Great Lakes United's organizational members were brought together by the awareness that the world’s largest fresh water ecosystem was under very serious threat. These concerns attracted the attention of individual members who recognized the need for an integrated approach to recovery. The Basin contains twenty per cent of the world’s available surface water and is home to a broad variety of natural habitats. GLU members saw, on the one hand, a basin with abundant water resources and aquatic habitats, with biologically rich coastal waters, blue ribbon trout streams, and sparkling inland lakes. On the other hand, members were keenly aware that over two-thirds of the Basin’s original wetlands had been lost, thousands of miles of rivers had been impaired, and miles of shoreline had been degraded.
From the outset it was clear that the coaltion would need to look to governments whose regulatory powers and funding was necessary to preserve, protect and restore the ecosystem. The need was also recognized for concerned individuals and the environmentally-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the basin to ensure that decision-makers were cognizant of the threats to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and that they were prepared to act.
Action required the combined efforts of both the public and private sectors of the two countries, eight states, and two provinces that share the resource. Indigenous peoples with their separate governmental powers and concerns for the environment must also be engaged. Success would not be possible without strong international collaboration.
It was against this backdrop that Great Lakes United came into being. Reflecting on the past, the Basin’s environmental community, within which GLU has played an active and key role, has successfully advocated for greater environmental protection. Together, grassroots environmental organizations, municipalities, unions, and dedicated individuals have worked for stronger water quality standards, zero discharge, and other programs aimed at reducing the amount of toxic chemicals used and produced in the basin, as well as programs to protect the Basin’s ecosystem from water diversions and flow controls that can cause significant damage. Agreements to protect the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River have contributed to global environmental policy. These successes are shared and furthered by the growth of a vocal, and increasingly influential, environmental movement.
GLU’s collective voice has been a powerful means of articulating the concerns of hundreds of citizens and community organizations across a broad spectrum of interests. At its core, GLU has been a coalition that has derived strength from its member organizations and, in turn, provided support to them. The GLU coalition has been a powerful catalyst for action.
Please
get involved and join Great
Lakes United!
