GLIN==> For Immediate Release: Water Conservation Initiative Rethinks Water Use in the Great Lakes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Release

June 19, 2009



Water Conservation Initiative Rethinks Water Use in the Great Lakes

Great Lakes United announces 3-year program at the Toronto Waterfront
Nautical Festival



(TORONTO, ON) – Standing at the base of one of Canada’s largest tall
ships, Great Lakes United executive director Derek Stack announced that
the coalition will be pursuing a water conservation initiative that
instils a new water consciousness in the Great Lakes region.



 “The Great Lakes are at a crossroads. We’ve closed the door to
large-scale diversions, but the greatest threat still remains: our own
reckless and wasteful use of these fragile waters,” said Stack.



The announcement comes amid a flurry of action in protection of the Great
Lakes. Just last weekend U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon heeded the call of
groups like Great Lakes United and announced their intention to
renegotiate the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, an historic pact of
binational responsibility and action on pollution prevention and clean up.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Obama has committed $475 million dollars for
Great Lakes clean up, municipalities across the region have identified
their priorities for protecting the Great Lakes, and the province of
Ontario has released its vision for a sustainable watershed.



“The stars are aligning for the Great Lakes,” said John Jackson, Director
of Clean Production and Toxics for Great Lakes United. “At the same time
we can lighten the stresses that lead to water quality problems in the
first place if we focus efforts on using less water, and using the water
we do withdraw more wisely.”



Great Lakes United’s announcement on Toronto’s waterfront coincides with
the unveiling of Toronto’s Waterfront Nautical Festival, and a unique
partnership forged between Great Lakes United and the American Sail
Training Association. Next summer, over 25 tall ships will race between
seven Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River ports, bringing millions of
people to the waterfront in the region’s major cities. The Great Lakes
United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® will be a chance to educate the public about
the Great Lakes through fun and interactive programs amid a festival
atmosphere.



“This partnership with the American Sail Training Association and port
festivals like the Toronto Waterfront Nautical Festival gives us an
opportunity to talk about the importance of Great Lakes protection by
engaging with people on the waterfront,” said Stack. “To truly understand
how powerful, but also vulnerable, the Great Lakes are, you must see them
and you must experience them.”



The Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® is the public awareness
aspect of a four pillar approach to water conservation in the region. The
program builds on the momentum of the provinces and states to protect and
conserve the waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Under the
same agreement that stopped large scale diversions of water to outside of
the basin, states and provinces also agreed to adopt conservation programs
to stem our own wasteful water use. A three-year program, Great Lakes
United’s four pillars include:



1)      Development of a model water conservation plan that each state and
province can adopt;

2)      Working in each state and province to ensure that the plan is
adopted and implemented;

3)      Working with two model communities facing their own water supply
problems to demonstrate that water conservation can allow for community
prosperity without an increase in water use; and,

4)      A public awareness campaign launched during the Great Lakes United
TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® that engages individuals in Great Lakes protection
and water conservation.



The Great Lakes contain an astounding 6 quadrillion gallons of water; only
the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more fresh surface
water. But any suggestion that this is an endless supply is false. In
fact, less than 1 percent of Great Lakes water is renewed every year. It
is this sliver of renewable, sustainable water that must meet the needs of
40 million people and the environment. But, those who live in the Great
Lakes are the most wasteful water users in the world. Per capita, only the
United States as a whole uses more water every year.



“This is a real opportunity for the provinces and states to become world
leaders in water conservation,” said Jackson. “Conservation is about more
than just using less water. When we reduce our demands on this ecosystem,
we relieve the stress on overburdened wastewater infrastructure, use less
energy, and produce fewer greenhouse gases. Water conservation is the
foundation to any long-term effort to protect the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence River.”



Contacts:



Derek Stack

Executive Director

Great Lakes United

613-797-9532



John Jackson

Director of Clean Production and Toxics

Great Lakes United

519-744-7503

519-591-7503 (cell)





____________________________________

Brent Gibson

Director, Communications

Great Lakes United

(613) 867-9861

bgibson at glu.org | www.glu.org