This week brought a long-fought, hard-won victory for MEC-and anyone who breathes Michigan's air.

A new year brings new opportunities, and at the Michigan Environmental Council, we're ready to seize them.

After a hesitant beginning, it seems winter is here in earnest. Colder weather might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's great news for the organizers of Michigan Ice Fest.

Nov. 15 is the 18^th annual America Recycles Day, billed by the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful as "the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States."

In what has become a national news story and a full-fledged public health emergency, state officials now acknowledge that unsafe drinking water has exposed children, pregnant women and other Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead.

Late last week, MEC and several of our partners and members submitted formal comments on the draft document, "Sustaining Michigan's Water Heritage: A Strategy for the Next Generation," created by the Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

For years, Detroit was the largest city in the country without a curbside recycling program. That dubious distinction ended last year when a curbside pilot program for single-family homes expanded citywide.

Imagine a football field. Now imagine that your house is in one end zone, and just past the other end zone is a fence. Behind this fence is a drilling rig operated by a company trying to find oil and gas. At this distance, the rig is allowed to operate at 70 decibels, even overnight, which is the equivalent noise level of a vacuum cleaner. Unless you are in Oakland, Macomb, or Wayne County, lights from the drilling rig can shine through your windows all night, every night.

MEC is proud to announce that we've hired Sean Hammond to strengthen our team of policy experts at the state Capitol.

Onward!