The Great Lakes basin lands are home to more than 42 million people and each one of them has a story, a concern, a question. In the Great Lakes Town Hall, the Community Bulletin is a place for you and your neighbors to voice them.
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Our Shameful Legacy? Gary Wilson (Chicago, Illinois)
The following was taken from a Washington Post article on bottled water.
As the wealthiest billion people on the planet increasingly turn to bottled water, moreover, the poorest billion have no little or access to clean water.
The about to be adopted Compact actually codifies and facilitates this shameful disparity in access to a basic human need.
Great Lakes Compact Conference: Next steps? Jennifer Browning (Chicago, IL)
Great Lakes Compact Conference Summary
The Biodiversity Project and the State Environmental Leadership Program held a meeting in Chicago June 10th and 11th to discuss the Great Lakes Compact. Over 25 communication and policy staff representing agencies located throughout the Great Lakes region attended the meeting (see list below). The main goals of the meeting were to:
1. Gather lessons learned from the various Compact communications campaigns used in each state
2. Chart a path for moving the Compact through Congress
3. Better understand the past and future of the Compact, Great Lakes Restoration and the Water Quality Agreement
4. Investigate the potential of combining Great Lakes region “asks.”
Through a lively discussion, the group analyzed successes and challenges in the state-level Compact campaigns and discussed a course and a communications strategy for passing the Compact through Congress. To augment this discussion the results of a Compact media analysis commissioned by the Biodiversity Project, were presented at the meeting. The summary of the analysis can be found on the Biodiversity Project’s website: http://www.biodiversityproject.org. The group also tackled the relationship between the Compact, Great Lakes Restoration and the Water Quality Agreement, and discussed how the three might be packaged in future campaigns.
Attending Organizations
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
The Nature Conservancy
Alliance for the Great Lakes
The Biodiversity Project
National Wildlife Federation
State Environmental Leadership Program
Jane Elder Strategies, LLC
Indiana Wildlife Federation
Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Clean Wisconsin
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
Ohio Environmental Council
Environmental Advocates of New York
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Michigan Environmental Council
Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Freshwater Future
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
10:57 am 06/26/2008
One Step Closer... MI passes Compact Brenna Wanous (Madison, WI)
Alliance for the Great Lakes
June 25, 2008
For Immediate Release
Michigan Approves Great Lakes Compact; Focus Shifts to Pennsylvania
The Michigan Legislature has approved the Great Lakes Compact and sent it on for the governor's signature, following a final Senate vote on the bill Wednesday.
Michigan's passage of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact leaves it just one state shy of adoption by all eight Great Lakes states, with Pennsylvania the final stop before it heads to the U.S. Congress for ratification.
"We're another step closer to Congress moving the compact forward," said Alliance Water Conservation Program Director Sharon Cook, noting Pennsylvania is preparing to adopt the legislation. "As soon as Pennsylvania approves it, Congress can approve the groundbreaking agreement it requested from the Great Lakes states eight years ago."
The Michigan House of Representatives passed the historic water pact with a vote of 108-0 Tuesday; Gov. Jennifer Granholm is expected to sign the legislation after it's reached her desk.
Established two years ago by the region's governors -- along with a companion agreement in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec -- the compact provides a model for a standardized, consensus-based approach to decisions about Great Lakes water use.
Michigan lawmakers earlier this week reached a compromise on implementing language for the compact, having previously passed the compact itself. The Great Lakes states must approve identical versions of the compact, but can tailor the companion implementing legislation to meet their specific requirements.
In Pennsylvania, the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy voted unanimously for the House compact bill on June 10. The bill advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee and is awaiting action. If the full Senate adopts the bill the House has already adopted, Pennsylvania could also move into the win column.
"A quick move to Congress this summer will demonstrate how committed the Great Lakes states are to these historic water protections," Cook said.
