West Michigan Environmental Action Council - The WMEAC Blog

ADVOCACY
by Karla Kauffman, Community Organizer
2003 saw us organizing around several issues, but
it was the Year of Lead for me, as the State of Michigan
made strides on creating lead-safe environments for
our children.
Lead – An important investigative series by the
Detroit Free Press, the Governor’s Call to Action and six
bills making headway in the state Legislature. Get the
Lead Out!, a collaborative of over 30 local groups, and
Saquemos el Plomo!, a network of 10 agencies working
with the Hispanic community that WMEAC formed, led
the Grand Rapids efforts in making Grand Rapids leadsafe
for children.
Here in Grand Rapids, we helped host two town
hall meetings, met with state legislators and county
commissioners several times, and gave over 15
presentations in the Hispanic community. In
November we received word that we will receive
an Environmental Justice grant from the EPA for
community organizing for the next three years. This
will enable WMEAC to continue our work on children’s
lead poisoning.
Water – The biggest and farthest-reaching victory of
the year 2003 was, and remains, water pollution permit
fees, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
system (NPDES) mandated by federal law. WMEAC
helped plan a press conference at Riverside Park in
May and a rally at 6th St. Park in June, as well as
generated letters to the editor, and phone calls and
e-mails to legislators. The legislation, degraded at the
last minute by political game playing, was improved by
the threat of the Governor’s veto, and was signed into
law in 2004.
Religion, Ecology and Spirituality – The Religion,
Ecology, and Spirituality Group, in its seventh year,
held their annual Interfaith Earth Day service at Unity
Church of Peace. RES focused on water and water
pollution particularly the NPDES fees, in "Blessing
Waters", which over 80 people attended. Presenters
were from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim and
other traditions.
"I rise in the morning torn between a desire to improve
(or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savour) it.
This makes it hard to plan the day." – E.B. White
Cup of Justice Group – A new group, Cup of Justice,
emerged from RES in 2002. Five community members
are involved in this effort to communicate with the
Grand Rapids community about the environmental
and social justice issues in our cup of coffee. Cup of
Justice held a conference on October 4, "Wake up your
Conscience!", attended by 45 people at the Dominican
Center. The group also obtained a grant for Karla
Kauffman to provide presentations in 2004 to build
consumer awareness and demand for fair trade, shade
grown, bird-friendly, organic coffee.
Land Use – 2003 was also a big year in land use
discussions. The Governor convened a Land Use
Leadership Council, and one victory was seeing state
lawmakers pass legislation on some of their proposals.
WMEAC, working with other groups, organized a
postcard campaign urging the Governor to support
smart growth policies. A coalition of environmental
groups turned in over 10,000 to the Governor on July 31.
Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State
Park continue their vigilance for the integrity of the
park. They held a public forum on July 29 which 120
people and the media attended. In December, 85
people attended a public forum at Holland Public
Library. Panelists included: CCSDSP, Dave Dempsey
of MEC, the Mayor of Holland, Trustee of Laketown
Township, and Chair of Holland BPW. WMEAC
continued our consulting assistance to the group.
WMEAC spearheaded ‘This Land is Our Land"
on June 21, a tour de sprawl planned by local land
use organizations. Over 20 people came, including
several elected officials. In the fall, we participated
in planning the local Call to Renewal Sprawl Action
Group’s series on “Faith, Land Use & the Common Good",
held at faith communities around the area. WMEAC’s
Karel Rogers and Patricia Pennell presented on Green
Infrastructure.
WMEAC Activism – WMEAC’s voice was heard by our
local, state and national legislators on these issues
and many others. WMEAC will continue to speak out
in 2004; it is work never done. As the Talmud says, you
might never complete your work, but you are not at liberty to
quit it.
4 WMEAC ANNUAL REPORT 2003