The
Power of the Pen and the People
It takes many hands to change Michigan’s pattern of growth from one
that wastes countryside and communities to one that respects resources and
people.
Some hands work on buying up and conserving sensitive lands before subdivisions
pave them with driveways. Some monitor water and air quality so they can
prove how pollution from the rapid increase of septic systems and cars hurts
people and wildlife. Others work at home to develop new master plans for
county growth or start farmers markets to bring area growers and shoppers
together.
Yet another hand is necessary to promote these efforts, expose obstacles
to them, and help people use information to change growth-at-any-cost policies.
The Michigan Land Use Institute is that hand. The Institute combines two
great traditions of the American environmental movement: Excellent investigative
journalism and spirited community organizing. We dig up the facts, publish
them widely, and also help people use and communicate information so that
they are more effective in their efforts to change local and state policies.
This combination of writing and organizing works today just as it did in
the late 1800s, when the great conservationist John Muir wrote about the
importance of preserving California’s Sierra Nevada mountains for future
generations. His work to publicize the issue and equip people with facts
brought immense public pressure to bear on Congress, which responded in
1890 by creating Yosemite National Park.
Today in Michigan the Institute’s nationally recognized team of investigative
journalists and policy specialists works to:
Inform: Institute articles and commentary on land use challenges
and opportunities appear regularly in local, state, and national newspapers;
in our own magazine, the Great Lakes Bulletin; on our Web site; and on radio
and television reports. The media also calls on us for information and insights.
In just one eight-week period last year, for example, the Detroit News and
Detroit Free Press quoted Institute staff in more than 30 articles.
Mobilize: We help citizen groups find and present the information
they need to win their campaigns for more responsible government and more
sensitive development. We rely on local people to be the experts at home
while we assist with communications and strategy.
Unite: The Institute forms and supports statewide alliances that
bring a common and powerful message to decision makers. We work closely
with other organizations — sometimes taking a low profile and other
times leading a high-profile charge in the media.
Of the many hands involved in protecting and improving Michigan’s
environment and economy, the Institute’s is often the most controversial.
But our willingness to confront powerful interests and our ability to help
everyday
people take charge of their communities has added a vital dimension to Michigan’s
environmental movement.
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