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Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Researchers have found stunningly high amounts of tiny plastic pieces in all five Great Lakes. They’ve found microscopic plastic pieces in drinking water, fish, and beer – and even in human blood.

Visit our campaign page to see how you can be part of the solution. Learn more about Great Lakes plastic pollution below.

Categories

Agricultural runoff
Green Bay dead zoneLake Erie algal bloom
Climate change in the Great Lakes
Combined sewer overflowsGreat Lakes water levelsGreen stormwater infrastructure
Drinking water
Drinking water affordabilityLead service lines
Environmental justiceGreat Lakes restorationInvasive species
Invasive carpInvasive species in ballast water
Other topicsPlastic pollution in the Great Lakes
Adopt-a-BeachMicrobeadsMicroplastics

BLOG

June 5, 2019

7 Ways You Can Keep Plastic Out of the Great Lakes

More than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution ends up in the Great Lakes every year. On average, less than 20% of plastic is recycled globally. And plastic that’s discarded […]

BLOG

June 4, 2019

Fourth Graders Take on 57th Street Beach in Chicago

This Earth Day, fourth graders at University of Chicago Lab School took on cleanup efforts at 57th Street Beach in Hyde Park. Nearly 100 Lab students are becoming Adopt-a-Beach volunteers […]

BLOG

May 10, 2019

Eco Evie and the Girl Scouts Clean Up Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach

When we plan open-invitation Adopt-a-Beach cleanups, we don’t always know what we’re to get. We can’t control the weather, we don’t know what we’ll find on the beach, and we […]

Press Release

April 9, 2019

Adopt-a-Beach Program Springs into Action for 2019 Beach Season

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 (Chicago) – As spring finally begins to appear around the Great Lakes, volunteers are heading out to beaches for a spring cleaning. The Alliance for the […]

BLOG

November 8, 2018

How to Be a Plastic-Free Great Lakes Champion

Today, the Alliance teamed up with partners at Access Living and Shedd Aquarium on a live webinar to talk about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and how people around […]

ADOPT-A-BEACH TEAM OF THE WEEK

October 11, 2018

Michigan Students Make an Impact Beyond the Beach

Christine Webster makes it her mission to inspire the next generation of eco-conscious citizens. An Adopt-a-Beach team leader and science instructor of 28 years, Webster also sponsors Hudsonville High School’s […]

Press Release

September 15, 2018

Thousands of Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers Join Regional Cleanup Effort, Fight Plastic Pollution

September 15, 2018 (Chicago) — Great Lakes beaches are getting a deep clean today as thousands of volunteers head out for the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ annual September Adopt-a-Beach […]

ADOPT-A-BEACH TEAM OF THE WEEK

September 12, 2018

Erie County community a model in keeping beaches clean

Six years. Sixteen sites. Seven miles of shoreline. 60 to 100-plus volunteers, every month.   All the result of one man’s decision to voice concern about his local beaches. “I […]

Adopt-a-Beach Team of the Week

August 17, 2018

Pathways program removes 86 lbs. of litter from Foster Beach

Beachgoers flooded Chicago’s lakefront for fun and fireworks on a toasty Fourth of July. In the aftermath of the festivities, it became apparent the beach was in need of some […]

Adopt-a-Beach Team of the Week

August 3, 2018

Middle School Green Team supports Green Day in the Bay

When the Whitefish Bay Middle School Green Team stumbled upon a broken air conditioning unit at their local beach cleanup, they kept their cool. And, they did what they do […]

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