This article, submitted for the United Nations World Environment Day blogging competition, covers how two very different cities with yet intertwined fates, Detroit and Doha, boast citizens building a new green economy.

Dave Strenski is a “geek who likes to play with solar power” who is doing his part to install more solar roofs throughout Ypsilanti, a town of 22,000 that is a 40 minute drive from Detroit.

Outside of Chicago, no American city offers a more stunning collection of architecture than Detroit. Beaux-Arts, art deco and Roman baroque are a start.

Michigan Central Station (MCS, or Michigan Central Depot) stands tall as a monument to the time when Detroit was one of America’s most important economic centers. Could it make a comeback?

When I visited Detroit a couple months ago, I could not get enough of Eastern Market, and the pumpkins shown here were one reason why.

While Detroit becomes the anchor for urban farming, large swathes of city blocks are returning to nature. Wildflowers are taking over the city.

With abundant water, diverse climates, and varied landscapes, the mitten and Upper Peninsula together showcase incredible produce that comes from the state’s farms.

Meet Paperworks Studio.  They make recycled, handmade, one-at-a-time, no-two-are-alike greeting cards, often with organic materials. Based in Traverse City, MI, the organization gives those most deserving economic opportunity.