Freshwater Future Weekly: March 3, 2023

This Week: REGISTRATION OPEN - How to Help Your Community Access Federal Water Funds; Canadian Government Urged to Deliver on Promise to Invest $1 billion in Freshwater Action Plan; Everyone Deserves Clean, Safe, and Affordable Water: Take the Water Affordability Pledge Today!; Harbor Springs Festival Features Freshwater Future’s Very Own Ann Baughman
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REGISTRATION OPEN – How to Help Your Community Access Federal Water Funds

Register now to secure your spot at the upcoming virtual All About Water Convening on April 4th from 9:30 AM – Noon EST. This event will feature expert Jonathan Nelson, Senior Advisor for the U.S. EPA, on how to access the billions of federal dollars flowing through programs called State Revolving Funds. We will discuss how to ensure community voices are included when planning these projects, ensuring local contractors are utilized and how to connect these issues to community action to ensure unprecedented water infrastructure funding reaches the communities that need it the most. All About Water is a collaboration of community groups that work to further water policies focused on improving access, quality and affordability of drinking water. 

Canadian Government Urged to Deliver on Promise to Invest $1 billion in Freshwater Action Plan

The Canadian Federal government is being called to deliver on their 2021 election campaign promise and invest $1 billion in a strengthened Freshwater Action Plan as well as launch an independent Canada Water Agency recommended by the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Collaborative. In 2020, the Collaborative, including Freshwater Future, outlined 30 recommendations to Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of a ten-year, $2.2 billion Action Plan 2020-2030 addressing shoreline erosion, outdated infrastructure, invasive species, exposure to toxins and beach contamination, following an 18-month consultation with First Nations, nongovernmental organizations, academics and other experts. As the 2023 Federal budget is being finalized, it is essential that Canadian decision makers understand that freshwater is a non-partisan issue and that the government must secure adequate and stable funding.  Using Freshwater Future’s easy online take action system, Please send a letter to the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and the Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and ask that they fulfill the government’s commitment. 

Everyone Deserves Clean, Safe, and Affordable Water: Take the Water Affordability Pledge Today! 

Take the Water Affordability Pledge to show your support for the principles that community members wish to see in developing water affordability policies. Additionally, head to https://freshwaterfuture.org/water-affordability/ to learn more about water affordability and how you can take action. If you have a moment, look at this video to learn more about water shut offs and how We the People of Detroit are fighting water injustice

Harbor Springs Festival Features Freshwater Future’s Very Own Ann Baughman

Porter Fox will discuss his latest book The Last Winter: The Scientists, Adventurers, Journeymen, and Mavericks Trying to Save the World as part of the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book’s One Bay, One Book Community Reads program, next Friday, March 10th, 7pm ET, at Nub’s Nob Ski ResortFreshwater Future Associate Director Ann Baughman will facilitate the conversation with Porter Fox and the audience. The event is free but prior registration is required at hsfotb.org.