A Vision for the Future of Water

For the past month, Freshwater Future staff members have been traveling around the Great Lakes to learn what water means to residents and what we all envision for the future. Living in the Great Lakes region, we are surrounded by lakes, rivers, wetlands, and shorelines. Yet daily there are threats to our waters. Community voices are often left out of the discussions and planning for solutions, including policies. Freshwater Future wants to change this.

We’ve been learning what Great Lakes residents envision for their water—not just drinking water—and what gets in the way of achieving that vision. That input is helping to shape a Water Vision for the Great Lakes that we’ll share with organizations and governments working on policies.

As we gather this anecdotal data from residents throughout the region, it’s been encouraging to see how quickly common themes emerge. At each meeting, we asked residents to draw or write about their vision for water. Below are some examples of what we’re seeing and hearing.