Climate Change is Altering What We Grow and What We Eat.
I grew up on a small Wisconsin dairy farm. It was small — one cow — but she supplied our milk and butter. It meant that as a kid, every morning and eve, I cleaned stalls and fed the farm’s menagerie of pigs, horses, cats, dogs, heifers, calves, and that one cow. I milked her […]
Why Protected Areas Must Consider What’s Beneath the Surface
New research published in the journal Nature Sustainability finds that 85% of protected areas with groundwater-dependent ecosystems have groundwatersheds that may be under-protected. The Gist Protected areas are one of the most well-known conservation strategies, with many current global initiatives focused on expanding and strengthening the management of these areas. Protected area management often focuses […]
8 Ways the Circular Economy Will Transform how Business is Done
The circular economy produces goods and services that can be seen as superior in more ways than just the minimization of waste. Benefits of a “circular” business model above a “linear” or traditional approach include better customer support, lower costs and greater resilience, among other advantages. Businesses that don’t adopt a circular approach may see […]
We Need a New Playbook for East Palestine and Beyond
It seems inevitable that the train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio would quickly become politicized. We don’t have a time machine to reset the clock and start over, but we can understand and learn from the better practices that might’ve been employed, and perhaps use them going forward for East Palestine and all future incidents […]
How can Canada Deploy an Equitable and Reliable EV Charging Network?
Transportation accounts for 24% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada – the most significant source after the oil and gas sector.(1) Decarbonization of the transportation sector will be a key component of Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy. As part of this path to decarbonization, the federal government has recently announced the proposed […]
Contextualizing ESG for the Great Lakes Region
What is ESG? How does it differ from CSR? Many organizations are familiar with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) dating back to the early 1980s when the notion of being a good corporate citizen first became mainstream. CSR is focused on a company’s values and how it builds relationships with a broad range of internal and […]
The Meh-conomy & Matterhorn-sized risks: 12 Themes for a Fragmented World
Takeaways from the World Economic Forum 2023 The skies above Davos were unusually cloudy during the World Economic Forum. The annual winter gathering, on the other hand, had unusual bursts of sun. The global meeting of government, business and community leaders—the first in three years—can’t quite be described as optimistic. But after a year marked […]
Michigan is a Climate Haven in a Warming World. Will Everyone Move Here?
*The header image used in this article is an illustration by Sean McKewon-Young | Advance Publications It seeped through gaps in the windows and doors. The smoke was inescapable, a constant, sickening odor of a bonfire they didn’t light. They duct taped every opening or crevice – even the dryer vents in the basement – […]
Great Lakes Region is Resource Rich, so why Aren’t Cities Greener?
The Great Lakes region has plenty of natural resources, yet the West Coast dominates a recent ranking of environmental policies of the nation’s 100 most populous cities. A recent report from WalletHub, “2022’s Greenest Cities in America,” ranked Buffalo, Madison, Cincinnati and Milwaukee among the Great Lakes region’s best for engaging in cleaner, more sustainable habits. […]
Sustainable Construction Practices: One Company’s Focus on the Full Life Cycle of Spaces
Whether in the Great Lakes region or across the globe, there is an opportunity for the real estate sector to address greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts on climate by implementing sustainable construction practices. By using renewable and recyclable building materials, utilizing smart technologies, and designing and operating energy and water efficient buildings, sustainability in […]