Lakes Chat Trailer
Every Tuesday, the Alliance for the Great Lakes will chat with special guests about Great Lakes issues and dig into what it all means for you and your community. Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer (more platforms coming soon).
Lakes Chat Episode 1: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Earlier this month, the Alliance for the Great Lakes announced our 2022 Great Lakes Federal Policy Priorities. With the support of Congress, the region has made significant progress in protecting and restoring the lakes. But there is still more work to be done. The annual priorities outline our federal policy agenda and identify the next steps Congress should take in this session to protect the lakes.
In this podcast, we’ll discuss our top Great Lakes priorities for lawmakers in Washington, DC, and dig into the opportunities and challenges facing our agenda in the year ahead.
Speakers include Alliance for the Great Lakes policy experts:
Joel Brammeier, President & CEO
Molly Flanagan, COO & Vice President for Programs
Crystal M.C. Davis, Vice President for Policy and Strategic Engagement
Don Jodrey, Director of Federal Relations
Jennifer Caddick, Vice President, Communications & Engagement (Moderator)
Please read our blog for a summary of the Great Lakes Federal Policy Agenda. You can also view our previously recorded webinar to hear our priorities laid out in detail. Let’s keep the momentum going in 2022! Tell Congress: do 3 big things this year to protect the Great Lakes and the people who depend on them.
Lakes Chat Episode 2: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
In today’s episode, we’re talking about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – the GLRI – which is one of the cornerstone federal programs aimed at restoring and protecting the lakes.
Today, our guest is Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President & CEO.
View the GLRI interactive projects map and read our blog for a summary of the Great Lakes Federal Policy Agenda.
Lakes Chat Episode 3: Legacy of Black Farmers and Water Stewardship
We’ll explore the history of black farming, the connection to land and water, and thoughts on the future of black environmentalism. Speakers include:
Dr. Kevin McGruder, Associate Professor of History at Antioch College
Mr. Tim Lewis, Founding Partner & Outreach Director at Rid-All Green Partnership in Cleveland, Ohio
Moderator: Crystal M.C. Davis, Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement
Resource: The Bone and Sinew of the Land: America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers and the Struggle for Equality – The Bone and Sinew of the Land: America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers and the Struggle for Equality a book by Anna-Lisa Cox (bookshop.org)
Lakes Chat Episode 4:Great Lakes Policy Updates
In today’s episode, we’re talking with Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Relations, to get an update on what’s happening on Great Lakes policy in Washington, DC.
Our conversation focused on the big picture of Great Lakes policy in Washington DC but current events may well come up so please remember that things may have changed by the time you hear this podcast.
Additional resources: Healing our Waters Coalition
Lakes Chat Episode 5: Invasive Species
In today’s episode, we’re talking with Molly Flanagan, the Alliance’s Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Programs, to get an update on invasive species in the Great Lakes. We’ll be talking about invasive carp, the status of efforts to regulate ballast water which is a main pathway for invasive species into the lakes, and the latest from Washington, DC on efforts to keep invasive species out of the lakes.
Resources from today’s podcast: Ballast Water
Lakes Chat Episode 6: Water Infrastructure
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- 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
Lakes Chat Episode 7: Spring Kick Off
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.
| Adopt-a-Beach Resources | |
|---|---|
| Adopt-a-Beach™ – Alliance for the Great Lakes | |
| Adopt-a-Beach Spring Kickoff 2022 – Alliance for the Great Lakes |
Lakes Chat Episode 8: Water Affordability Documentary
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.
Resources:
…And Water For All ( Full Movie_
Learn more about the director http://www.ramiroberardo.net/
Lakes Chat Episode 9: Oscar Sanchez, Community Planning Manager at Southeast Environmental Task Force
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 the southeast side and south suburbs of Chicago. 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.
Resources:
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Calumet Connect DataBook
Lakes Chat Episode 10: Tom Zimnicki, Agricultural Pollution in the Great Lakes
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.
Resources:
Five Years Later: Lessons From the Toledo Water Crisis
Lakes Chat Episode 11: Anna-Lisa Castle – Toxic Lead Pipes in the Great Lakes
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.
Resources: Federal money to replace lead pipes is just a first step to cleaner drinking
Lakes Chat Episode 12: Joel Brammeier – Climate Change
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.
Army Corps launching 8-state Great Lakes coastal resilience study
Lakes Chat Episode 13:Alexandra Novak – Green Infrastructure
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.
Resources:
Here are a few organizations that focus on Green Infrastructure around the region.
Case Study
Green Stormwater Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way: 5 Case Studies
Lakes Chat Episode 14:Dr. Sherri Mason -Plastic Pollution
In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Dr. Sherri Mason, a leading expert on plastic pollution. Her award-winning work has drawn international attention to the threat of microplastics in our waters and led to the passage of national legislation banning microbeads. She serves as Director of Sustainability at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Plastic-Free Great Lakes