Protecting freshwater while promoting prosperity

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation applauds the governors of the eight Great Lakes states and the premiers of two Canadian provinces as they work to forge an environmentally responsible plan to promote economic prosperity in the region.

Mott is a proud supporter of the Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, to be held this year in Québec City from June 12 to 14. The binational convening will mark the third year that leaders gather in a spirit of cooperation to address economic, environmental and transportation issues that affect the well-being and prosperity of millions who live, work and play in the Great Lakes region. The event will be hosted by the Council of Great Lakes Governors, a Mott grantee.

This year’s summit also will mark the 10-year anniversary of a landmark agreement between the United States and Canada to protect and manage the Great Lakes region’s shared freshwater resources. Those efforts were further advanced in 2008 with federal passage in the United States of the Great Lakes Compact, a first-of-its-kind legal framework that is helping to preserve the lakes as environmental and economic assets.

Mott grantees were among those who helped shape and inform the Compact’s creation, and they continue the hard work of protecting freshwater for future generations.

We’re encouraged by the progress that has been achieved in the last decade, and we look forward to learning more from this week’s Summit about plans to help preserve our most precious natural resource.