Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Twenty-five years ago, several lower Detroit River islands and marshes were threatened by development.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/great-lakes-moment-saving-the-conservation-crescent/
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Nina Ignaczak, Planet Detroit
Detroit’s urban agriculture movement traces back to Hazen Pingree’s 1890s potato patch plan,World War II victory gardens, and Mayor Coleman Young’s Farm-A-Lot program in the 1970s.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/detroits-urban-farming-evolution/
By Jena Brooker, BridgeDetroit
BridgeDetroit reporter Jena Brooker collaborated with One Detroit (Detroit Public TV) on this segment on concrete crushing in a Detroit neighborhood. Read more of her coverage and subscribe to her newsletter.
One Detroit’s senior producer Bill Kubota teamed up with filmmaker and One Detroit contributor Nicole Macdonald to talk with residents about their concerns over heavy industry operating in city neighborhoods.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/video-its-detroiters-vs-dust-in-west-side-neighborhood/
Imagine if the world’s longest trail (located in Canada) connected people even further, into another country, via Michigan’s longest trail. That happened last month when the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority announced that the Gordie Howe International Bridge would become part of a binational trail system.
When the initial discussions for a potential new bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit started about a decade ago, residents of Windsor and Detroit, and a coalition of organizations, came together to envision cross-border linkages.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/great-lakes-moment-gordie-howe-international-bridge-becomes-part-of-binational-trail-system/
In order to do meaningful things at scale, everyone has to be at the table. This is what Curt Wolf, Managing Director of the University of Michigan’s Urban Collaboratory, said about the Michigan Center for Freshwater Innovation in an interview with Great Lakes Now. Last month, he explained the benefits of pulling together stakeholders, the Great Lakes Water Authority, and major universities like the University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Michigan State to all work alongside each other to collaborate on grand challenges, like catastrophic flooding in the region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/the-future-of-water-management-with-curt-wolf/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/great-lakes-moment-lest-we-forget-a-history-of-detroit-river-oil-pollution/
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
Neighborhoods east of Palmer Park could soon be transformed by a city plan to power municipal buildings with six solar fields, and neighbors are divided over the prospect.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/parts-of-detroit-could-be-radically-transformed-by-city-solar-plan-for-better-or-worse/
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
Darren Riley noticed poor air quality across much of Michigan this week when off-the-shelf air monitors from companies like IQAir and PurpleAir showed readings as high as 154 for PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) in Detroit on Sunday – putting the monitors in the red or ‘unhealthy’ range on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/why-poor-air-quality-isnt-just-a-summer-problem-in-detroit/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
For over 100 years the Detroit River was perceived as a working waterway that supported industry and commerce.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/great-lakes-moment-detroits-new-ralph-wilson-park-will-provide-habitats-for-a-healthy-ecosystem/
The EPA’s Chris Korleski gets excited when speaking about cleaning up the Great Lakes region’s decades-old, contaminated sediment sites like the Detroit River.
He talks about the “tremendous effort” that’s been rekindled in the past two years under the Biden administration. And how “motivated” the people who work to advance the cleanup are and the value of the partnerships that facilitate restoration.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/great-lakes-epa-office-reaffirms-2030-cleanup-goal-for-detroit-river-other-contaminated-sites/
Ford Motor Company is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2050, as reiterated by Cynthia Williams last week.
Williams took to the stage to expand on how Ford is accomplishing this, highlighting their latest releases in electric vehicles (EV). Williams is the global director of sustainability at Ford.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/ted-countdown-ford-global-director-of-sustainability-cynthia-williams-on-making-detroit-a-hub-for-climate-solutions/
Tunde Olaniran is a musician and multidisciplinary artist from Flint. Last year, their first exhibition premiered at Cranbrook Art Museum, featuring a short horror film — Made a Universe — inspired by their life growing up in Flint.
They were asked to perform one of their latest works for the TED Countdown Summit at the Fillmore Detroit on Thursday, July 13.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/ted-countdown-musician-tunde-olaniran-from-flint-michigan-on-the-role-of-art-in-the-climate-crisis/
Laprisha Berry Daniels is the Executive Director at Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice. Daniels is a public health social worker who is interested in focusing on harm-reduction when dealing with the climate crisis. She specializes in developing interventions to help to improve the health and wellbeing of communities.
In her talk on Wednesday, July 12, Daniels said she was inspired by her family’s move to Detroit during the Great Migration.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/ted-countdown-detroiters-working-for-environmental-justice-executive-director-laprisha-berry-daniels-on-supporting-communities-preparing-for-the-future/
With nearly 125 million buildings across the United States, all these spaces account for about 30 percent of the country’s emissions. In 2014, Donnel Baird created BlocPower to get these spaces off fossil fuels by changing out old water systems, gas ovens, gas and oil furnaces and air conditioning units with electric equipment, like air source heat pumps, which are compatible with renewable energy options.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/ted-countdown-blocpower-ceo-donnel-baird-greening-americas-buildings-improving-communities/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
A business case is a document that outlines whether a project is worth undertaking.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/great-lakes-moment-a-business-case-for-the-great-lakes-way/
TED wants to bring Detroit to the world and the world to Detroit. As the city at the heart of the automotive industry grappling with building a sustainable future, Detroit was a deliberate choice for this year’s Countdown Summit.
