On:
In: Climate change in the Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Drinking water affordability, Environmental Justice, Lead service lines, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Note: This blog was written by Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement Crystal M.C. Davis.

Attending the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai was an incredible experience, one that I was fortunate to be a part of thanks to the Black Environmental Leaders Association (BEL). As a founding member and board member, it was amazing to see how the organization’s support brought our mission to a global stage, showing just how far our collective efforts in environmental advocacy can reach.

Celebrating the Role of Black Environmental Leaders

Our delegation’s presence at COP28 was a testament to the organization’s commitment to environmental advocacy and its impact on a global scale. I was privileged to represent not only the Alliance for the Great Lakes but also the voices and perspectives that BEL leaders bring to the forefront of environmental justice.

Global and Local Interplay: Understanding Our Collective Impact

At COP28, the interconnectedness of local and global environmental efforts became increasingly clear. The insights I gained there have deepened my understanding of how our regional work across states and cities aligns with national and global environmental initiatives. It’s evident now more than ever that our individual efforts have profound global implications. This revelation was a recurring theme throughout the conference, emphasizing the significant impact of water stewardship and innovation on a global scale. COP28 was not just about global dialogues; it was about finding local relevance in these discussions. The insights gained from the conference will be instrumental in shaping our approach to water and climate issues in the Great Lakes region. The shared knowledge and strategies from the global stage will help us develop more effective local solutions.

Water Stewardship: An Economic Imperative

The conference illuminated an essential truth: water stewardship and innovation are not only environmental responsibilities but also make sound economic sense. This alignment of environmental, racial, health, and economic justice was a key focus, with several sessions exploring the financial aspects of climate action. The discussions at COP28 reinforced the notion that environmental conservation is intrinsically linked to broader economic strategies.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes: Bridging Justice and Environmental Action

At the Alliance for the Great Lakes, we’ve recognized the intertwined nature of environmental, racial, health, and economic justice. COP28 served to reaffirm this understanding, highlighting how environmental initiatives, especially those focused on water, are crucial in building a just and sustainable economic future. Our commitment to these principles was echoed in the global discourse at the conference, reinforcing the value and urgency of our work.

Forward with Renewed Vision

Reflecting on the experiences and lessons from COP28, I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity. As we move forward, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is more equipped than ever to play a pivotal role in fostering environmental justice and economic sustainability, both regionally and globally.

Together, we are making strides toward a future where environmental stewardship and economic progress go hand in hand.

The post Reflections from COP28: A Journey of Global Impact and Local Stewardship appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2023/12/reflections-from-cop28-a-journey-of-global-impact-and-local-stewardship/

Michelle Farley

On:
In: Climate change in the Great Lakes, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes
Gloria Araya Photography 
From left to right: Asiana Spaw, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Winner; Matt Altstiel, Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Development; Genevieve Fletcher, Individual Giving Manager; Molly Flanagan, Chief Operating Officer & Vice President for Programs 

The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest invites inspiring young filmmakers across the world, from grades three through post-grad, to submit films that address today’s most pressing environmental challenges. The contest winners receive a financial award for their winning films, which premiered in front of a live and virtual audience at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago this September.  

In accompaniment to their own award, the winners choose an environmental nonprofit whose mission aligns with the subject of their film to receive a matching grant. This year, the Alliance was the grateful recipient of a matching grant award chosen by high school senior, Asiana Spaw, the winner of the 2023 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest College Level Award for her short film, Microplastics: Not a Small Problem. Several Alliance staff attended the Awards Celebration and were able to meet Asiana and her parents and see her film along with nine other outstanding films by students across the country and the world. 

Asiana is a 12th-grader from Northwest Indiana who grew up visiting Lake Michigan. Her film addresses the issue of microplastics in the Great Lakes and its effect on marine life and human populations. The film highlights the need to not only reduce single-use plastic but also the need for legislative action. Her message aligns well with the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ work to reduce plastic pollution both on the ground and through policy and advocacy. 

