Celebrating Water Responsibly
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(February 23, 2020) Listen up. When you’re celebrating water, please do it responsibly. On today’s show, we feature two guests who know a lot about that.
First up is Michelle Hoffman Trotter, who has stopped by the show many times. In fact, at one point she was in charge of the science desk. We miss having the microscope in the studio. But I digress. She is a faculty member of Columbia College, School of the Art Institute, and Roosevelt University. She teaches a range of courses that span traditional ocean sciences to sustainability courses encompassing law, policy, and ethics.
But her claim to fame on The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki is her film Microcosm.
Microcosm is a documentary journey into a hidden universe that will change everything you think you know about the ocean. Viewers experience a never before seen alien world, and accompany scientists racing to unravel its secrets with hopes of solving environmental challenges plaguing our planet. From the remote Arctic to the tropic wonders of Hawaii and beyond, impossibly small and enigmatic creatures are controlling the air we breathe, food we eat, and are key to the existence of life on Earth. It is smaller than a drop of water and larger than life, it is the microcosm.
Now she is putting her prodigious energy to work for something called the Wave Film Fest. It’s for folks who are interested in celebrating water, and the day-long event is described as “a wave of change.” It celebrates short films that educate, inspire, and take you on an adventure underwater. In addition to screenings, there are roundtables, breakout sessions, interactive art, special activities and even a Wave Rave afterwards.
Briefly, here are some of the films.
Microcosm by Michele Hoffman Trotter
Whale Song by Howard and Michele Hall
Protected Waters: Exploring Yellowstone by Jennifer Idol and Alex Rose
The Calling by Evan Sherman
“Arctic Symphony” – from Elysium Artists for the Arctic by Alex Rose
The Magical Maldives by Jim and Pat Stayer
Shipwrecks off Lakeshore Drive by Joan Forsberg and Cris Kohl, featuring music by Alliota, Haynes, and Jeremiah
And there are more. Like I said, they’re short films.
Amazingly, it’s free, except for the Wave Rave, one of the ways the event is being funded. The Wave Film Fest happens from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, February 29 at Film Row Cinema on the 8th Floor of Columbia College Chicago, 1104 South Wabash Chicago, IL 60605.
Speaking of celebrating water responsibly, that’s the very mission of our second guest. In fact, MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis says that’s the only job he’s ever had. In 2018, he was elected to a two-year term to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. On the way to that victory, he did something remarkable. As a county-wide candidate, he garnered 54,183 write-in votes, breaking a state-wide record set by Franklin Roosevelt in 1944.
That was just in the primary. In the general election, about 1.1 million people voted for him. Not too shabby.
In an age where political qualifications are no more than your number of social media followers, Davis is unusually qualified for his current job. He started, as he says, as a volunteer and an organizer in service to the Great Lakes. After attending law school at Chicago-Kent, he worked as an attorney for the National Wildlife Federation. Then he became president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. That led to being chosen as point person for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the Obama Administration.
One of the things we’re sure to touch on today are Lake Michigan water levels. Storms have battered the shorelines of Chicago, and the lake was at a record level for January, the first time a record had been set in 30 years. This happens at a time when the Alliance for the Great Lakes is decrying the Trump Administration’s proposed budget. While it leaves funding for GLRI intact, the organization states that
his budget includes significant overall cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental programs. Funding for the GLRI is important, but not nearly enough to protect the lakes.
Worse than that, Trump is attempting to gut the lynch pin of environmental law in the U.S., the Clean Water Act.
All of that affects the work of the MWRD. So the agency is attempting to educate the public about how its infrastructure works by scheduling events like the one in May.
On May 16, the MWRD will open its doors to four water reclamation plants (WRPs), including the Kirie WRP in Des Plaines, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In addition, the Calumet WRP on the Far South Side, Stickney WRP in the Stickney/Cicero area and O’Brien WRP in Skokie will be open for tours. The annual open house allows visitors to meet staff and commissioners and learn how their wastewater is cleaned through various activities and trips through the plants. Visitors will also take home samples of the MWRD’s free EQ Compost as well as oak tree saplings that are part of the MWRD’s “Restore the Canopy” campaign to replenish the region’s tree population.
And, it’s election season, with the Illinois primary happening on March 17. Early voting starts March 2. This time, Davis is running for a six year term. He says he’s been doing something called the Brewer & Sewer Tour 2020. Its slogan is Drink Beer, Talk Politics, Save Democracy! Works for me.
Other ways we can celebrate water are to touch on transparency in the MWRD, climate change, the progress in the battle against urban/suburban flooding in the Chicago area, using less salt on sidewalk ice (not much use for salt this winter, thankfully), support for the Illinois Monarch Project and more. We welcome Cam Davis back to the show.