Susan Campbell
Communications Manager
Alliance for the Great Lakes
The Roy Process for Neutralizing Nuclear Waste
Guest Article: Making Nuclear Waste Less Harmful
Friday, 29 August 2003, 12:36 pm
Opinion: Guest Opinion
A Process To Render Nuclear Weapons & Waste Less Harmful
By Dennis F. Nester,
special for NuclearNo.com,
Originally published 20 June 2003
- Recycling plutonium from warheads into MOX nuclear reactor fuel only perpetuates the security and environmental problems of bomb grade elements
- There is a better way which will completely transmute plutonium and other high level nuclear waste known as the Roy Process
It was the TMI partial meltdown that moved Dr. Roy to spend the summer school break proving calculations to see if it was possible to transmute high level nuclear waste cost effectively. He found it could be done with existing infrastructure, commercially available machinery and current supporting technology.
Estimated cost to build a pilot facility was $80 million dollars. A newspaper editor persuaded Dr. Roy to release his Roy Process to the press which was published in November of 1979. (see article on web site below).
Is there a safe process to get rid of nuclear waste? Maybe! One possible solution is a process invented by Dr. Radha R. Roy, former professor of Physics at Arizona State University, and designer and former director of the nuclear physics research facilities at the University of Brussels in Belgium and at Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Roy is an internationally known nuclear physicist, consultant, and the author of over 60 articles and several books. He is also a contributing author ...
09:49 pm 06/24/2008
A view from Canada Alan Maki (Warroad, Minnesota)
Posted by: Alan L. Maki
Opinion
Life, Liberty, Water
Sunday 01 June 2008
»
by: Maude Barlow, YES! Magazine
Pakistani children protest water shortages in Karachi. Maude Barlow argues that water should be recognized worldwide as a fundamental human right.
(Photo: Shakil Adil / AP)
As climate change and worldwide shortages loom, will people fight over water or join together to protect it? A global water justice movement is demanding a change in international law to ensure the universal right to clean water for all.
It's a colossal failure of political foresight that water has not emerged as an important issue in the U.S. Presidential campaign. The links between oil, war, and U.S. foreign policy are well known. But water - whether we treat it as a public good or as a commodity that can be bought and sold - will in large part determine whether our future is peaceful or perilous.
Americans use water even more wastefully than oil. The U.S relies on non-renewable groundwater for 50 percent of its daily use, and 36 states now face serious water shortages, some verging on crisis.
Meanwhile, dwindling freshwater supplies around the world, inequitable access to water, and corporate control of water, together with impending climate change from fossil fuel emissions, have created a life-or-death situation across the planet.
Both Democrats and Republicans have emphasized loosening U.S. dependence on nonrenewable energy resources in their platforms, but neither party gives significant air time to the threats posed by water shortages.
This is not to say that no one is paying attention. In fact, water has become a key strategic security and foreign policy priority for the United States government.
Cut Deals, Carry Water
Corporate interests have pursued schemes to privatize, commodify, and export water for decades. We have seen how this plays out in Canada. For instance, in the late 1990s, Sun Belt Water, Inc., sued the Canadian government under NAFTA because British Columbia banned water exports, preventing a deal that would have sent B.C. water to California. Corporations have also made attempts to ship Canadian ...
12:28 pm 06/23/2008
Celebrate Lake Superior Day: Sunday, July 20, 2008 Lissa Radke (Ashland, WI)
What’s better than a July picnic on a hot, sandy beach next to the world’s largest freshwater lake?
A picnic and a Lake Superior celebration!
Individuals and families, churches and kids, communities and clubs, and businesses and industries hold activities or
events that celebrate Lake Superior Day, held annually on the third Sunday in July (July 20 this year). Can you do something that symbolizes your own connection to the lake on that day?
Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basin’s environment
and economy. The Lake Superior Binational Forum promotes this basin-wide event to highlight the special connections people have to this unique world treasure. Many events have been held to educate or entertain people about lake issues, special places, and recreational opportunities.
You are invited to hold activities or events that celebrate this world-class lake. This year the theme is “Let’s Go Fly a Kite!” to symbolize clean energy sources such as wind power. Organize your group or family to fly a kite at your favorite beach or park on July 20! Click here for more information about flying a kite on Lake Superior day!
