
Common Groundwater
Michigan is defined by the Great Lakes that surround it. But there's a so-called sixth lake that’s critical to our state, too: our groundwater. It flows deeply through every community and to every corner of our peninsulas. Yet, we have so much more to learn about this natural feature.
Like groundwater, this podcast shows environmental issues felt deeply, widely and personally across the state. It tells stories around those issues and the solutions to them. It goes beyond the headlines to bring listeners and viewers something grand yet personal to us all.
Episodes
21 episodes
The Proof of Youth
New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens. "The European Mind Cannot Comprehend This." City Beautiful.These are the (respective) internet communities, memes and influencers that have brought America's rising generations together arou...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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28:48

After We Put the World on Wheels
It's Season 2 of Common Groundwater! We'll be taking this podcast on the road across the state to the places where the problems, stories and solutions to the topics we talk about are happening. Plus, we'll be leaning on you, the l...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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29:10

Where Are We Now? Dunes
Last year, dozens of folks came to Saugatuck to hear the plans of legislators to restore protections for dunes and their neighboring communities against destructive, risky development. Michigan's globally unique dunes are nearly un...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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12:31

Where Are We Now? Green Buildings
Update: Better building codes for all homes and building have been adopted in Michigan! You can read about it here.
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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20:57

Where Are We Now? A Better Bottle Bill
Michiganders have used their state's bottle deposit system to keep billions of beverages out of our communities, nature and landfills. Now, as the system nears its 50th birthday, a plan is forming to make the system even better. More recycling....
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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24:02

Where Are We Now? Water Protections
Last year, we brough you a miniseries on the ways in which politicking has frozen and muddied longstanding water protections Michiganders expect their Great Lakes State to have.Reese Dillard, Environmental Council water policy specialist...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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17:50

We Can't Be Lame Ducks - Special Feature
It's a special, standalone episode of the Common Groundwater podcast, and it's packed with urgency, policy and opportunities for action.In 2025, Michigan and the nation will undergo power shifts, and if we take our new leaders ...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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38:38

Sights for Sore Eye
Our dunes miniseries has focused on, well, dunes thus far, but the conversation we're really having is on the relationship between development and nature. Jake Parcell, executive director of Scenic Michigan, joins us to provide other perspectiv...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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36:58

How You Dune?
UPDATE: The legislation discussed failed to pass the Michigan Legislature. For the latest updates on our efforts, click here.I...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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39:45

Lines in the Sand
UPDATE: The bills discussed in this podcast episode did not pass the Michigan Legislature. For the latest update, click here.L...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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32:37

Cold One Cracked Open
Buy a pop. Pay a little extra. Drink it. Rinse it. Return it, and then get that little extra back. Michigan’s bottle deposit system sounds simple, and yet it’s internationally known for keeping bottles and cans out of our landfills and landscap...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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33:39

Turn of the Hourglass
Michigan is home to the world's largest assemblage of freshwater dunes. They run up and down the west coast of the Lower Peninsula and dotted along the Upper Peninsula. They're beloved by just about anyone who visits (and many do), and they hel...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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38:22

Lightning in a Bottle
Michigan’s bottle deposit system: Buy a beverage, pay a bit of upcharge, drink it, return it, get that upcharge back.It’s as routine an experience for us Michiganders as talking about the weather. Yet, it’s extremely powerful. It's a wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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33:33

From in the Red To in the Black
Ink from recycled paper, of all things, was what polluted the Kalamazoo River Watershed so much, it was placed in two federal cleanup programs. Paper mills, oil spills, dams, manure—the "Kazoo" has seen it all. And yet, this watershed a...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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46:27

The Polluter Rulebook
The environmental arm of our state was created to protect our land, water, wildlife and us residents from pollution—it's enshrined in Michigan's constitution. And yet, over the course of 30 years, the department and its thousands of employees h...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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34:37

The Sentence
UPDATE: The bills discussed in this episode did not pass the Michigan Legislature. For the latest update on our efforts, click here.<...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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31:09

The Stove War
"God. Guns. Gas Stoves." That's what a prominent legislator posted on social media early in 2023. Welcome to the Stove War, a cultural flashpoint that pitted gas stoves against their electric counterparts. As with most viral debates, misinforma...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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42:33

Homes of the Future
Eric Schertzing considers land banks like a Veg-O-Matic. These entities offer a plethora of innovative ways to hold and redevelop properties in our communities. Eric joins us in the third episode of our green housing miniseries to discuss how t...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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27:10

Up to Code
Update: Better building codes for all homes and building have been adopted in Michigan! You can read about it here.
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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32:30
