The Great Lakes of today are much cleaner and healthier than they were in the early and mid-1900s. Substantial investment and effort have improved the environments and communities around the Great Lakes. Yet, there is more work to be done to fix problems that remain and protect recent improvements from threats on the horizon. 

To bring awareness to how today’s decisions can affect the communities of tomorrow, a new online game “Choosing Your Great Lakes Future” has been launched by the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Board to educate and inspire people to consider how today’s actions can impact the Great Lakes in decades to come. In the game, players pick actions to 13 system drivers and the chosen actions create a ripple effect, leading to one of four possible scenarios for the health of the Great Lakes in 2050. 

Spearheading the creation of the online game was the IJC Great Lakes Water Quality Board’s scenario-based Great Lakes Horizons Project report, which they transformed into the interactive “Choosing Your Great Lakes Future”. The game and the Horizons project reflect ecological, economic, social, political, demographic, technological and cultural factors (system drivers) that drive changes and trends that impact the water quality and health of the Great Lakes. 

After players make choices for each of the 13 drivers, the game reveals which of four scenarios result from their choices, with short, animated videos outlining different possible futures.

“The health of the Great Lakes today largely reflects our past choices,” said Chris McLaughlin, board Canadian co-chair and executive director of the Bay Area Restoration Council in Hamilton, Ontario. “Today’s major investments in the Great Lakes are repairing expensive damage to water quality created decades ago by decisions made without regard to their implications for the health of the Great Lakes. Hindsight is 20/20, and we should learn from this history to shape our legacy for future generations. The board’s Great Lakes Horizons project is about looking ahead beyond the visible horizon and aligning today’s actions to set the Great Lakes on a sustainable path into the future,” McLaughlin said.

“This game is about champions, but not about winning,” said Jon Allan, board US co-chair and senior adviser at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. “We want the game to influence the real world by changing the way we think about our influence on the future, fostering conversations and inspiring people to champion decisions that align with a healthy and sustainable vision for the future of the Great Lakes,” Allan said.

Play the “Choosing Your Great Lakes Future” game.

For an overview video for the game, click here. For more information about the Great Lakes Horizons Project, click here. 

Author

IJC – International Joint Commission

About the IJC

The IJC was established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the governments of Canada and the United States prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters they share. More information can be found at IJC.org.

About the IJC Water Quality Board

The Great Lakes Water Quality Board is the principal adviser to the International Joint Commission (IJC) under the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The board assists the IJC by reviewing and assessing progress by the governments of Canada and the United States to implement the Agreement, identifying emerging issues and recommending strategies and approaches to prevent and resolve complex challenges facing the Great Lakes, and providing advice on the role of relevant jurisdictions to implement these strategies and approaches. 

CGLR’s business and sustainability network programming is supported by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation.