Support Freshwater Future’s 2025 Walk, Paddle, & Roll!
Our Walk, Paddle, and Roll campaign has already raised over $4,400! A sincere thank you to everyone who has generously donated so far. Walk, Paddle, and Roll runs through September, providing more opportunities for everyone to support as Freshwater Future’s Board and Staff continue to promote awareness about protecting our freshwater resources. To give your donation now, click here!
Blog: Yes, a Less Toxic Lake Erie is Still Possible Despite Climate Change
As the month-long celebration of Lake Erie continues, we’re reminded of the challenges our great lake still faces. Freshwater Future takes a closer look at the ongoing fight against nutrient pollution, and the impact of climate change on HABs in Lake Erie. Check out this week’s blog featuring Alexis Smith, Freshwater Future’s Program Co-Director and a Toledo resident, and continue your own celebrations of Lake Erie by sharing your favorite Lake Erie photos and memories on your social media pages with the hashtag #WeAreLakeErie.
Next Week: Fall Project Grant Q&A Webinar
Local community organizations working on water issues, you may be eligible for our up to $5,000 Fall Project Grants. Registration is now open for the Q&A Webinar on Wednesday, September 3rd at 12 pm ET. If you cannot attend, the recording will be sent out afterwards to all registrants and will also be posted online. Learn more from this Request for Proposals flyer and by visiting our Grant Programs web page. The deadline for Fall Project Grant applications is Tuesday, September 30th. Contact Alana at Alana@freshwaterfuture.org with any questions.
Take Actions: Together, Our Voices Make a Difference
Last Day: Tell Michigan’s EGLE to Deny the Line 5 Tunnel Permit
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is accepting public comment on a Canadian fossil fuel company’s permit applications to build the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. The Company plans on replacing the current underwater and high-risk 72-year-old crude oil pipeline with a 4.3-mile tunnel drilled through the fragile rock bed underneath the Straits. Transporting fossil fuels in this manner, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet, threatens the drinking water for over 40 million people, potentially harming fisheries, and endangering the world’s largest source of surface freshwater. Send a quick message now and tell EGLE Director Phil Roos and Governor Whitmer to deny all permits for Line 5 and protect our Great Lakes! Comment closes today, Friday August 29th.
Last Day: Support Improved Equity in the Michigan Water Fund
The Michigan State Revolving Fund program provides loans and grants to help communities keep water safe, clean, and affordable. To ensure these dollars reach the communities most in need, improved definitions of overburdened communities are needed that focus on measures of poverty rather than median household income or property values. Every three years, the public can urge the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to make improvements, and the comment period is now open! Submit a written comment with our quick form by today, Friday August 29th, at 5pm ET.
Protect Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula’s Porcupine Mountains State Park
A foreign mining company is seeking start-up costs at both the state and federal levels to open the Copperwood mine adjacent to one of the most cherished state parks in Michigan. Tell key decision-makers in the U.S. federal government to deny taxpayer handouts for this heavily-polluting extraction project. Michigan residents – you send Michigan lawmakers a message, too, asking them to deny two grants from next year’s budget. Both the Michigan Legislature and Congress will make funding decisions by the end of September. Please use your voice today to protect nearby Lake Superior and the State Park from toxic pollution.
New Illinois Law Bans PFAS in Select Consumer Products
Governor Pritzker of Illinois recently signed amendments to the PFAS Reduction Act that bans intentionally-added PFAS to specific consumer products including cosmetics, items for children, menstrual products, intimate apparel, and dental floss. The ban takes effect in seven years. Unfortunately, the final bill did not include a ban on PFAS in cookware and food packaging, but it directed the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to study PFAS materials used in cookware and packaging and submit its report by August 2027. Freshwater Future applauds Illinois for taking these important measures to protect public health.
