Granholm residence adds green features

By AP

LANSING, MI – Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is taking her campaign for green technology to the governor's residence.

A wind turbine has been erected and solar panels will soon go up. There's also a new sprinkler system that saves water by taking weather and what's planted into account and a small area of the garage roof covered with sedum as a green roof demonstration.

In a tour given Friday exclusively to The Associated Press, the Democratic governor showed off the new products, all of which were donated to the state. Most are made in Michigan.

The wind turbine and solar panels should cut the residence's annual $11,000 electric bill by about 14%, while the watering system is expected to trim the annual $4,300 bill by about a third.