Reflections from the Great Lakes Commons Gathering
Reflections from the Great Lakes Commons Gathering
Seeking to reclaim the Great Lakes as a commons, seventy visionary leaders came together this fall
| by On the Commons Team
In late September, On the Commons and the Mendoza School of Business at Notre Dame—with sponsorship from the Blue Mountain Center, Michigan Technological University, and Vermont Law School—co-hosted a historic gathering to explore a life-sustaining future for the Great Lakes, and to reclaim the water as a commons.
Among the seventy visionary individuals who attended the gathering were Indigenous leaders, lawyers, water conservationists and engineers, academics, organizers, activists, and artists. The group’s diversity was intentional and representative of the broader community required for establishing a living Great Lakes Commons. Seeking common ground, we came together to share our knowledge and to voice our communities’ needs with a commitment to creating authentic solutions based on our collective wisdom.
A troubled watershed
The gathering grew out of a shared belief that, to create a life-sustaining future for the people and species of the Great Lakes, we must reestablish an ancient approach to governance—one based on community-driven decision making, ecological stewardship, and equitable use.
For a variety of reasons, current governance has simply failed the region. Despite decades of activism to protect these waters, today the Great Lakes face grave danger from hydro-fracking, tar sands refineries, and copper-sulfide mining—among countless other industrial threats—that put private interest before the public good. Citizens of the bioregion lack the standing and structural power to influence the decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods as a result. ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/work/reflections-great-lakes-commons-gathering
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