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OPINION

Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com OPINION

ANNE ELSE | COLUMN

O

n July 5, as tempera-
tures rose and Ann
Arborites flocked to
the river to spend their day on
the water, they were met with
a disappointing development.
A sanitary sewer main break
occurred that morning causing
sewage to enter a storm pipe
and empty into the river. City
officials managed to repair the
pipe break relatively quickly,
but there were still roughly
3,000 gallons of raw sew-
age that managed to enter the
water. This sewage leak could
affect several species that live
in the river, as well as summer
activities.
This local destruction of
waterways prompted me to
think
about
how
precious
Michigan’s water really is.
After years of enduring the
Flint Water Crisis, some fami-
lies still do not have access
to clean water. In 2019, there
are still pipes sending lead
tainted
water
to
people’s
homes, although the city of
Flint is thankfully approach-
ing the issue with efficiency
and replacement strategies in
order to eradicate any remain-
ing lead pipes. It is baffling to
me that people in Michigan are
still unable to access freshwa-
ter due to unsafe water sources
and political decisions. A state
known for its immense amount
of freshwater access due to
the beloved Great Lakes can-
not even provide safe drinking
water to its own people.
My most fond memories of
growing up in Michigan are
trips up north and days spent on
lakes. My out-of-state friends
always point out that us Michi-
ganders talk about up north a
great deal. I have found it acts
as our safe haven. We yearn to
road trip upstate to bask in the
sun, spot the glittering expans-
es of freshwater, dive into clear
rivers. After the sewage out-
break and the heartbreaking
state of Flint, how can we be
sure that Michigan’s beloved
water will remain unaffected
by man-made issues? I want to
know that there are people that
support our state’s beauty and
nature. I want to see actions
that prove there are defend-
ers of the Great Lakes and the
waters that we call home.
Thankfully,
protectors
of
our waters do exist: in the

form of local advocates and
in the form of the renowned
non-profit Clean Water Action.
Clean Water Action has offices
around the country, spread-
ing their mission in hopes that
climate change and human
mistakes will not destroy our
country’s
water
resources.
In Michigan, there are three
offices, including one in Ann
Arbor, that canvas around sev-
eral different townships. Their
mission is straightforward and
action-based. It states that they
strive “To protect our environ-
ment, health, economic well-
being and community quality
of life.” They also state some
initiatives for a clean future:
“Get health-harming toxics out
of everyday products; protect
our water from dirty energy
threats — drilling and frack-
ing for oil and gas, and power
plant pollution; build a future
of clean water and clean ener-
gy; keep our clean water laws
strong and effective to pro-
tect water and health.” Their
drive to get legislation passed
and spread the information
through canvassing is benefi-
cial to promoting environmen-
tal change.

Meredith Gillies, program
manager of the Clean Water
Action
Ann
Arbor
branch,
weighed in on the importance
of getting their message across
to the local community. Gillies
said, “Polluters in Michigan
are not required to pay for any
cleanup of the contamination
that they cause unless the state
proves they are responsible in
court … The legislation we are
advocating for would reverse
the burden of proof, requiring
polluters to prove they are not
responsible for the release of
hazardous substances in order
to avoid paying for cleanup. It
would also increase cleanup
standards to ensure that our

natural resources are pro-
tected.” These companies are
causing the most harm yet still
reaping rewards by not having
to pay for cleanup. Her insider
perspective helps to provide a
complete picture of the faults
of polluters in Michigan.
Clean Water Action are sup-
porters of keeping Michigan
waters
clean
through
eco-
conscious legislation. Through
their Michigan dedicated arti-
cles, I learned about the det-
rimental factors specifically
in the state of Michigan that
could affect our water systems
greatly. For example, climate
change causes an increase in
stormwater runoff into the
Great
Lakes.
Unfortunately,
our state does not have the cor-
rect environmental infrastruc-
ture in place to manage this
issue. An even more shocking
fact is that Michigan “remains
the only state in the United
States that lacks a statewide
septic code, and as a conse-
quence, 25 to 30 percent of
our 1.4 million septic systems
statewide are failing and leak-
ing more raw and untreated
sewage into our groundwater,”
highlighting a need for new
policy considerations. Michi-
gan
law-makers,
politicians
and citizens should all be sup-
porting Clean Water Action’s
important work if they believe
in a human right to clean water.
Their valuable canvassing and
campaigning has the potential
to help generations to come
by adjusting Michigan’s infra-
structure to the rising effects
of climate change.
It is vital that we keep our
freshwaters clean and free from
corporate harm and man-made
destruction. Through efforts to
help residents of Flint, workers
at Clean Water Action and sup-
porters of waterway protection,
our source of life will hopefully
be preserved across the entire
country. Water access should
not be solely about politics and
lobbying, but these actions are
what provide clear change in
the way that states and water
systems are run. If we can set
aside political affectations, we
can come together to support
the universal need of clean
water.

