A decade ago, top Great Lakes thinkers published a vision to remake the region’s economy around the use and protection of its greatest natural feature: Water. The GLNC newsrooms will pursue a project assessing the state of the so-called “blue economy” a decade later.
From fishing and heavy industry to recreational waterfronts and data centers, a dizzying array of interest groups are using – and sometimes abusing – our biggest economic asset. How does water use, access, preservation and pollution shape our region’s economic outlook, and what lessons can we learn from the past to ensure a thriving blue economy in the future?