 | Inland Seas Discovery World Museum A trailer for "Inland Seas: Understanding and Protecting the Waters of the Great Lakes". Created by the UW-Milwaukee Great Lakes WATER Institute, the film will be shown at Discovery World Museum in Milwaukee during weekends in May 2008. Distributed by Tubemogul. |
 | The Fountain of the Great Lakes The Fountain of the Great Lakes depicts five female figures grouped together so that water flows from their shells in the same way it passes through the Great Lake system. Superior, at the top, and Michigan empty their water into the basin held by Huron, who sends her stream on to Erie. Ontario receives water and gazes off as it flows into the ocean. Completed in 1913, the fountain sits in the south wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. |
 | Doctor Al Steinman @ Getting the Word Out Great LakesAOCconf Doctor Al Steinman, Director of GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute, spoke about the difficulties of reporting science to the public at the Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference http://www.gvsu.edu/wri/ |
 | Doctor Al Steinman Getting the Word Out Great LakesAOCconf2 Doctor Al Steinman, Director of GVSU's Annis Water Resources Institute, spoke @ a Great Lakes Areas of Concern conference on the problems of communicating scientific information to the public |
 | Boreal Chamber Symphony lights up north on Lake Superior Day Hundreds of people spent their Sunday night at the debut of the Boreal Chamber Symphony in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for a wide-ranging classical music concert to protect Lake Superior. The Lake Superior Day free concert was a benefit for numerous projects involving the immense Superior watershed. Superior Watershed Partnership Executive Director Carl Lindquist said the attendance of nearly 400 people proves the public cares about Lake Superior. Earth Keeper volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports all the donations go to the Lake Superior Defense fund. Length: 6:02 It was standing room only for the Lake Superior Day debut of the Boreal Chamber Symphony in Marquette, Michigan in a concert to benefit the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes. The concert was sponsored by the Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute and honored the Earth Keeper Initiative that the two Marquette non-profit organizations founded in 2004. Conductor Craig Randal Johnson of Minneapolis, Minnesota led 20 professional classical musicians from around the Midwest in a concert of numerous moods including a special piece commissioned for the event entitled "Fall Storm on Lake Superior." Over 350 people attended the free three-hour concert Sunday night that raised thousands of dollars for the Lake Superior Defense Fund. With a view of Lake Superior, the concert included music and interpretive dance using items from the shoreline including rocks, sand, water, and driftwood. The Earth Keepers have numerous ongoing projects to protect the immense Lake Superior watershed including wild rice restoration and Earth Day household hazardous waste collections across northern Michigan. Annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps have recycled or properly disposed of over 370 tons of waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfills including old/broken computers, cell phones, household poisons, vehicle batteries, and pharmaceuticals. Karl Bohnak Master of Ceremonies WLUC TV-6 Meteorologist The organizers thanked the crowd for their ongoing support of Earth Keeper projects. "In the last three years, the Upper Peninsula has broken three national records as far as pollution prevention goes and we hope to continue that with your support," said Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership. The annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps have broken United States Environmental Protection Agency household hazardous waste collection records for the past three years, Lindquist said. "There is no cost here - it's just a gift back to you - and it's brought to you basically by a couple of dozen very generous people," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, executive director of the Cedar Tree Institute. The Boreal Chamber symphony was formed just for the one-night event, although organizers hope to hold a concert every Lake Superior Day. Conductor Johnson has encouraged musicians around Lake Superior to form similar annual concerts to protect the largest freshwater lake in North America. Carrie Biolo Percussionist The Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute have collaborated on numerous environmental projects over the last decade including but not limited to stream restoration, controlling invasive species, restoring native plant species, storm water management, dune restoration, Great Lakes monitoring, wild rice restoration, erosion control and energy conservation. Partners in those projects include Marquette County Juvenile Court, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and over 140 churches/temples. The bishops/leaders of nine faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, and Zen Buddhist) signed the Earth Keeper Covenant in 2004 pledging to actively protect the environment and reach out to American Indian tribes. For more information contact the concert co-sponsors: Carl Lindquist, 906-228-6095; Rev. Jon Magnuson, 906-228-5494 Related websites: Superior Watershed Partnership http://www.superiorwatersheds.org The Cedar Tree Institute http://www.cedartreeinstitute.com Conductor Craig Randal Johnson http://www.tonttu.com Lake Superior Binational Forum http://www.superiorforum.info |