This invite-only gathering will take place from July 11-14 in Michigan Central, the Fillmore Detroit and other locations around the city.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/ted-countdown-summit-is-coming-to-detroit/
By Christopher T. Migliaccio, University of Montana
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
Smoke from more than 100 wildfires burning across Canada has been rolling into North American cities far from the flames. New York City and Detroit were both listed among the five most polluted cities in the world because of the fires on June 7, 2023.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/wildfire-smoke-harm-human-health-even-when-hundreds-miles-away/
Climate change continues to have an impact on some residents in Southeast Michigan. For the average homeowner, when it rains, one may grab a good book, kick their feet up and relax under the gloomy skies. For Detroit resident Semone Alexander, every time it rains, it’s anything but relaxing.
As heavy rains have become more frequent in the last half-decade, so has the flooding of Alexander and other residents’ homes— so much so that many of the homes have fallen into disrepair.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/climate-change-could-spell-catastrophe-for-detroits-older-homes/
Across Detroit the effects of climate change are evident. In the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood on the city’s lower east side, overflowing stormwater drains, contaminated waterways and flooded basements are just a few examples of how the city’s aging infrastructure struggles to keep up with our changing climate.
The city’s combined sewer system is the crux of the problem.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/detroit-neighborhood-faces-uncertain-future-due-to-climate-change/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/enbridge-line-5-tunnel-project-michigan-delayed/
It’s a mistake, environmental law attorney Nick Leonard says, for Michigan to invest so heavily in private auto transportation in place of public transit options.
Leonard was referring to the billions of dollars in subsidies Michigan has recently budgeted primarily for electric vehicle (EV) production. Investment in public transit better serves lower income groups who don’t have resources to purchase EV’s and it’s the better option to deal with climate change, according to Leonard.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/environmental-justice-expert-questions-michigans-subsidies-electric-vehicles/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
On that September day in 1998, more than 1,000 rain-soaked and determined people stood up for what they felt was right.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/great-lakes-moment-the-event-that-saved-humbug-marsh/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Great Lakes Echo
The city of Detroit and a nonprofit agency recently added 1,125 gallons of water per person per month to a program that prevents water shut-offs in low-income households.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/detroiters-can-get-another-1125-gallons-of-water-under-discount-program/
In 2014, Detroit and Michigan received international attention on a water issue, but it wasn’t the spotlight either would have wanted.
The United Nations dispatched an official human rights rapporteur to Detroit to document the harm caused by water shutoffs based on the inability to pay. “There was no water for food or toilets or for care of the elderly or kids, people had to go to public parks and put water in cans,” water rights advocate Maude Barlow told Great Lakes Now in a 2022 interview.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/hope-springs-eternal-for-michigan-legislator-who-champions-drinking-water-equity/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
A good example of community science in metropolitan Detroit is the Rockwood Christmas Bird Count, which is part of the longest-running community science survey in the world.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/great-lakes-moment-community-science-survey/
By Nina Ignaczak, Planet Detroit
This story is part of a collaborative series from the Institute for Nonprofit News, Planet Detroit, Tostada Magazine, Energy News Network, The Land, and Borderless Magazine examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/detroit-restaurants-tackling-climate-change-kitchen/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Have you ever gone for a peaceful walk along a creek or lake and been spooked by the sound of what you think is a pterodactyl?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/great-lakes-moment-great-blue-herons-stony-island/
By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer
DETROIT (AP) — In a bustling metro area of 4.3 million people, Yale University wildlife biologist Nyeema Harris ventures into isolated thickets to study Detroit’s most elusive residents — coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks among them.
Harris and colleagues have placed trail cameras in woodsy sections of 25 city parks for the past five years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ap-extinctions-shrinking-habitat-spur-rewilding-in-cities/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
National parks serve as pilgrimage sites because they provide spaces that provide a degree of solitude and access to unique natural resources.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/great-lakes-moment-detroits-benefits-of-national-urban-park-in-windsor/
DETROIT (AP) — Sailors who lost their lives in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and Michigan waterways will be remembered at a historic church in downtown Detroit.
The annual Great Lakes Memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday and will be livestreamed from Mariners’ Church along the Detroit River.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/ap-detroit-church-to-remember-sailors-lost-on-great-lakes/
Two Great Lakes cities are among “The World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022” as compiled by Time magazine.
Detroit and Toronto made the list along with destinations on all the continents and in outer space. The magazine said the list came from its “international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those (destinations) offering new and exciting experiences.”
What puts these key Great Lakes cities in such company?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/detroit-toronto-time-50-greatest-places/
Poor housing conditions can have an effect on people’s health both mentally and physically by posing a threat to the family or individual living there, especially for young children and babies.