Last year almost 45 groups and communities participated in some way, including special events such as dragon boat races, beach clean ups, musical concerts, library displays, church services, and signed proclamations that designate the third Sunday in July as Lake Superior Day. Reply to this email for information on how to receive free color postcards and buttons to give to your Lake Superior supporters at your event.
The Forum's website offers ideas about how the day was celebrated last year and what you can do to celebrate at http://www.superiorforum.info. Click on “Current Projects.” New information is posted regularly. For more information email http://lakesuperiorday@northland.edu, or call (715) 682-1489.
The Lake Superior Binational Forum is a multi-sector stakeholder group of U.S. and Canadian volunteers that work together to provide input to governments about lake issues and educate basin residents about ways to protect and restore the lake. Members come from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
The Forum is located in ...
02:40 pm 06/13/2008
Grand Rapids Water Festival Rebecca Shilt (Comstock Park, MI)
The Grand Rapids Water Festival is designed to attract, entertain, educate and activate huge numbers of the general public. The day long event offers an amazing program of well known musicians, workshops, children's activities and connections to campaigns and projects to protect our water. This family oriented, alcohol-free event is sponsored this year by Local First, Sustainable Research Group and Earthwork Music Collective.
We had an overwhelming response last summer. Over 2,000 attendees enjoyed performances by 10 bands and heard many inspirational speakers. The 2nd annual GR Water Festival is Saturday, June 28, 2008 at beautiful Riverside Park, from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. To attract a diverse audience, the festival is free. Volunteers organize the event and we raise funds from businesses, organizations and individuals to pay for equipment rental, publicity materials, and the like.
This year, with the support of Local First and Sustainable Research Group, we are highlighting the role business plays in protecting our environment. We have also implemented a fiscal plan to secure funds to sustain the event in the years to come. You can be among the first to build this legacy to entertain the people of Grand Rapids and the Great Lakes region while introducing thousands to the critical work of local and statewide organizations.
"This is a celebratory call to action." says Seth Bernard of Earthwork Music. "We have a responsibility living here in the Great Lakes basin, and we can explore that responsibility together in a way that builds community. The Water Festival brings people together through music; then facilitates the sharing of ideas and information in a relaxed, festive atmosphere. It's about having a good time, and saying: 'I can help; and I will help'."
To view the Grand Rapids Water Festival 2007 video, or to volunteer, go to: http://www.grandrapidswaterfestival.org.
07:28 am 06/03/2008
Spain's Water Crisis Gary Wilson (Chicago, Illinois)
Water is a New Battleground in Spainis the title of this New York Times article.
The story illustrates what happens when water is not managed properly for the long term.
Phrases like "poorly planned development" (as in building where there is no water), "water transfer plans", and "buying and selling water...from illegal wells" help illustrate the problem.
When I read these types of articles, which are no longer rare, I wonder why Ohio allows one politician to delay passing the Compact, and Michigan, which can't see beyond its nose, allows
Nestle to drain streams to sell bottled water.
gw
04:46 am 06/03/2008
The Influence of the Town Hall..... Gary Wilson (Chicago, Illinois)
....or maybe they were going to sign on anyway.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008 picked up two more sponsors today -- Senators Coleman of MN and Casey of PA.
Either way, the total number of sponsors is now 10. It is interesting that Pennsylvania, with minimal Lakes exposure has a sponsor, and Wisconsin, with nearly 300 miles facing Lake Michigan doesn't.
gw
10:11 am 05/23/2008
Evidence of Legacy Act Benefits Gary Wilson (Chicago, Illinois)
This Detroit News article focuses on the Legacy Act and the economic benefits that are releated to site cleanup.
Report a violation to Brenna Wanous, Town Hall Manager.
Note: The opinions expressed in the Great Lakes Town Hall are those of Town Hall participants and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Biodiversity Project or any participant's institution.
The Great Lakes basin lands are home to more than 42 million people and each one of them has a story, a concern, a question. In the Great Lakes Town Hall, the Community Bulletin is a place for you and your neighbors to voice them.
