State’s natural resources worth $1.6B annually study says

Efforts to undertake the enormous, and somewhat intangible, task of assessing the state’s green infrastructure, its monetary worth, and its value in creating quality of life allure to attract talented professionals and entrepreneurs are detailed in a recent study that values Michigan’s environmental attributes at $1.6 billion annually.

According to excerpts from the story:

MUSKEGON — West Michigan’s abundant natural resources — forests, sand dunes, wetlands and water — provide a variety of benefits that are worth at least $1.6 billion annually, according to a new study.

Putting a dollar figure on nature, also known as green infrastructure, is a tricky business, technically and philosophically. But the study, by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, sought to demonstrate that nature is valuable and that damaging it comes at a price.

Read the complete story here.