Fresh Water-Healthy Lives Mary McKinney Schmidt Writer and Great Lakes Advocate |
| If you have suggestions and comments, contact mary@freshwaterhealthylives.org Copyright 2008 Mary McKinney Schmidt |
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| Deck Night Neighbors gather to celebrate Lake Michigan sunsets and to create a sense of community. |
Ask your elected officials what they have done lately to address the issues facing the Great Lakes. Mail them copies of articles, columns and letters to the editors that reflect your opinions. Contact them regularly. They will not make Great Lakes legislation a priority unless you do. Not sure how to contact your elected officials?
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The neighborhood deck overlooking an icy
Lake Michigan. While the largest gathering
of neighbors occurs during the summer
months, Thursday night's "deck night" has
boasted a few die-hards during the long,
grey months of winter.
Lake Michigan. While the largest gathering
of neighbors occurs during the summer
months, Thursday night's "deck night" has
boasted a few die-hards during the long,
grey months of winter.
From the upcoming Book 1 Is it safe building sandcastles? Every Thursday evening we gather on the neighborhood deck to watch the setting sun spray shades of pink and orange across the evening skies. The waters of Lake Michigan stretch below our feet, sparkling as they touch the soft white sands of western Michigan. When we began this ritual 16 months ago, we were neighbors, joined together by roads. But as we listened to the quiet lapping of the waves against the sand and watched the sun set below the horizon, we shared our stories of children, grandchildren, jobs and loss of loved ones. Over time, we became a community. Over time, we became far more protective of the waters and beaches that drew us together. Perhaps that is why last spring we paid attention as the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the harbor entrance to Lake Macatawa. They stretched a long pipe from the channel across a mile of Lake Michigan waters to our shoreline. For several weeks the pipe spewed water,dark, murky sand and other sediments on to our beach. “What do you think is in the stuff they are dredging?” someone asked. Just several weeks earlier we had spent the evening discussing the number of dead fish floating on the surface of Lake Macatawa. City, state and federal officials insisted the cause of the kill was unusually warm water temperatures. “The locals,” those who have lived in the area since childhood, were skeptical. “Do you think it is safe for our grandchildren to play in the sand this summer?” someone else asked. I decided to find out. What I learned was cause for concern. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for keeping the channel open and “nourishing” the beaches on either side of the harbor mouth. The state is responsible for determining if the dredged sand should be tested and how frequently. Outer harbors, like the Holland channel entrance, are tested every ten years in Michigan unless they are considered a contamination project. And because the Holland channel samplings in 1998 and 1999 indicated clean sand, it falls into the ten year sampling cycle. No, I am told by the Corps of Engineers, the sand was not tested before dredging. It was last tested in 1999. While I am not a scientist, it seems a lot can happen in a decade. Other Great Lakes states require more frequent sampling. Wisconsin, for example, requires sampling prior to any beach nourishment with dredged sand. They also require monthly monitoring of water quality as the sand is pumped on to the beach. I don’t want to waste taxpayer money. However, until the Great Lakes restoration efforts are made a priority and there has been demonstrable progress, I also don’t want to jeopardize the health of my summer visitors. Michigan’s elected officials need to be told that until our Great Lakes waters are cleaner, we need to adopt more frequent sampling of dredged sand placed on our beaches.
grandchildren to build sandcastles. It is part of the magic of Michigan summers. |
Clean Up
organization of 100 zoos, aquariums, museums, hunting, fishing and environmental organizations. http:www.healthylakes.org |
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| Mackinac Bridge, framed by the rusty golds and maroon reds of autum. Michigan, in the autumn, is magical. |
| What You Can Do... Reducing phosphorus levels in the Great Lakes is critical to restoring the natural balance of the ecosystem. You can help!
