy-wise landscape design : a new approach for your home and garden by Sue Reed ; illustrations by Kate Dana — Once upon a time, curb appeal was the driving force behind most residential landscape design, but the down economy and our increased awareness of environmental factors has changed our motivation. Now we can use the landscape to help shade the house from sun and cool the air and ground around the house, reduce the chilling effect of wind in winter, use water efficiently, and utilize a variety of technologies to generate energy. Whether you're planning a new landscape or revamping an existing one, this book has a wealth of information, tips, and ideas.

As the Canton Public Library continues to deal with a declining budget, patrons are reminded the "magazine express" program has been discontinued.

Former Vice President, best-selling author and Nobel Prize co-recipient Al Gore will be the plenary keynote speaker at the International Joint Commission (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Biennial Meeting in Detroit, Michigan at 1:15 pm on October 13, 2011. Vice President Gore will be discussing the climate crisis. Seating is limited, so the public is urged to register. Registration is free.
[Photo courtesy of AP Images]

Our Adult Fiction Committee has been doing a great job of reviewing their collection and making room for new titles. Last week the withdraw cart was full of great titles but the condition of the books were gently used. What to do? Never fear — one of our volunteers, Pam Gillis, came to the rescue. She has been sending books to our troops in Afghanistan for their enjoyment and took a look at the cart of books and pulled over 75% of the titles to send.

Canton Senior Center, in partnership with Cellular Recyclers, is collecting old cell phones, laptops, game systems, digital cameras, and iPods. Recycleble items should be dropped off at the Canton Senior Center at the Summit. Call the Canton Senior Center at 734-394-5485 for more information.

Your farm in the city : an urban dweller's guide to growing food and raising livestock by Lisa Taylor, and the gardeners of Seattle Tilth — Whether you're building a raised bed in the back yard or undertaking a larger garden project, this book has great information about all the things you'll need to consider when gardening in the city (or suburbs). Since municipalities and homeowners associations often have rules that relate to outdoor structures and vegetation, it's important to plan ahead and this book can help you figure out what you'll need to do. It also provides great details on helping your soil be fertile, creative bed design for small or restricted spaces, working with pests that live in urban areas, and much more.

Growing a garden city : how farmers, first graders, counselors, troubled teens, foodies, a homeless shelter chef, single mothers, and more are transforming themselves and their neighborhoods through the intersection of local agriculture and community--and how you can, too by Jeremy N. Smith ; foreword by Bill McKibben ; photographs by Chad Harder and Sepp Jannotta — This book tells the true story of a small group of people created a community garden and in doing so created a whole new experience for themselves and many others. Not only is the story heartwarming and inspiring, the book itself is gorgeous, with full-color photos that bring the text to life.

Hey Kids! Did you hear about the rare earthquake that shook the East Coast of the United States yesterday? It was a magnitude 5.8 earthquake with the epicenter located near the town of Mineral, VA. Lots of buildings suffered damage, even the Washington Monument cracked during the shaking. People reported feeling tremors as far north as Maine, as far south as South Carolina and as far west as Illinois. As you read this, if you are wondering what magnitude, epicenter, or tremor mean, check out some of our great Earthquake books. These books will tell you why earthquakes happen, how to be safe if you are in an earthquake, and even tell stories of major earthquakes in history.

As more folks look for alternatives to factory farmed foods, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are growing in popularity. Joining a CSA is a great way to eat healthy and support local farms. To find a CSA near you, you can visit CSAFarms.org. There is also an option for those interested in participating in a CSA this winter. One clever organization, Locavorious, has partnered with several small farms in the communities around Ann Arbor to offer frozen produce subscriptions, similar to shares offered by regular CSAs. During the peak harvest, they prepare and package local produce at its peak freshness, and preserve it in a community freezer.

The homesteading handbook : a back to basics guide to growing your own food, canning, keeping chickens, generating your own energy, crafting, herbal medicine, and more by Abigail R. Gehring — Are you interested in being more self-sufficient? This book is truly a one-stop resource for virtually all aspects of homesteading including herbal medicine, useful crafting, keeping animals like chickens and goats, building sheds and other small structures, canning, generating energy, growing edibles, and more. If all that sounds like a lot of work, it also includes fun things like how to make your own ice cream.

The repurposed library : 33 craft projects that give old books new life by Lisa Occhipinti ; photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy — It can be so hard to say good-bye to an old book, even when it has lost its usefulness as a resource or story. This book provides a bunch of great ideas for repurposing them instead, including instructions for creating a birdhouse, a lamp, a chandelier, a clock, and many more. Perhaps you might find a re-purpose-able book in Second Hand Prose.

Wayne County has partnered with Vintage Tech Recyclers to offer several E-Waste Collection dates for Wayne County residents. The collections will all be held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on their scheduled dates at the following locations:

• Saturday, August 6: Northville DPW
• Saturday, October 1: Dearborn Henry Ford Centennial Library
• Saturday, October 15: Livonia DPW
• Saturday, October 22: Belleville Wayne County Community College — Western Campus

Read the Canton Township press release for information regarding accepted material and general guidelines.

Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer's newest book, discusses the complex issues that surround the meat we consume. This ranges from animal welfare to health to politics. Foer employs his unique voice to reveal the commonplace, yet horrendous practices that occur in the factory farming industry. The facts unearthed through his investigative jounalism argue cases for both a selective omnivore diet and a vegetarian diet. This book is shocking, fascinating, and may challenge the reader's everyday eating practices and beliefs. We have it in multiple formats:

Eating animals [book] by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Shrimp Farm Market hopes to start a sustainable Michigan shrimp farm industry. Russ Allen, the owner, has created several industries around the world and believes that the time is right to start an indoor, biologically secure and sustainable model for growing shrimp in Michigan.

Looking for tasty, fresh ingredients? A smaller grocery bill? A smaller carbon footprint? A smaller waistline?