Category: Features

There’s growing evidence that pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. In response, governments and private industries are looking for new ways to reduce pollution without stifling economic growth. While some industry groups claim that reducing their energy use will be costly, one Chicago steel company is finding that saving energy has its benefits. (In the first part of a series on energy efficiency), the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:

Saving energy has long been touted by environmentalists as one of the best ways to reduce air pollution and save money at the same time. However, while many American businesses and institutions have embraced energy efficiency, others have lagged behind. But in recent years, that’s begun to change as more people discover that saving energy makes good economic sense. (In the second of a two part series on energy efficiency), the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports on three vary different organizations that are becoming more energy efficient:

Through their every-day work, scientists, environmentalists, and people who work for government agencies come in contact with issues focusing on the Great Lakes. But they don’t often talk about their personal connections to the Lakes. As part of the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s new series–“Great Lakes Stories,” Jack Manno, the president of Great Lakes United shares his thoughts and memories:

In the 1960’s and 70’s, Great Lakes ports were a community of their own where sailors created a rugged, close-knit society. Much of that grit is now gone-replaced by modern efficiency. But today, as part of the continuing series “Great Lakes Stories” this bygone time is revisited by two people whose lives crossed in a Chicago union hall:

One third of our nation’s printing industry is concentrated in eight Great Lakes states. While the industry contributes millions to the region’s economy, it also contributes air and water pollution from the printing process. In an effort to curb pollution, an eclectic group of industry reps, environmentalists, and government officials formed the Great Printers Project. The project targeted printers in four Great Lakes states to encourage them to voluntarily reduce pollution at their shops. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary Boyle examines its impact:

At last month’s (December, 1997) global warming conference in Kyoto Japan, delegates recommended emissions trading as one way to reduce global pollution by greenhouse gases. It would allow individual countries to trade or sell the right to pollute to other nations. In Chicago, the city is using its own emissions trading program to boost economic development and improve air quality. But after two years, the program’s results have been mixed. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel has more:

Just south of Lake Superior, Nick Van Der Puy and his friends hunt deer the old fashioned way, from a tent-camp deep in the Wisconsin north-woods. Van Der Puy remembers one hunt when he tangled with a big buck:

This week, the North American International Auto Show opens it’s doors to the public. In past years, displays have focused on gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, Chevy Corvettes, and Dodge Vipers. However, this year automakers have hit on a new theme: the eco-friendly car. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Craig Fahle reports from Detroit:

This month, after more than a decade of painful recovery, predominant U.S. shipping companies on the Great Lakes are reporting healthy profits and record cargo volumes. With a new head of steam, the industry has sailed from an age of derring-do romance into an era of bottom-line financial success. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s J. Carl Ganter reports, the financial success has removed much of the modern romance from the industry:

As Great Lakes shipping changes over time, there is still something about it that draws spectators to the docks – the big ships themselves, which thrill sightseers with their vastly different sense of scale. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Eileen Wray McCann spent a few days aboard the American Steamship Company freighter, the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr., and offers this perspective: