The Great Lakes Commons Initiative is a grassroots effort to establish the Great Lakes as a living commons — shared waters that we all take care of and protect in perpetuity. 

The Great Lakes Commons Initiative works to: Awaken and restore our relationship to these incredible waters; Activate a spirit of responsibility and citizenship in the bioregion; and, Establish stewardship and governance that enables communities to protect these waters in perpetuity.

We are a growing and open network of people, organizations and institutions from the Great Lakes bioregion who care passionately about these remarkable bodies of water. We are united in a desire to insure that they have a vibrant future and share a commitment to the long term transformation of the care and governance of the Great Lakes. Leadership of the Great Lakes Commons reflects an unusual and promising alliance of people from across Nations, geography, ancestry and traditions. 

OUR VISION

The Great Lakes Commons Initiative is a grassroots effort to establish the Great Lakes as a living commons — shared waters that we all take care of and protect in perpetuity. 

The Great Lakes Commons Initiative works to:

• Awaken and restore our relationship to these incredible waters

• Activate a spirit of responsibility and citizenship in the bioregion
• Establish stewardship and governance that enables communities to protect these waters in perpetuity

We are a growing and open network of people, organizations and institutions from the Great Lakes bioregion who care passionately about these remarkable bodies of water. We are united in a desire to insure that they have a vibrant future and share a commitment to the long term transformation of the care and governance of the Great Lakes. Leadership of the Great Lakes Commons reflects an unusual and promising alliance of people from across Nations, geography, ancestry and traditions. 

Take Action

The Great Lakes can only be a commons when people commit to being a ‘commoner’ — a person who works collaboratively to protect and enhance all that we inherit, share, and pass on. 

There is no blueprint for making the Great Lakes a shared commons, but we believe the following:

• we are among millions of people who care and want to contribute more protecting the lakes

• we can learn from and support long standing efforts by Indigenous communities to care for and protect the Great Lakes and their tributaries
• we are overwhelmed with the size and scope of threats to the Great Lakes and we need new social, political, legal, and cultural agreements
• we have a diversity of communication tools to learn and organize with and that also multiply our collective voices
• we need a diversity of people and teachings to show us how to live sustainably

Find Out How →