Protect our waters

Anne Else can be reached at

aelse@umich.edu.

T

his March, 1.4 million
kids took to the streets
to protect their futures.
Some were marked absent from
school, and many were lambast-
ed by local news outlets, but all
helped bring to light the threat
of climate change and govern-
ment inaction. Ever so slowly,
people are taking note. From the
World Bank to the New Zealand
government, those in power are
recognizing that they must take
major strides to mitigate the cli-
mate crisis.
This is not the case at the
University of Michigan. During
Ann Arbor’s thousands-strong
climate change protest, offi-
cials arrested 10 participants
including University students,
high school students and com-
munity members. The protesters’
demand? Simply for University
President Mark Schlissel to meet
and discuss strengthening the
University’s weak attempts to
fight the climate crisis.
The protest and arrests fol-
lowed
months
of
unanimous
student government resolutions,
public letters and testimonials at
Board of Regents meetings aimed
at getting the University to
address climate change beyond
quick fixes and token programs.
The
University
continually
maintains that it is a big ship and
it takes a long time to change, but
we no longer have time to wait.
Sustainability
projects
that
benefit our campus, like ener-
gy-reduction plans, composting
programs and educational cam-
paigns, were brought to fruition
by passionate individuals, but
the University administration
refuses to consider long-term
solutions — like true carbon neu-
trality, renewable energy infra-
structure or education reforms
— that reflect the urgent action
we need.
For instance, along with the
vague promise to “(put) U-M on
a trajectory towards carbon neu-
trality,” the University bought
a greater percent of renewable
energy, which would be excit-
ing, but the purchase was only
made as a last-minute, publicity-
generating attempt to reach a
Planet Blue Sustainability goal
that should have, instead, been
met with real innovative energy
solutions.
Even the new U-M President’s
Commission on Carbon Neutral-
ity is an ineffectual response to

climate activists, lacking direc-
tion, a focus on environmental
justice and any indication that its
recommendations will be acted
upon. During the first commis-
sion meeting, the committee was
told that the Central Power Plant
new gas-powered turbine and
the University’s investments in
fossil fuels was out of the scope
of their discussion. This is a huge
mistake, since emissions from the
use of gas-powered turbines are
under-researched and investment
in fossil fuels increases global
carbon emissions.
The arrests are a clear attempt
for the University to hide its com-
plicity in the climate crisis. By
refusing demands to reshape the
way it approaches the climate cri-
sis, the University has shown that
it does not support its students,
understand the research of its
faculty or believe in the hercule-
an efforts of its environmentally-
minded staff. By encouraging the
state prosecutor to press charges
for arrests made, the University
administration is disrupting the
studies and research of its own
students in order to silence pro-
test; thankfully, the state pros-
ecutor refused U-M’s request to
charge the 15 and 16 year-olds.
These are not the actions of an
institution that supports a safe
future for its students, nor their
freedom of speech.
The University should remem-
ber the forward-thinking institu-
tion it was when it hosted the very
first Earth Day 50 years ago. You,
reader, can help to make that hap-
pen. You can write to the people
listed below and encourage them
to take appropriate action.
Here are a few suggestions:
request the state prosecutor drop
trespass charges against those
arrested at the Climate Strike on
March 15; bind U-M to recom-
mendations from the PCCN and
instate a dedicated justice advi-
sor; halt the construction of the
natural gas power plant until
options for a transition to alter-
nate fuels are explored; begin
divestment from fossil fuels.
Your voice matters, and we
need you to use it. Our Univer-
sity will not change unless we as
a community make clear that it
needs to, for all of our sakes.

U-M complicit in climate change

KRISTEN HAYDEN | OP-ED

Kristen Hayden is a junior studying

Earth and Environmental Sciences and

PiTE and a member of the Climate Action

Movement.

Thankfully,
protectors of our
waters do exist