Fighting for the Future of the Great Lakes
I’ve spent most of my life around lakes. I grew up in Madison on an isthmus between two incredible bodies of water. One of my favorite trips in my early twenties was traversing the Great Lakes in an RV with my dad and my dog. I now live in Chicago, and our proximity to Lake […]
Meijer Expands Great Lakes Stewardship Commitment with Donation to the Council of the Great Lakes Region Foundation
Donation will help improve water and wildlife quality in river corridors throughout Wisconsin. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Midwest retailer Meijer is continuing its commitment to Great Lakes stewardship with a $250,000 donation to the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) Foundation to launch a set of innovative litter capture and clean-up technologies – the BeBot and […]
Net Zero for Water? It’s More Complicated Than That
As net zero emissions become the standard for sustainability-minded corporations worldwide, this carbon mindset is being misapplied to water as we hear more and more about “net zero water.” But the truth is, water is more complicated than that and cannot be distilled down to an accounting exercise due to its unique traits. In general, […]
How Recycling Plastic Bottles Generates an Economic Ripple Effect in Ohio
When Ohioans drop in or drop off their recyclables, they might not realize that in addition to diverting trash from the landfill, they are also supporting jobs, consumers and Ohio’s economy. In fact, nearly 400 businesses in central Ohio are recycling reliant. Together, they support more than 5,000 jobs and generate $1.3 billion in revenue […]
What Will Canada’s Yet-to-be-Named Restoration Program Mean for Great Lakes Project Funding?
In the last blog, we covered the U.S. political challenges involved with Great Lakes restoration funding, especially in these extremely partisan times. But we saw hope for the undercurrents of bipartisanship for Great Lakes funding, too. In this last entry, we’ll look at the challenges and optimism associated with Canada’s recent funding announcement. Since the […]
Will Politics Stand in the Way of Continued Project Funding for Great Lakes Restoration?
Last time, we explained why the timing is ideal right now for Great Lakes restoration work. We also reviewed the steps involved with applying for Great Lakes restoration funding. This time, we turn our attention to what could be in store for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Specifically, will politics make it harder for you […]
Great Lakes Restoration Funding: Know and Share Your Goals to Get Results
In Part 2 of this series, we looked at when Great Lakes restoration funding began to get serious. This started in 2009 when President Barack Obama proposed, and a bipartisan Congress funded, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Now let’s discuss how to access the funding now available through the GLRI. The time has never […]
How Toxic Hotspots Were Identified, Money Arrived, and a Network Was Born
In my first post about Great Lakes Restoration, I shared a brief history about the first moves by the U.S. and Canada to commit to saving the Great Lakes ecosystem. That history concluded with the important recognition of an ecosystem approach to Great Lakes management but that federal funding didn’t keep pace with federal restoration […]
The Protection of the Great Lakes Began More Than 50 Years Ago – That History Matters Today for Funding Important Projects. But Why?
In an era when climate change is touching almost every aspect of our lives, it’s becoming clearer by the day that if we want our ecosystems to take care of us, we need to take care of them. The same is true for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, comprising about 20 percent of […]
Protecting the Great Lakes: The Imperative of Recycling Agricultural Plastics
When the topic of plastic pollution arises, images of bottles, straws, and bags in our oceans often come to mind. Yet, plastic pollution is not exclusive to marine environments; freshwater sources, notably the Great Lakes, are similarly under threat. While the vast majority of shoreline plastic pollution is made of common consumer items like those […]