Happy New Year! As we step into a new year, we’re grateful for a community that shows up for clean water, healthy shorelines, and the people and wildlife who depend on the Great Lakes every day. Because of you, our work continues. And together, we’ll keep protecting what matters in the year ahead.

Final hours. At midnight tonight, the $20,000 dollar-for-dollar match ends. Your gift right now can help to protect the Great Lakes and the millions who rely on them. If you’ve been waiting to give, this is your chance. https://bit.ly/45oVQJr

There’s still time to double your impact for the Great Lakes. Right now, every gift is matched dollar for dollar, up to $20,000, helping to protect clean drinking water, shorelines, and communities across the region. The match ends at midnight. https://bit.ly/45oVQJr

✨2025 in review✨ Families deserve homes that stay dry and water systems that work. We launched the Flooding and Sewage Coalition in Southern Lake Michigan to support communities facing basement backups, chronic flooding, and failing wastewater systems. https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

✨2025 in review✨ Our report on nitrate contamination in Wisconsin revealed how thousands of families are paying higher water costs and facing serious health risks due to fertilizer and manure pollution. The report helps chart a path forward. Our full 2025 in review: https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

✨2025 in review✨ Our report on water use revealed that the Great Lakes region is unprepared for new demands from major water users. We called for policies that protect both economic development and our water, sparking a national conversation about how we plan for the future. https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

✨2025 in review✨ As part of our efforts to curb microplastic pollution, the IL Senate and a House committee advanced a phaseout of foam food containers. While the bill did not pass this session, the progress signals growing momentum that we'll build upon in 2026. https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

✨2025 in review✨ After years of advocacy, the US Army Corps of Engineers broke ground on a critical barrier to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes at Brandon Road Lock & Dam in Illinois. We’re making sure construction proceeds as planned. Our full 2025 in review: https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

Starting today, your gift for the Great Lakes goes twice as far. A generous donor will match every contribution dollar for dollar, up to $20,000, helping unlock $40,000 to protect clean water, shorelines, and communities across the region. Donate Today - https://bit.ly/45oVQJr

✨2025 in review✨ In Michigan’s Western Lake Erie Basin, our coalition implemented a network of water monitors at 50 locations. The sensors' data is giving state leaders, farmers, and conservation groups better tools to reduce phosphorus pollution and harmful algal blooms. https://bit.ly/4qrC5cC

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers made huge waves in 2025! Over 931 cleanups, volunteers picked up 541,750 pieces of litter – more than 23,000 pounds – from Great Lakes beaches, trails, parks, and marinas. They were on all 5 Great Lakes in all 8 Great Lakes states. https://bit.ly/4srDy4v

✨2025 in review✨ With our partners, we grew the State Revolving Fund Advocates Forum to 230+ members. They meet regularly to learn and share best practices on how to access funding to address water infrastructure, such as drinking water safety and affordability and lead service line replacement.

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are the best. This year, 10,515 volunteers spent 24,578 hours cleaning up Great Lakes beaches, trails, parks, and marinas. They made a huge impact on all 5 Great Lakes in all 8 Great Lakes states! https://bit.ly/4srDy4v

In more states, including the Great Lakes states of IL, IN, & NY, lawmakers are introducing bills to bring transparency to data centers’ water use. A single hyperscale center can use as much water as 12,000 Americans per year, but their true impact on water is often hidden. https://bit.ly/48My4YX

The amount of microplastics in our environment is increasing, but there is still no Illinois or federal surveillance program to track levels in drinking water. We talked with @abc7chicago.bsky.social about the need for better tracking. https://abc7.ws/4iYZG1P

As international efforts to curb plastic pollution fall short, it's time for Great Lakes states to step up. Some are already leading the way. https://www.toledoblade.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2025/11/14/to-editor-failure-form-treaty-harms-great-lakes-pollution-fight/stories/20251114005

Webinar: Our 2025 Adopt-a-Beach Season Join us Tuesday December 9, 2025 at 1PM EST for a year-end Adopt-a-Beach celebration! We’ll be honoring all the amazing volunteers who cleaned beaches, parks, trails, and marinas across the Great Lakes region in 2025. Register today: https://bit.ly/3Y8Y9MM

The Great Lakes region faces growing demand from large water users like data centers, agriculture, and critical minerals mining. The demand may become unsustainable if we don’t take serious planning, policy, and regulatory actions. More about the problem and solutions: greatlakes.org/2025/08/grea...

This year, we set an ambitious goal: activate 12,000 volunteers to clean up Great Lakes shorelines in 2025. Thanks to you, momentum is building! An estimated 4,500 volunteers have already joined in. Consider joining or leading a cleanup today greatlakes.org/get-involved...

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Megan Cunningham, our new Vice President for Programs! Megan brings deep experience at the intersection of environmental justice, public health, and policy. Now, she’s bringing that passion and expertise to the Great Lakes. greatlakes.org/people/megan...

Not enough is being done to reduce the runoff that causes algal blooms in Lake Erie, says our CEO Joel Brammeier: "If you want an economically vibrant agriculture system to thrive, you better be able to produce safe and clean water as part of that system."

"There may be a tendency to think of data centers as a somewhat cleaner industry than, for example, a large factory. But that’s not quite the case because the water being used will be warmed and also potentially contain contaminants." www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/are-...

“We’re back to business as usual. That’s a good thing,” says our CEO, Joel Brammeier, about the critical Brandon Road project that will keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

A critical bill to phase out the sale of single-use foam cups and food containers has passed the Illinois Senate. The Illinois House will vote on the bill as early as this week. Help push it across the finish line! Take action today at the link below. 👇

Tell Illinois: Keep plastic out of Lake Michigan and our drinking water. Plastic pollution is a serious threat to Lake Michigan, our health, and our environment. Right now, Illinois has an opportunity to reduce 3 major sources of plastic pollution. takeaction.greatlakes.org/page/80604/a...

How do microplastics in our water affect our health? Partnering with @rushmedical.bsky.social, we're learning more about the medical effects of microplastics. Ultimately, this work can support efforts to reduce plastic pollution in our drinking water and environment. www.rush.edu/news/illumin...

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is one of the most important tools in the region’s toolbox to protect and restore the lakes. That why reauthorizing it is one of our biggest priorities. www.toledoblade.com/local/enviro...

Sunrise over Lake Michigan this morning from Montrose Harbor in Chicago, IL. Below zero temps are causing steam fog to form over the water. Photo courtesy of Lloyd DeGrane.

Good news for Great Lakes restoration. Today, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan bill to renew a program that funds on-the-ground restoration projects, from wetland restoration to cleaning up toxic hot spots. greatlakes.org/2025/02/grea...

We're a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the region to protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes. Follow for updates about the lakes and how you can protect them.