 | Inland Seas:Understanding and Protecting the Great Lakes Inland Seas: Understanding and Protecting the Waters of the Great Lakes, which Klaper produced with filmmaker Matt Radcliff, features interviews with local scientists, water managers, and policy experts. Inland Seas explains the basics of our water resources—from aquifers to watersheds—and how they fit into the water policy picture. |
 | Lake Superior benefit concert dramatic as severe storms Around 5:30 this morning (July 8, 2007) a series of severe thunderstorms rolled across Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with vivid lightening and later hail. This is natural sound from the storm, followed by slow motion. Then some even slower motion and photos of lightening with natural sound of the thunder. Finally a brief hail storm dropped pea-sized ice about 7:15 a.m. It was the third hail storm in Marquette County since a six-day blizzard during the first week of April 2007 dumped 5 feet of snow across northern Michigan. Protecting Lake Superior is the goal of a free benefit concert on Sunday July 15 that promises to be as dramatic as today's storm. Midwest classical musicians have just formed the Boreal Chamber Symphony to protect Lake Superior. The Boreal orchestra will makes its debut in Marquette on July 15 (international Lake Superior Day) using sand, rocks, driftwood, water from the big lake to make music. Donations go to Lake Superior Defense Fund and will be used to continue ongoing projects that protect the largest and deepest of the Great lakes.. The concert is sponsored by the Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute, Marquette non-profits that founded the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative in 2004. The Earth Keepers have recycled or properly disposed of over 370 tons of household poisons on past three Earth Day weekends. For more information contact the concert co-sponsors: Carl Lindquist, 228-6095; Rev. Jon Magnuson, 228-5494; or Greg Peterson at 906-475-5068 |
 | Thrivent Financial grants for Earth Keeper students The 2007 Pharmaceutical Clean Sweep across northern Michigan is the third hazardous waste collection by the Earth keeper Initiative. Over 365 tons of hazardous waste has been collected by the Earth Keepers. Plus a student arm was recently created at Northern Michigan University that has many of its own projects and plans to start chapters at 3 other northern Michigan universities. None of this would be possible without donors and grants. In part two of our series, EPA funding was detailed. The other major donor - Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - is a Wisconsin-based ecumenical not-for-profit that gives grants to all faiths and believes in supporting youth In part three, Earth Keeper volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports on what Thrivent Financial has done for the Earth Keeper Initiative and the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper Student team. --- At all Earth Keeper functions these green donation buckets are set up to get much appreciated grassroots support from the public- like this October 2006 benefit concert in Marquette by Greg LaCombe of Munising and his band Loose Ends. But the primary funding for the Earth Keepers comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - a Wisconsin based non-profit. In the past several years, Thrivent has provided grants totaling $90,000 The money is used to fund the annual Earth Keeper hazardous waste clean sweeps and to found the Northern Michigan University Earth Keeper (NMU EK) Student Team that was announced during a April 2006 press conference. The clean sweeps sponsored by nine U.P. faith communities with 130,000 members (60 percent of U.P. residents), the Superior Watershed Partnership, the Cedar Tree Institute, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The project involves the congregations of over 140 churches and temples representing nine faith communities (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, and Zen Buddhist). Thrivent northern Michigan representative Dave Huckstep says the company is please to help the environment and students. Rev. Jon Magnuson, Earth Keeper Initiative Founder Ashley Ormson, Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper Student Team coordinator Thrivent money gets big things done across a 400 mile area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Over 365 tons of hazardous waste has been collected in three years - all recycled or properly disposed. This includes over one ton of pharmaceuticals on Earth Day 2007 to protect drinking water and the Great lakes. In 2006, about 10,000 people dropped off over 320 tons of old computers and cell phones that were recycled. In 2005, about 45 tons of household poisons, car batteries and mercury was turn in and properly disposed. The NMU EarthKeeper Student Team has several endeavors including the Adopt-A-Watershed project - the cleaning, studying and monitoring rivers that feed several of the Great Lakes. In addition to participating the hazardous waste collections, the students teach conservation and other environment lessons to adults and children. Thrivent offers many other services. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - helping the environment and university students across northern Michigan. I'm Greg Peterson and you are watching Earth keeper TV For more information contact the Superior Watershed Partnership at 906-228-6095 and Greg at 906-475-5068, or email: earthkeeper@charter.net Earth Keeper TV: http://earthkeepers.blip.tv/ Earth Keeper related website addresses are: The Superior Watershed Partnership http://www.superiorwatersheds.org The Cedar Tree Institute: http://www.cedartreeinstitute.com/ The Lake Superior Interfaith Communication Network: http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com/ |
 | Protecting Lake Superior July 15: Classical benefit concert Lake Superior Day benefit concert in northern Michigan debuts Boreal Chamber Symphony; organizers hope similar concerts will be formed in U.S., Canadian cities that surround Lake Superior Protecting Lake Superior: Free Michigan concert with classical musicians, dancer will benefit Lake Superior Defense Fund on July 15 (Marquette, Michigan) - The Boreal Chamber Symphony will make its debut on Lake Superior Day in northern Michigan in a dramatic benefit concert to protect America's largest freshwater lake, organizers announced today (Monday June 25, 2007) during a lakeshore press conference. Haunting French horn calls, the soothing sounds of water, a thundering storm, and flowing interpretive dance using rocks, sand, and other items found along the Lake Superior shoreline are all part of the "Concert for Lake Superior: People, Place, Purpose." During the press conference, two percussionists demonstrated their skills using Lake Superior water and rocks to make chilling and rhythmic music that mixed with the sound of small waves rolling ashore. An interpretive dancer gracefully performed on the edge of Lake Superior with the wind rushing through her flowing costume and seed pods on her ankles adding to the soothing natural music. With a view of Lake Superior, the Marquette, Michigan concert will have a water and environment theme. The audience will be surrounded by Lake Superior-related artwork The event is sponsored by the Superior Watershed Partnership and Cedar Tree Institute, Marquette-based non-profits that founded the Earth Keeper Initiative in 2004. The Marquette Community Foundation awarded a $1,500 grant for the concert. "We wanted to help the numerous groups who are protecting Lake Superior and keeping it as beautiful as it is," Martha Conley, Marquette Community Foundation board member and chair of the foundation's grants committee. "We are a true believer in the community and Lake Superior." Organizers hope the event will inspire future Lake Superior Day concerts in other cities encircling the lake like the Baltic Sea Festival. Musicians and environment groups in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada are being encouraged to create similar benefits around Lake Superior creating a ring of protection. Organizers are offering a "limited number of travel stipends" to qualified Canadian group that want to attend the Michigan concert to get ideas and inspiration. A group in Thunder Bay, Ontario has expressed interest in creating their own annual concert. The concert is free, but donations are encouraged with all proceeds used for environment projects involving the immense Lake Superior watershed. "By offering this free concert we also hope that people will contribute to the Lake Superior Fund so we can continue and expand our successful Great Lakes protection programs," said Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership. All donations are tax deductible and go to the Lake Superior Defense Fund. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on July 15, 2007 at UpFront & Company, a Marquette restaurant with a large banquet room that overlooks the city's lower harbor on Lake Superior. The event is preceded by a 6 p.m. social hour. "The concert is also a way to show that we all have an important role in protecting Lake Superior," Lindquist said. In 2004, the Lake Superior Binational Forum designated the third Sunday in July as Lake Superior Day in the US and Canada. The binational forum is comprised of U.S. and Canadian volunteers including representatives from industry, civic organizations, environment groups and faith communities, and works with governments in both countries to protect Lake Superior. The Lake Superior watershed "is pretty much half of the watershed for the entire Upper Peninsula" and one of three watersheds in northern Michigan, said Natasha Koss, development coordinator for the Superior Watershed Partnership. Koss said the watershed partnership cares about "the big picture, what we can do as an organization and people can do as citizens to protect our beautiful lake." "We all live in it (the Lake Superior watershed), we all drink from its waters, we all swim in its water, we paddle along the shore, we fish in its rivers that drain into Lake Superior," Koss said "So it's all connected and everything we do on the land effects the water of Lake Superior." Master of ceremonies for the concert is Marquette television personality and meteorologist Karl Bohnak (WLUC-TV). The orchestra is comprised of 19 professional musicians from around the country with ties to the Lake Superior region, and one is from Washington D.C. "This concert will be a chance to lift up a vision of a good place and a clean lake - a symbol to the world of water and life," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, executive director of the Cedar Tree Institute and co-founder of the Earth Keeper Initiative. "This evening will be about a beacon of hope - a shout of thanksgiving and invitation to continue a struggle to protect and defend one of the world's greatest natural resources," Rev. Magnuson said. Lake Superior is the deepest (1,333 feet) and coldest of the Great Lakes, its shoreline stretches 2,726 miles (including islands) and is fed by over 200 rivers. The orchestra was named Boreal because the word means "pertaining to, or located in, northern regions" as in "aurora borealis" - and Boreas is the Greek god of the north wind. The concept was inspired by the Baltic Sea Festival which partners classical musicians with environmental causes. Conductor Craig Randal Johnson of Minneapolis, Minnesota and members of the orchestra want to bring awareness to ecological issues. Johnson remembers the exact minute the Lake Superior concert idea was born: at 1:27 p.m. on September 14, 2006. "It was one of those moments when you realize things are suddenly different, said Johnson, who has onducted concerts in Italy, was staff conductor with the Florida Symphony and worked in three German opera houses. Johnson described that instant as a "seed change" and a real "switch over in my thinking." At a Marquette café, Johnson and a friend were discussing "cultural offerings and the state of music in the U.P." and the annual Baltic Sea Festival. 'We wanted to see how the Baltic Sea project could translate to a similar initiative in the Great Lakes," said Johnson. "We very quickly narrowed it down to Lake Superior." Nature and the environment is an "underlining motivating factor for all the music I do," Johnson said. Johnson hopes the concert will "educate the public about the environment and environmental issues and sensibilities." "The convergence of the environment and concerns of the environment are so paramount to us as human beings," said Johnson, who has a long list of orchestras he has conducted, including music director of the 2005 Finn Grand Fest symphony concert in Marquette, the upcoming July 27 Finnfest concert in Ashtabula, Ohio, the Marquette Symphony, and as an instrumental performer at Finnfest 1996. "We want to harness the power of music and art to wake people up," he said. "This concert is important" "I hope that whatever they (the audience) have experienced from the music in an emotional or metaphysical sense also is converging with a feeling of a need to do something to support the health of Lake Superior and the surrounding ecosystem," Johnson said. Johnson hopes concert goers will "donate because you've experienced this powerful music and a unique and potentially spiritual event." "In 2006 Earth Keepers received the highest Great Lakes protection award from the U.S. EPA and Canada," Lindquist said. "The concert for Lake Superior is our way of saying thank you to the thousands of citizens who help us protect this truly great lake." The classical concert will reach many extremes including traditional works from Mozart and Handel, a "religious spiritual" piece, and interpretive dance to the music of Finnish composer Kari Tikka and Estonian composer Arvo Part. Iron County native Evan Premo has been commissioned to create a new work for the concert. Premo's composition "Fall Storm on Lake Superior" was inspired by a chapter in Lon Emerick's book "The Superior Peninsula - Seasons in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan." The chapter is called "Fall Storms on Lake Superior." "I try to evoke the power of the lake in my music like Lon did in this chapter," said Premo, who began writing the composition in April. "The chapter starts with Lon waking up in his home in Skandia on a fall day and hearing the low rumble of the lake. He then drives to Presque Isle where he takes awe at the mighty waves crashing over the breakwater." Emerick's book remembers shipwrecks during fall storms like the Edmund Fitzgerald. Percussionists Carrie Biolo and James A. Strain and dancer Maria Formolo are premiering a performance named "Elements" that uses "rock, sand and driftwood" from Lake Superior. "I'm sure all of us have gone to the lake shore and experienced an amazing storm over Lake Superior where thunder is crashing and lightning is seen across the sky line," said Biolo. The performers will recreate a Lake Superior storm by using "a thunder sheet," and the wind will be created by a "spinning corrugate tube and bull roar" and a "plethora of traditional percussion instruments." "A bowed Chinese cymbal hauntingly reminds me of the men who gave their life to Lake Superior," Biolo said. Formolo will "dance in an stunning costume draped in drift wood simultaneously producing an aural and visual sensation," Biolo said. "Lake Superior rocks will be rhythmically hit together, sand will be poured and water will be played," Biolo said. "Lake Superior rocks will be rhythmically hit together, sand will be poured and water will be played," Biolo said. "A melody of sorts will be produced on crystal goblets filled with various water levels and a large tub filled with water will be 'blooped' and splashed in a rhythmic ostinato." Biolo will perform Frederick Rzewski's To The Earth (1985). She will recite a Homeric hymn "praising Mother Earth" and at the same time will be "tapping four pitched clay flower pots with knitting needles." "Very apropos to Lake Superior -- who nourishes everything around us," Biolo said. " If we take care of the earth, she will give us a happy abundant life." The concert will include Marjory Black and Gary Reeves on French horns. The moving French horns will answer each other with calls resembling foghorns and wildlife. The event includes an art exhibit by regional nature artists and Great Lakes authors. Displays will offer educational materials and opportunities for people to participate in regional environment stewardship initiatives. The program includes: Evan Premo, Fall Storm On Lake Superior - a world premiere commission for this Concert; Frederic Rzewski, To the Earth; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 29 in A, K. 201; Verne Reynolds, Calls for two French Horns; Carrie Biolo, James A. Strain and Maria Formolo, "Elements"; composer/pianist Carl Lindquist, Lake Superior Suite; Kari Tikka, 'Exsultate'!; Arvo Pärt, 'Fratres'; Georg Fredrich Händel, selections from Water Music. The Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute organize annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps that broke EPA household hazardous waste collection records. The annual Earth Day collection across northern Michigan has recycled or properly disposed about 470 tons of household hazardous waste including pharmaceuticals, old/broken computers and cell phones, poisons, lead-based paint, mercury, and vehicle batteries. The Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute have collaborated on numerous environmental projects over the last decade including but not limited to stream restoration, controlling invasive species, restoring native plant species, storm water management, dune restoration, Great Lakes monitoring, wild rice restoration, erosion control and energy conservation. Partners in those projects include Marquette County Juvenile Court, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, 140 churches/temples. The bishops/leaders of nine faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, and Zen Buddhist) signed the Earth Keeper Covenant in 2004 pledging to actively protect the environment and reach out to American Indian tribes. For more information contact the concert co-sponsors: Carl Lindquist, 228-6095; Rev. Jon Magnuson, 228-5494 Related websites: Superior Watershed Partnership http://www.superiorwatersheds.org The Cedar Tree Institute http://www.cedartreeinstitute.com Conductor Craig Randal Johnson http://www.tonttu.com Lake Superior Binational Forum http://www.superiorforum.info |
 | Bishop Thomas Skrenes: "We are all environmentalists" Bishop praises interfaith success of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge Marquette, Michigan - A Lutheran Bishop who has participated in interfaith Earth Day recycling projects for four years in a row said. "Celebrate - what a great day Earth Day has been 2008," said Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes of the Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "The Earth Healing Initiative has been a great success this year." "Congratulations Earth Healers - you've done it, it has been a success," Bishop Skrenes said. "The EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge has been a great success." "Computers have been recycled, pharmaceuticals have been brought together for proper disposal," Skrenes said. "We are hearing reports from all over the Midwest about wonderful things that are happening." "Congratulations to those members of the faith communities and others who have been a part of this," Skrenes said. "It has been a great day, a great week, a great Earth day 2008." "We are all environmentalists," said Skrenes of Marquette, MI. "Everybody is an environmentalist because all of us want clean air to breathe, all of us want clean drinking water. We all enjoy the outdoors and nature." "So every singlno matter our political understandings are - no matter where we are on the liberal and conservative line - no matter what we think of any of the big issues facing thee one of us - world today - all of us can agree that it is in all of our interests." "We call that the environmental movement," Skrenes said. "Sometimes all kinds of political forces connect to that but yet all of us agree that we can all certainly conserve and save and bring back and then give to the next generation what has been given to us." With hundreds of thousands of people participating across eight states, Bishop Skrenes said interfaith environment projects like the challenge will help ensure a better future for all humans. "It is a sign of great significance that people can join hands and work together," Skrenes said. Bishop Skrenes thanked the EPA, faith communities and "people of goodwill throughout the upper Midwest who have been a part of this work." "Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency for their help and assistance in all of this work," Bishop Skrenes said. The EPA challenge "has been a part of the lives and will be a part of the future of this whole area." "It is a wonderful opportunity to begin to look at what it is that we hold in common," Skrenes said. "What we hold in common is this wonderful Great Lakes basin." "This is a wonderful place with lakes and streams and forests everywhere in the Midwest, and the great plains and the great fields," Skrenes said. "We have been a part of saving some of this and making a difference." "Sometimes we become so focused on what divides us, what disconnects us, what separates us - and there are important things that sometimes do that - but yet we can all have loyalty and allegiance to this world that has been our home and this of the world that we have been blessed with by God." "God has given us the privilege of living here in the midst of these lakes and all of this beautiful nature," Skrenes said. "When people of faith, whether they be of Christian traditions or of other traditions, gather together to work on what connects us. One of those things that connects us is respect and awe for the creation that surrounds us." "We are part of a movement together in these early years of the Twenty-first Century to save what has been given to us by the generations before us and what God has provided to us," Skrenes said. Bishop Skrenes is one of the original nine faith leaders who signed the Earth Keeper Covenant in northern Michigan in 2004 that lead to many interfaith projects. The Cedar Tree Institute co-founded the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that works closely with ten faith traditions on a wide range of environment projects that include college students, at-risk teens, American Indian tribes and others. The EHI is developing the same relationship with faith communities across the Great lakes. The faith communities include Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, the Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as the Quakers) and Zen Buddhist. "Everyday is Earth Day," Skrenes said. --- Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org EPA Region 5 Office in Chicago http://www.epa.gov/region5 Cedar Tree Institute http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org The Lake Superior Interfaith Communication Network http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod http://www.nglsynod.org ELCA: http://www.elca.org |
 | EPA, Kalamazoo County sponsor free drug collection June 21 Free, special collection for old prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for residents of southwest Michigan set for June 21, 2008 in Kalamazoo County Residents of the Kalamazoo area and all of southwest Michigan can to their part to protect the Great Lakes during a free public pharmaceutical collection later this month. Old and unwanted medicines and personal care products will be accepted on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School, 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) in Kalamazoo. The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provided a grant for the project. The collection is connected to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge that involves over 100 projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin. Southwest Michigan residents can rid their home of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals plus personal care products. For example - items that will be accepted include: • Prescription medication, such as antibiotics, birth control, and insulin (but no sharps or syringes) • Medication samples and over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, cold medicine • Personal care products, such as medicated ointments, lotions, and shampoos • Veterinary medications Items that will not be accepted include: • Medical waste like sharps and syringes • Products containing mercury like thermometers --- The collection is free to all households in southwest Michigan. Organizers say the collection is important to protect Lake Michigan and other lakes and streams - like Arcadia Creek. The reason - an investigation by the Associated Press found a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, mood stabilizers and hormones, in the drinking water of 41 million Americans. Most medications pass untreated through wastewater treatment plants because those facilities are not designed to remove the chemicals. That means the pharmaceuticals are discharged into local rivers or groundwater For more information call 269-373-5211 Or visit the EPA and Kalamazoo County websites at these addresses: http://www.epa.gov/ppcp http://www.kalcounty.com/hcs Again - a free pharmaceutical collection for residents of the Kalamazoo area and southwest Michigan will be held on Saturday, June 21 from 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Loy Norrix High School 606 E. Kilgore (off Lovers Lane) Kalamazoo, Michigan The pharmaceutical collection is sponsored by Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The EPA says those goals were exceeded many times over. The Earth Healing Initiative assisted challenge organizers by offering interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches and temples to participate in the Earth Day related events in their area. This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette MI The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment. I'm Greg Peterson and you're watching Earth Healing TV --- Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services http://www.kalcounty.com/hcs Kalamazoo Cnty. Enviro. Health Bureau http://www.kalcounty.com/eh/index.htm Kalamazoo County: http://www.kalcounty.com --- EPA: http://www.epa.gov/ppcp --- EPA Region 5 Office Chicago, Ill. http://www.epa.gov/region5 --- Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org Cedar Tree Institute http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org --- Kalamazoo Southwest Michigan First: http://www.southwestmichiganfirst.com/index.cfm --- Kalamazoo Downtown Central City: http://www.central-city.net --- Kalamazoo Wikimedia: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Kalamazoo%2C_Michigan http://www.kalamazooriver.net --- Loy Norrix High School: http://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=24 --- Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i Community) of Interfaith Resources Special Ideas website: http://www.interfaithresources.com 1-800-326-1197 (toll free) 1-847-733-3559 (wk) Interfaith Resources P.O. Box 9 511 Diamond Rd Heltonville, IN 47436 |