The health and wellbeing of residents are impacted especially in areas where there’s both industry and older housing.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/home-hazards-what-can-you-do/
By Briana Rice, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/detroit-river-world-heritage-site/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
This story is part of “Water’s True Cost,” a series by the Great Lakes News Collaborative focused on the rising cost of water in Michigan and the various causes leading to the state of water systems today. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/high-cost-water-hits-home-michigan/
“The legend lives on…”
Nov. 10 has been an unassailable part of Great Lakes culture and history since 1975 when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior with its entire crew of 29 and was immortalized in the famous song by Gordon Lightfoot.
The ship went down in Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point, but it’s a piece of history that connects people all around the region who care about the lakes and their history or have experienced their own loss.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/edmund-fitzgerald-shipwreck-memorial-service-2021/
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Between an inch and 4 inches of rain fell on the Detroit area as of Wednesday morning during the latest batch of wet weather to roll through parts of Michigan and other Midwestern states.
The long duration of the storm, however, allowed rainfall runoff to enter storm drains, rivers and streams more slowly starting Tuesday afternoon, which helped the area avoid levels of flooding that submerged thousands of basements, dozens of streets and even freeways this summer.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-long-duration-storm-rain-detroit-area/
LAKE ORION, Mich. (AP) — A virus is being blamed on the deaths of between 300 and 600 mostly adult common carp this summer in a Detroit-area lake.
An investigation has confirmed that the koi herpesvirus caused the fish kill in Lake Orion, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources said Friday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-dnr-virus-deaths-common-carp-detroit-area-lake/
ROSEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A new program in Macomb County aims to reduce the amount of trash that reaches Lake St. Clair from a storm drain.
A steel bulkhead and a boom have been installed at the outlet of the sewer to capture floating debris before it enters the lake, the Macomb County Public Works office said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/ap-program-storm-drain-debris-lake-st-clair/
Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed some of Michigan’s largest percentage population losses were in the state’s Upper Peninsula, while three of the state’s four most populous counties gained people.
The U.P. for years has struggled through job losses tied to downturns in the manufacturing and mining industries.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/ap-census-population-drops-michigan-upper-peninsula/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
Illinois will take a first step toward reducing the use of firefighting foam containing harmful “forever chemicals” under a bill signed into law by Gov.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/drinking-water-senate-infrastructure-bill-canada-settlement-first-nations/
The national struggle to fill open jobs has added to existing concerns of replacing the large number of soon-to-be retirees for employers in the water industry.
More than 90% of the chambers of commerce across the nation report worker shortages holding back their economies, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/water-industry-struggles-competitive-hiring-retiring-workforce/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Sugar Island sits like a gemstone on a jeweled necklace of islands surrounding the southern end of Grosse Ile – the largest island in the Detroit River.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/08/sugar-island-history-habitat-restoration/
When the Milwaukee River Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction Project began 16 years ago, success wasn’t immediately apparent.
Having a solid scientific foundation for the project wasn’t the problem: sturgeon were raised in the Milwaukee River so they would return there to spawn when the time came. The problem was that lake sturgeon don’t return to a river to spawn for around 15 years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ways-see-touch-appreciate-sturgeon-great-lakes-region/
As President Joe Biden tries to advance his high-profile legislative agenda in a sharply divided Congress, a low-profile bill that could help the Great Lakes region is progressing with bipartisan support.
If passed, it could finally help the region shake its Rust Belt image.
The legislation is the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/legislation-investment-tech-research-great-lakes-cities/
DETROIT (AP) — Two water pumping stations in Detroit experienced power-related problems but did not fail during a heavy rainstorm last week that left basements, streets and even freeways flooded, the head of a regional water and wastewater agency said Friday.
Great Lakes Water Authority Chief Executive Sue McCormick told reporters that due to an electrical service issue only three of six pumps at one station were able to be brought online, while a power outage at a second station slowed efforts to turn three of its pumps on as the rain poured.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-detroit-water-authority-pumping-stations-storm/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
In southwest Detroit, evidence of environmental injustice can be found nearly everywhere, and communities of color and low wealth feel that polluting companies and government officials are not doing enough to address many long-standing environmental problems.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ecosystem-restoration-environmental-justice-southwest-detroit/
By Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/detroit-flooding-risks-warming-climate/
Collecting data for scientific research across large geographic areas can be challenging, but researchers have found an easy solution – the public.
The Huron River watershed covers 900 square miles, and the Huron River Watershed Council has been collecting data from the watershed for years. Yet collection from such an expansive area would not have been possible without the help of an army of dedicated citizen, or community, scientists.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/great-lakes-everyday-people-science-public/
What does Michigan’s future look like if we adequately prepare the state’s water resources for climate change? Goodbye to septics and shore-hugging homes. Hello to more diversified crops on Michigan farms.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/michigan-climate-future-wetland-parks-infrastructure-agriculture/
Great Lakes Now’s work that appeared on-air, online, and through social media and audience engagement events garnered several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists – metro Detroit chapter.
The honors were announced in a virtual ceremony last night.
“It’s nice to be recognized,” said Sandra Svoboda, program director for the initiative, which includes a monthly TV program carried on dozens of PBS channels and hundreds of Canadian cable providers as well as the GreatLakesNow.org website, an educational initiative and dozens of annual events including Facebook watch parties.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/2021-spj-awards/
