At 20 percent, Michigan's recycling rate is 10 percent lower than the regional average. Many people around the state are hoping to change that. In 2012, Governor Rick Snyder identified increasing Michigan's recycling rates as a priority for his administration. Michigan Recycling Coalition executive director Kerrin O'Brien discusses what a comprehensive recycling plan might include.
Also this past March, the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected coalition submitted some 255,000 signatures in a bid to overturn the law passed by the Michigan legislature that put wolves on the list of game species. The Senate soon passed another law that essentially circumvented the petition. Now, the group is trying again with a second referendum drive. This time, the president of the Human Society of the United States was in Michigan earlier this week to lend his support. We spoke with HSUS president Wayne Pacelle about the issue.
This environmental segment of Current State is supported by Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. For more news of the Great Lakes environment, you can check out GreatLakesEcho.org