Another winning student, 8th grader, Andrew Older, from River Forest, Illinois, received an Honorable Mention Award for his three-minute short film titled, Invasive Fish in the Des Plaines River. In his film, Andrew explained how invasive carp and goby fish got into the river and how they are outcompeting native species, threatening the local ecology. He also included information on organizations that work to prevent the spread of invasive species, including the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and encouraged viewers to donate to the cause (Thank you, Andrew!). His film premiered at the One Earth Young Filmmakers Honorable Mention Awards Virtual Screening on November 4th. 

Read on to hear from the students in their own words and watch their 3- and 4-minute short films!  

Asiana Spaw 

“I am a 12th grade filmmaker from Northwest Indiana. Most of my work is narrative, and I love to include social issues and my intersectional experiences. Besides classes and filmmaking, I spend my time competing on the Speech team, coxing for crew, and playing the oboe! 

I made this short documentary over a few days for the One Earth Young Filmmaker’s Contest to call attention to an issue local to me. Before my research, I had little familiarity with how plastic pollution can affect lakes differently from the ocean, which tends to gain more media attention. As I live near Lake Michigan, I both want to see less trash along the shores and know that my drinking water is free from unknown contaminants. I chose the Alliance for the Great Lakes because they lead excellent efforts, like the Adopt-a-Beach cleanups, to preserve our Great Lakes. I look forward to seeing their continued work to mitigate the threats to these bodies of water.” 

Andrew Older 

Andrew Older is an 8th-grade student at Roosevelt Middle School. He lives in River Forest with his parents, sister, and dog Theo. He loves spending time outside and Thatcher Woods is a favorite spot. 

“I created this video to raise awareness about invasive species in the Des Plaines River, a local river near my house where I regularly fish. One time, while fishing, I noticed that most of the fish I was catching were Gobi fish. After learning from my teacher, Mr. Schlacter, that they were an invasive fish species, I submitted a video on the topic to the One Earth Film Festival, a global environmental film competition. I learned that even one action, even if it is small, can make a difference because it can inspire others to take action. If we all do something, it can have an impact on the environment.” 

The Alliance is inspired by the work of Asiana and Andrew to spread awareness about these important Great Lakes issues. We commend them and the One Earth Film Festival for encouraging environmental activism as well as environmental philanthropy through film.  

To watch the full screening of the 2023 One Earth Young Filmmakers First-Place Contest Awards and Honorable Mention Awards short films, click the below links: 

The post One Earth: Young Filmmakers Shine A Light on Great Lakes Issues  appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2023/11/one-earth-young-filmmakers-shine-a-light-on-great-lakes-issues/

Michelle Farley

On:
In: Climate change in the Great Lakes
Joel Brammeier headshot.
Joel Brammeier, ​President & CEO

Nothing beats a road trip after a long hiatus from travel. Covering ground by car gives me an opportunity to reconnect with places around the Great Lakes that I have not been to in years. At the end of September, I drove from Chicago to Niagara Falls, Ontario, for the triennial Great Lakes Public Forum – more on that in a moment.  

In three days, I saw and sometimes touched two Great Lakes (Michigan and Ontario), one really excellent lake (St. Clair), three mighty rivers (St. Clair, Detroit, and Niagara), and of course, the majestic Niagara Falls. 500 miles from end to end, and every drop of the water is shared. I missed Lake Erie only because I ran out of time for another detour.  

Seeing all this connected water in just a few days reminded me how urgent it is for us all to expand the vision of what it means to restore our Great Lakes. While we are making great strides in cleaning up the sins of the past, the lakes are changing before our eyes. Many communities still won’t enjoy the benefits of living so close to such immense fresh water even if we achieve current restoration goals. 

The trip would be worthwhile even with no destination, but I was bound to and from the Great Lakes Public Forum. The Forum happens every three years as a follow-up to the triennial “State of the Great Lakes” report issued by the United States and Canada. The report and the Forum are requirements under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the two countries. This year the Agreement celebrated its 50th anniversary. Many of the attendees are government officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, and the state and provincial levels. The idea is that the governments review and discuss the findings with advocates, scientists, and, more generally, the people of the Great Lakes. I want to share a bit of what I saw and heard because it tells part of the story of what’s needed for a restored and protected Great Lakes in the future. 

