Lakes Chat – Details, episodes & analysis

This week marks national volunteer appreciation week, and on this Lakes Chat episode, we’re chatting about volunteering to help the Great Lakes.

Guests included:

Olivia Reda – the Alliance for the Great Lakes Volunteer Engagement Manager

Eileen Ryan is a long-time Alliance Ambassador and an Adopt-a-Beach volunteer

Novem Cheng, a volunteer with the Alliance Ambassador and Adopt-a-Beach programs

We chatted with Andrea Densham, Senior Strategic Advisor to the Alliance for the Great

Lakes, about plastic pollution and how we can stop it at the source.

In today's episode, we’re talking with Alex Novak, the Alliance’s Community Planning Manager based in Detroit. We're chatting with Alex about green infrastructure – what it is, and how it can help improve our Great Lakes communities. 

In today's episode, we’re talking again with Joel Brammeier, Alliance President & CEO. Today we’re talking climate change and the Great Lakes. Our region is frequently referred to as a ‘climate haven’ - an anticipated area of migration as people around the country may move in large numbers as the impacts of climate change are felt. But, the Great Lakes are also going to be feeling the impacts of climate change, and, in an op-ed last year, Joel argued that we need to get our own house in order. We’ll be talking about how climate change is already affecting the lakes, whether or not the Great Lakes really are a climate refuge, and what leaders can do to make sure our communities are climate-resilient.  

In today's episode, we’re reconnecting with Anna-Lisa Castle, the Alliance’s Clean Water, and Equity Policy Director. We spoke with Anna-Lisa earlier this season about the big problems facing water and wastewater infrastructure around the Great Lakes region. In this conversation, we’ll be digging into the problem of toxic lead pipes that carry water into homes in many Great Lakes cities.

In today's episode, we’re talking with Tom Zimnicki, the Alliance’s Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director. We’ll talk with Tom about harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes, the role agricultural pollution plays in causing those blooms and get his thoughts on how to tackle this challenging problem.  

In today's episode, we’re talking with Oscar Sanchez, the Community Planning Manager at Southeast Environmental Task Force, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to serving Chicago's southeast side and south suburbs. We’ll talk with Oscar about the community’s recent big win to stop General Iron, a major industrial facility proposed for the community, Calumet Connect, a community-led effort focused on sustainable economic development along the Calumet River, a tributary to Lake Michigan. 

In today's episode, we’re talking with Ramiro Berardo, an associate professor of environmental policy at Ohio State University. He’s written, directed, and produced a new documentary titled “…And Water For All” which premiered on World Water Day in late March. The documentary takes on the issue of water affordability in Ohio, but has lessons for the Great Lakes region and beyond. It examines the challenges that governments and communities are facing to ensure access to clean, affordable water now and in the coming decades. 

In today's episode, we’re talking with Juliann Krupa, the Alliance’s Volunteer Engagement Manager. We’ll be talking about our upcoming Adopt-a-Beach Spring Kickoff and the problem of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes.  

In today's episode, we’re talking with Anna-Lisa Castle, the Alliance’s Clean Water & Equity Program Director. We’ll be talking about water infrastructure and what needs to happen to be sure everyone around the Great Lakes region has access to safe, affordable drinking water. 

Resources

BLOG- Illinois shows leadership for lead-free drinking water; further action is needed across the Great Lakes region

BLOG- Water Infrastructure Front and Center in Washington, DC (This blog is part of a periodic series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.)

Report: Water Affordability in Ohio