E2, Businesses Unite for Clean Water
You could say water is the lifeblood of the environment and the economy.
Few places know this better than Michigan. Now, the state has chance to lead on developing policies and technology that ensure clean, reliable and affordable water.
In Michigan, tourism and outdoor activities generate $40 billion annually and employ more than 400,000 workers. Other water-dependent businesses, from breweries to family farms, generate tens of billions more in economic benefits. And of course, every business wants access to clean water for their communities and their employees.
As many of us have been following, serious water quality issues are threatening these sectors of the Michigan economy — and the health and quality of life for Michiganders. Deteriorating lead and copper pipes and other infrastructure issues are causing health, environmental and economic nightmares in Flint and elsewhere in the state. Water contamination from chemicals like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are popping up everywhere — a toxic threat to the state’s slogan, “Pure Michigan.”
Thanks to the support of our members and our partner organization, NRDC, E2 is doing something about it.
Last week at a packed room at the Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids, E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe, consultant Autumn Sands and I launched E2’s newest campaign, Businesses for Clean Water.
The campaign will raise awareness of the economic importance of clean water in Michigan and the economic costs of not enforcing the state’s landmark lead and copper pipe standards and cleaning up problems like PFAS.
Please read more about the campaign launch, which included a robust advertising campaign featuring pieces like the one above by going here. And if you do business in Michigan, or know businesspeople who do, please encourage them to join us at www.businessesforcleanwater.org or contact me at gparson@e2.org for more details.
