Great Lakes Forever c/o Biodiversity Project 4507 N Ravenswood #106 Chicago, IL 60640 773-496-4020 phone 773-906-1303 fax project@biodiverse.org   Intro :: At Home :: In Your Community :: At the Lakes There is strength in numbers - we all know this. Community activism is one of the best ways to make a difference in many lives and achieve your goals! We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve the Great Lakes, not for a single interest, but for our families, our communities, for wildlife, and for the future.       Five Ways to Make A Great Great Lake Community Support community green space. Parks, urban gardens, and even sidewalk tree plantings beautify our communities and, when properly managed, help protect the Great Lakes. Green spaces planted with native trees and plants and managed with limited chemical fertilizer and pesticide use provide homes for wildlife, clean our air, and help maintain our underground water resources. Of course, kids love places to play and green space can truly enhance a community’s property values.   Respect the storm sewers. Stormwater is a major contributor to water pollution. Household waste, from pets and garden chemicals to automobiles and street litter, are carried into our community storm sewers by rain and snowmelt. Although each storm sewer drain contributes just a small amount of pollution, there can be thousands of such sewer inlets around your community. These storm sewers often drain untreated waste water into local lakes, rivers and wetlands. You can help reduce stormwater pollution by maintaining a healthy, chemical-free lawn, planting a rain-garden (What’s this?), and never pouring paints, oils, and other chemical wastes down the sewers.   Smart buildings + smart energy = Cleaner Lakes. Everyone likes to save money, and in this case, you can save money while helping to protect the Great Lakes. Ask your city council and local zoning boards if they offer incentives to businesses, housing developers, and others to build energy efficient buildings that draw a portion of their power from renewable energy sources. Schools, libraries, and hospitals are just a few public buildings that have been used to demonstrate the cost savings and clean power of solar and wind energy. When we conserve our energy resources, we benefit from greater energy security, lower costs, and a healthier community environment.   Preserve natural shorelines. Over-development of river, inland-lake, and Great Lakes shorelines will rob future generations of stunning natural beauty and harm wildlife, water quality, and more. Our shorelines are the fragile ecosystems where lands and waters meet, important breeding and feeding grounds for countless birds, mammals, and even some fish. Loss of shoreline wetlands and habitat can result in water pollution, contaminated fish, and wildlife extinction. Make sure your community protects its natural shorelines so that we can all continue to enjoy access to the swimming, fishing, and boating our waters provide   Be a champion in your community.If you love the Great Lakes, don’t be shy. Tell your friends, neighbors and elected officials that the Great Lakes are important to you. You can make a difference.