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From the upcoming Book 1 Painting All Colors of the Rainbow
Visitors to our home see artistic renditions of the word, “Balance” painted on ceramic tiles and displayed on bookshelves in prominent locations. And while our first sailboat was named “Inevitable,” to honor my boataholic husband, our second boat has “Balance” written in royal blue across its stern. It can be tempting to color the world in black and white absolutes. I like reminders that life evolves in shades of grey. So it is balance I seek as I watch the Great Lakes Region struggling to transition from its “Rust Belt” past, fighting to reduce escalating unemployment and reverse a decade of economic decline. According to a 2006 report released by the Brookings Institution, data collected in 2003 indicated the region performed 29% of the nation’s research and development; generated 32% of the new patents; is home to 19 of the top 100 universities in the world; graduated 37% of all advanced science and engineering degrees; is the second largest energy producer and consumer; and boasts a watershed including 20% of the world’s fresh water and almost 11,000 miles of coastline. Within our borders lie the resources needed to create a platform for change, to build a future of economic prosperity based on development that is sustainable. What is lacking, I fear, is leadership. I spent 25 years of my career with Baxter, one of the first corporations to adopt the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index in 1998. The index required annual reporting on economic, social and environmental results. Not surprisingly, I became one of the biggest students and fans of balancing the “triple bottom line index.” “If there was unlimited access to money, people and time, we wouldn’t need leaders,” my boss, Harry Kraemer, used to say. As the CEO of a corporation with 55,000 employees residing in over 110 countries, Kraemer insisted on simplicity is explaining the concept of balance. “Our goal is to be the Best Team—so we recruit and maintain the best talent in the world,” Kraemer used to explain repeatedly at employee town hall sessions and management meetings. “We must also be the Best Partner to our patients and customers, and the Best Investment for our shareholders.” When the leadership team began discussing the importance of environmental and social stewardship in the communities in which we had plants and facilities, I suggested adding the concept of “Best Citizen.” He agreed. Those four goals, best team, best partner, best investment and best citizen, became his focus as the CEO of the company. And because he was a firm believer “what gets measured gets done,” all managers had compensation tied to achieving measurable results in those four areas. Not surprisingly, success in one area frequently improved results in another. Conserving valuable resources like water, oil and electricity, reduced expenses and increased profitability. Finding creative ways to offer flexible scheduling for working parents allowed the company to reduce turnover and increase productivity. Sustainability was considered good business. It became woven into the fabric of the culture. “It is not a question of either/or,” Kraemer explained. “The test of real leadership lies in the word ‘and.’ I remembered his words as I read the report submitted to Congress by the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration team. In order to reverse the ecological slide of the Great Lakes ecosystem, the team identified sustainable development as one of the top seven areas of focus. The health of the Great Lakes, the report explained, required balancing economic, social and environmental policies. Sadly, the legislation designed to implement the recommendations of the team remains stalled in Congress. When the economy falters, it’s easy to see only black and white, jobs or the environment. But my vote goes to that “best citizen,” building the “best team;” a leader who recognizes we must be the “best partner” and “best investment” for organizations and industries willing to work collaboratively to ensure our grandchildren have access to the natural resources that define our region. I’m looking for elected officials painting a future with all the colors of the rainbow. I am a voter in search of balance. |
A thick shelf of algae washes up along the
shores of Northpoint, the tip of the peninsula
north of Traverse City. While algae like
cladophora is native to the Great Lakes,
increasing levels of sunlight and
phosphorus are causing the algae to spread
rapidly along the coastal shores of Lake
Michigan.
shores of Northpoint, the tip of the peninsula
north of Traverse City. While algae like
cladophora is native to the Great Lakes,
increasing levels of sunlight and
phosphorus are causing the algae to spread
rapidly along the coastal shores of Lake
Michigan.
Releasing balloons has become a trend, a
way to honor those who have died and
celebrate birthdays, marriages, and
graduations. But the beauty of balloons
floating in the skies is fleeting. They return
to the earth as trash; offensive, jarring
colors that compete with the soft hues of
nature.
Find other ways to celebrate rather than
releasing balloons.
If you see a balloon on the beach or
elsewhere, pick it up and place it in a trash
container. It can take hundreds of years for
balloon ribbons and mylar balloons to
decompose.
way to honor those who have died and
celebrate birthdays, marriages, and
graduations. But the beauty of balloons
floating in the skies is fleeting. They return
to the earth as trash; offensive, jarring
colors that compete with the soft hues of
nature.
Find other ways to celebrate rather than
releasing balloons.
If you see a balloon on the beach or
elsewhere, pick it up and place it in a trash
container. It can take hundreds of years for
balloon ribbons and mylar balloons to
decompose.
| Above, our sailboat is placed in Lake Macatawa at the first hint of spring. |