 | 2008 Odyssey: Wisconsin couple kayaking around Lake Superior (Marquette, Michigan) - It's a 1,300 mile - two month - odyssey - kayaking around the always beautiful and sometimes treacherous Lake Superior Ashland, Wisconsin residents Alissa Weitz and Brian Castillo are promoting the protection of Lake Superior - the world's largest freshwater lake. The twenty somethings departed Bayfield, Wisconsin on July1 and hope to complete their journey by September. The kayaking duo left Marquette, Michigan on Tuesday afternoon, July 22, 2008 to continue their journey. They arrived in Marquette for Lake Superior Day 2008 - this year that was July 20 2008. Lake Superior Day is sponsored by the Lake Superior Bi-national Forum and is held annually on the third Sunday of July. Alissa and Brian spent Lake Superior Day hiking with friends and swimming including jumping off the tall cliffs at the city's "black rocks." A big part of their quest is educating the public about protecting Lake Superior and why the largest of the Great Lakes is so important.. The trek takes them through the Canada and the United States including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Averaging 25 miles a day - with their longest day was about 40 miles. They encountered water temperatures as low as 38 degrees, fog outside of Marquette, rough waves outside of Houghton, Michigan that prevent them from rounding the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula - and instead cut through the Keweenaw Waterway. Thanks to Down Wind Sports in Marquette, Brian picked up a new kayak because of problems with the one used during the first part of their trek. Weitz is a native of Dubuque, Iowa and Castillo is a native of Madison, Wisconsin. Alissa is 26 years old and Brian is 23 years old. Graduates of the Northland College outdoor education program in Ashland, Wisconsin, the couple were competitors working for different kayak guiding companies when they met two years ago and fell in love. The Kayaker's (Alissa Weitz, Brian Castillo) "Session on Superior" blog about trip around the lake: http://www.sessiononsuperior.blogspot.com Please check out their blog and our other videos about Brian and Alissa. This video was made in cooperation with the Cedar Tree Institute, the Earth Keeper Initiative, the Earth Healing Initiative and the Turtle Island Project -- all northern Michigan-based non-profits seeking to protect Lake Superior. And special thanks to the Lake Superior Binational Forum for helping make this video possible.. Greg Peterson for Earth Keeper, Earth Healing and Turtle Island TV --- Related Links: --- News coverage of Alissa, Brian: Marquette: http://www.miningjournal.net http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/513083.html --- Ashland paper: Marquette Photo: http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/24/news/doc4888981f7b087681234763.txt Story prior to trip: http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486b8dfe3df63322933742.txt --- Madison, WI: --- WX Channnel: http://uservideo.weather.com:80/item/GY56YQ4K0TH0B3CS --- Lake Superior Binational Forum Lissa Radke, LSFB US Coordinator 715-682-1489 http://www.superiorforum.info --- Northland College in Ashland, WI: http://www.northland.edu/Northland --- "Flying a kite" along Lake Superior http://www.superiorforum.info/uploads/Kite_Poster.pdf --- Down Wind Sports: http://www.downwindsports.com/index.html http://www.downwindsports.com/about.html http://www.downwindsports.com/paddling.html Owners: Bill Thompson, Todd King, Jeff Stasser and Arni Ronis Marquette: 906-226-7112 514 N. Third Street Marquette, MI 49855 Houghton: 906-482-2500 308 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931 --- Sea Kayak Specialists: http://www.seakayakspecialists.com http://www.seakayakspecialists.com/html/about_sks.html http://www.seakayakspecialists.com/html/contact_us.html Sea Kayak Specialists PO Box 94 Marquette, MI 49855 Sam Crowley Nancy Uschold 906-250-4238 --- Other links related to trip: http://caskaorg.typepad.com/caska/2008/07/superior-sessio.html --- UM Sea Grant http://www.seagrant.umn.edu --- EcoSuperior Enviro: http://www.ecosuperior.com --- Environment Canada: http://www.ec.gc.ca --- This video made in cooperation with: --- Turtle Island Project official website: http://www.turtleislandproject.org Earth Healing Initiative official website: http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org Cedar Tree Institute: (Michigan Earth Keepers, Manoomin Project and the 2008 Zaagkii Wings & Seeds project) http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org --- Earth Keeper TV http://www.youtube.com/yoopernewsman Turtle Island TV (youtube) http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse Earth Healing TV http://www.youtube.com/user/EarthHealingTV --- |
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