About Environment Michigan
We’re your state environmental group — protecting the places we love, advancing the environmental values we share, and winning real results for our environment.
Who we are
Environment Michigan is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. We believe there’s something special about Michigan — something worth protecting and preserving for future generations. Whether it’s swimming along the shores of Lake Michigan, canoeing down the Kalamazoo River, or listening to the rustle of leaves as you walk through your local forest, Michigan’s natural wonders enrich our lives in countless ways.
Yet the places we love and the environmental values we share are too often threatened by powerful industries, short-sighted politicians and more. Defending our environment requires independent research, tough-minded advocacy and spirited grassroots action. That’s the idea behind Environment Michigan. Together with thousands of supporters from all walks of life, we take the kind of action that wins tangible results for our environment.
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OUR STAFF
What we do
Funded by supporters like you, we research the challenges confronting Michigan’s environment and educate the public about what’s at stake. Through our research reports, news conferences, interviews with reporters, op-ed pieces, letters to the editor, and more, we raise awareness of environmental issues and promote sensible solutions. Our canvassers meet people where they are — in public places or door-to-door — raising awareness, recruiting new supporters and activists, and raising funds to support our work.
When decisions are being made about Michigan’s environment, our elected officials hear plenty from oil companies, developers and other powerful interests. We make the case for our environment and help people like you make your voice heard — using methods like petitions, emails, letters and phone calls, all delivered to the right people just when it matters most.
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Environment Michigan Research & Policy Center
Results
- Prevent toxic mercury pollution. Thanks to our advocacy, the state finalized plans in 2009 for coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90%, a major step in addressing contamination in Michigan’s waterways and fish.
- Stop BP’s dumping scheme. When BP announced plans to increase its dumping of toxic chemicals into Lake Michigan, we sprang into action. In three weeks, we and our allies gathered 80,000 petition signatures. BP backed down under what the Chicago Tribune called a “firestorm” of criticism.
- Preserve Michigan’s last wild lands. In 2008, Carney Fen — 2,326 pristine acres of forest and marsh in the Upper Peninsula — was saved from logging and encroaching development. The decision caps a longstanding preservation effort by Environment Michigan and our allies.