Credit where it’s due. We are making admirable progress toward cleaning up the Great Lakes “Areas of Concern,” which are highly contaminated waters designated in 1987. In the U.S, much of the pollution in these “AOCs” lingered until the creation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Congress appropriated an additional $1 billion in 2021 to fast-track cleanup of most of these sites by 2030. Advocates in Canada continue to seek a larger federal investment in Great Lakes restoration. Beach health continues to improve with reductions in chronic sewage overflows and increases in cleaning up stormwater with natural solutions and better infrastructure design, operations, and management. 

Not all the news is good. Invasive species already in the Great Lakes continue to devastate the ecology and economy of the region, requiring ongoing vigilance and spending. Nutrient pollution hotspots, largely fed by agriculture, plague large watersheds like Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, and Lake Erie. Algal blooms are showing up in cold Lake Superior. Our waters and lands are showing the impacts of a changing climate. While some fish consumption advisories are improving, emerging pollutants like PFAS and plastics are less “emerging” and more “present.”  

Disconnects abound. Sometimes government agencies are having one conversation while advocates are demanding another. Take drinking water.  The report gives Great Lakes drinking water a “good” or “green” score because the lakes can serve as a reliable source of drinking water when treated. But for someone who gets their water from Lake Erie, where the intakes have alert systems to detect the presence of toxic algae, that doesn’t feel right. And hundreds of communities that rely on lake water but distribute it through lead pipes don’t see their drinking water as “good.”  

Algal blooms and nutrient pollution is another searing hot example. While most of the presentations focused on understanding blooms and the investment being made in voluntary cleanups, questions from the audience were much more pointed. Are you going to regulate farms and animal feedlots to reduce pollution? Why are people bearing the cost and health burden of this pollution when we know what the problem is and what would solve it? Are people in those communities going to have a say in deciding how cleanup happens? And over and over – why is this taking so long? 

Many people, myself included, want answers from our elected officials who have the power to change policy and get more forceful in cleaning up farms and ensuring safe drinking water. It was clear those answers were not in that room. There were not many U.S. advocates in the room either, and I think that’s partially because people know the Forum is not where critical water decisions are made. 

Reflecting the people of the Great Lakes. Indigenous voices and advocates had a strong presence at the event. Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare gave opening comments on day two, describing the personal and tragic impacts on families that lack of access to clean water is having on Ontario First Nations communities. It echoed stories I have listened to from residents in American Great Lakes cities. After Chief Hare’s remarks, he sat with U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore and Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault for an armchair conversation. Having seats at the table for more voices at high government decision-making levels is vital for sovereign Indigenous nations and all people and communities directly impacted by pollution. The U.S. has a long way to go to demonstrate that our governments are listening and taking the advice and direction of communities on the front lines of Great Lakes challenges. 

What’s next? Water is water, and we need it to be safe and plentiful in all its forms for all forms of life. But it’s clear that current policies and practices rooted in decades of history are not keeping up with our changing climate or addressing the reality that many lower-income communities and communities of color still do not enjoy the benefits of a safe and clean Great Lakes. We need a “whole system” approach to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. One that is rooted in the science of the lakes as they are today and will be in the future. An approach that shows how decisions are made with the people impacted by those decisions fully at the table. One that makes sure the lakes and their waters are there for all life, when and how we need them.  

The Great Lakes should not leave anyone behind. That’s why the Alliance and I are building these ideas and principles into the critical programs that make a change on the ground. It’s a long road, and I’m glad you are on it with me.  

Act Now to Keep Plastic Out of the Great Lakes

Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes is going to get worse unless we do something about it. Add your name to the Plastic Free Great Lakes Pledge now.

Take the Pledge

The post The Great Lakes Should Not Leave Anyone Behind appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2022/10/the-great-lakes-should-not-leave-anyone-behind/

Michelle Farley