You Still Have Time to Give to the Walk Paddle & Roll Challenge!
Our annual Walk Paddle and Roll campaign is wrapping up soon, but there’s still time to make a difference with your gift today! Over the past few weeks, our dedicated staff and board members have been raising awareness and gathering donations. Remember, our Walk, Paddle, and Roll Challenge runs through September, and we’re close to reaching our $8,000 goal! Thank you for being part of our efforts to ensure everyone in the Great Lakes Region has access to clean, safe water from source to tap! Give today!
New: Large Water Withdrawal Network – Join Us!
Are you working on large water withdrawals and interested in being part of a collective? Freshwater Future is pulling together a network of groups across the Great Lakes basin who are working on this issue in order to learn, connect, and work together. Data centers, chip factories, factory aquaculture, nuclear plants, etc., all use an incredible amount of our limited freshwater, and will have a large, lasting impact on our Great Lakes, communities, and ecosystems. Join us for our kickoff meeting on Thursday, September 18th at 9:30 am ET! Join here!
Deadline for Fall Project Grants, September 30! Apply Now!
Is your advocacy project idea eligible for funding from Freshwater Future? The first step in pursuing a Freshwater Future Project Grant is to give us a call to determine if you are eligible! Fall Project Grants provide up to $5,000 in funding for local community organizations to protect drinking water, shorelines, inland lakes, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater in the Great Lakes Basin through grassroots advocacy efforts. Learn more about the application process, eligible projects, and more with these resources:
- Q&A webinar recording
- Request for Proposals flyer
- Grant Programs web page
- View our past projects here
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 30th. Contact Alana at (231) 348-8200, ext.6 or Alana@freshwaterfuture.org with any questions.
Blog: Is Silicon Valley’s Next Expansion into the Great Lakes?
A bike ride can take you unexpected places, as Josh Heupel reflects in his last blog post for Freshwater Future. Stumbling upon the Palo Alto, California garage where Silicon Valley was born, the writer makes the connection between the proliferation of technology and its growing dependence on the waters of the Great Lakes. After over a year working with Freshwater Future, the former intern and new Stanford PhD student reflects on the solutions needed to protect residents’ access to clean water.
Take Actions: Together, Our Voices Make a Difference
Protect Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula’s Porcupine Mountains State Park
Through the end of September, we have the opportunity to tell Michigan and federal senators and representatives to deny taxpayer funds for a proposed copper sulfide mine. A private, 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 – please send Michigan lawmakers a message, too, asking them to deny two grants from next year’s budget. Both the Michigan legislature and U.S. Congress are required to make funding decisions by September 30th. Please use your voice today to protect nearby Lake Superior and the State Park from toxic pollution.
