February 2001:               suggested link of the week COMMENTARY: THE DISPOSAL OF PUBLIC OPINION A new report from the Great Lakes Radio Consortium "The production of toxic waste has been an unwanted by-product of the Industrial Revolution"

About the Great Lakes Radio Consortium
www.glrc.org

Mission Statement

"The Great Lakes Radio Consortium is a news service committed
to revealing the relationship between the natural world and the every-
day lives of people in the Great Lakes region.This is accomplished by
thoughtful and provocative explorations of the environment in a way
that reaches the widest possible audience.

History

In 1993, a diverse group of public radio outlets began planning for
an environmental news service to help redefine environmental reporting
in the Great Lakes region.National Public Radio's "Living on Earth,"
Michigan Public Radio, the Superior Radio Network, and 29 non-
commercial radio stations partnered together to develop the structure
for this weekly news service.[...] Today, the GLRC is carried by 140
stations in 10 states and reaches an annual audience over 30 million
listeners.[...] The GLRC also relies on an extensive network of freelance
producers and has aired stories from over 100 individual reporters.
The GLRC has also won over 50 national and state awards for
journalistic excellence."


Recommended links to reports and commentaries:
(requires RealAudio. To download a free player, go to http://www.real.com/)


Commentary: The Disposal
of Public Opinion

"The production of toxic waste has been an unwanted by-product
of the Industrial Revolution. In the Great Lakes region, a number
of facilities have become disposal sites for this waste. One such
proposed facility, in Romulus, Michigan, and the method of disposal
they want to use, has attracted the attention of local environmentalists
who say that it is neither needed nor wanted. Great Lakes Radio
Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston says nobody's listening
to their voices of discontent:"

Commentary: Zero Waste Champions
The 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

"Americans recycle about 30 percent of their household waste. Despite
this, the amount of trash going to the dump increases every year. But thanks
to a new way of looking at manufacturing goods, Great Lakes Radio
Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston says that garbage dumps may
soon become a dying industry:"

Converting Manure into a Cash Crop

"Livestock farming is big business throughout the Great Lakes region.
From chickens to hogs to cows, each year the farm animals produce
millions of tons of waste. Now, one farmer is working to spin that
manure into gold. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Wendy Nelson
reports:"