Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

State of the Great Lakes?

August 19, 2020

This month, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued the 2019 State of the Great Lakes Report. While legitimately showcasing much good news about policies and programs benefiting the Lakes, the report joined the ranks of many that don’t say enough about the conditions of the Great Lakes themselves. Even if accurate, the report’s “fair and unchanging” verdict translates at best to a C+. That is far from great effort on behalf of the Great Lakes. We can and must do better.

Bottled water

When Water Was Trash

August 17, 2020

Helene Kouzoujian Rimer read her compelling and arresting poem, “When Water Was Trash” at the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s “Words for Water” poetry throw-down on July 31. The outdoor event was a collaboration between the Arts Center and FLOW. Poets and performers were invited to read works that sought to answer the question: “Who owns the water? People? Communities? Corporations? Nobody?” Click here to watch a livestream recording of the poetry throw-down.

A Stronger FLOW

August 12, 2020

FLOW Welcomes Development Specialist Calli Crow FLOW, the Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City, is excited to announce the growth of our staff.  Calli Crow has joined FLOW’s team as our new Development Specialist. She started July 20 and is working to connect FLOW with supporters and resources that propel our… Read more »

The Milliken Legacy: More than Nostalgia

August 11, 2020

In the flurry of news coverage about last week’s memorial service for the late Governor William Milliken, there was plenty of talk of days gone by. The Governor left office 37 years ago, and it sometimes seems as though moderation, civility and environmental ethics left office with him. But focusing on that would be the wrong takeaway. The Milliken example is a model for today, not a relic of yesterday.

Groundwater and Green Ooze

August 10, 2020

When a mysterious green slime crept onto the shoulder of I-696 in Madison Heights last year, it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all.  Instead, it was the inevitable result of state policies since 1995 that have treated Michigan’s groundwater as an essentially worthless resource.  And Michigan residents have been paying both in tax dollars and health risks ever since.

enbridges-line-5-under-the-straits-of-mackinac-4f9997139d321d60

Turning the Spotlight on Line 5 in the Great Lakes

August 5, 2020

Last week the Michigan Attorney General’s Office chose not to appeal a lower court ruling upholding the constitutionality of a law that facilitates the framework for an oil tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac—forgoing any further challenge, but, in reality, yielding no strategic legal ground.

The Man Who Biked to Work

August 5, 2020

By Jim Olson In the late 1950s, I would ride my bike from East Bay, on the other side of the ridge that runs along Old Mission Peninsula, to near downtown Traverse City, and I would notice a man on a bike. It seemed odd because in the 1950s no one rode bikes to work,… Read more »

Governor Milliken’s Evergreen Legacy

August 3, 2020

By Dave Dempsey When historians consider the late Governor William Milliken’s place among Michigan’s chief executives, they will note his leadership on behalf of the environment at a critical time, but they will acknowledge even more. In today’s climate of coarse, zero-sum politics, they will recognize his civility and refusal to demonize those who disagreed… Read more »