Ecology Center

Ecology Center A healthy and just world is possible.

The Ecology Center fights for healthy people and a healthy planet, focusing on Environmental Health, Climate Action and Clean Equitable Energy, Environmental Education, and Zero Waste.

Today is World Environment Day — at a moment when our environment is being pushed to its limits. Today is a reminder of ...
06/06/2026

Today is World Environment Day — at a moment when our environment is being pushed to its limits. Today is a reminder of what we stand to lose, and what we still have the power to protect. 🌎

We need to come together and commit to the work: protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ecosystems our communities depend on.

A healthy environment is essential for healthy people on a healthy planet. World Environment Day is a day to rise up for the places and people we love.🌿💪

The food left on your plate can be a gift to your garden! 🍎🌱Organic matter like food scraps can introduce nutrients to y...
06/04/2026

The food left on your plate can be a gift to your garden! 🍎🌱Organic matter like food scraps can introduce nutrients to your soil that encourage plant growth, and choosing to reuse food waste can lower fossil fuel emissions.

Compost might also protect you from dangerous PFAS, because PFAS stick to organic particles in the soil instead of being absorbed by your plants.

Learn more: https://www.ecocenter.org/our-work/protecting-communities-pfas-pollution/pfas-chemicals-soil-amendments

Ann Arbor voters are facing a flood of dark‑money spending from groups tied to DTE. DTE is financing a front group calle...
06/03/2026

Ann Arbor voters are facing a flood of dark‑money spending from groups tied to DTE. DTE is financing a front group called the "Responsible Energy Coalition,” attacking an Ann Arbor proposal to transform electricity distribution in the city, while the utility continues to fall short on clean‑energy progress and reliability.

When monopoly utilities can influence local elections through opaque funding networks, communities lose transparency and the ability to hold corporations accountable. ‼️

👉 As for the Ann Arbor ballot initiative, please form your own opinion about it and find responsible sources of information on the topic. Just know that the Responsible Energy Coalition is not one of them.

🔗 Read more: https://www.ecocenter.org/dte-dark-money-floods-ann-arbor

Meet Becca Nielsen, Ecology Center's new Environmental Education Director — a leader who believes learning should happen...
06/02/2026

Meet Becca Nielsen, Ecology Center's new Environmental Education Director — a leader who believes learning should happen not just in classrooms, but in neighborhoods, parks, rivers, and community spaces. 🍎🌱

Her work helps students explore how environmental issues show up in their daily lives and how they can take meaningful action. From zero‑waste habits to circular‑economy thinking, Becca is helping build the next generation of environmental stewards.

👉 Read more about Becca's approach to environmental education: https://www.ecocenter.org/becca-nielsen-our-new-environmental-education-director-and-her-passion-place-based-education

🌱You have the power to limit PFAS contamination in your garden. PFAS can enter your garden through many routes, but thes...
06/01/2026

🌱You have the power to limit PFAS contamination in your garden.

PFAS can enter your garden through many routes, but these simple steps can reduce your risk of exposure through the produce you grow in your backyard.

👉Replace biosolids-based fertilizer with compost and avoid compost with compostable paper-based food containers
👉Avoid pesticides and use organic gardening techniques to protect your plants
👉Check local reports to learn if your water supply is contaminated

Learn more about how PFAS can enter your garden and what you can do to fight back here: https://www.ecocenter.org/pfas-home-gardens-small-farms

Did you know?💡 You can make a salad with common plants found in your backyard! Gillian Miller, Ecology Center Senior Sci...
05/31/2026

Did you know?💡 You can make a salad with common plants found in your backyard!

Gillian Miller, Ecology Center Senior Scientist, went foraging in her backyard and found her dinner. 🥗

In her bowl: violet leaves and flowers, Virginia waterleaf leaves, and immature flowers (the green balls). You can also add dandelion, clover, and wild strawberry leaves — all commonly found growing wild in Michigan. 🌱 Gillian also foraged some morel mushrooms in her own backyard! 🍄‍🟫

For mild taste, the best time to forage is early spring until mid-May. Happy Backyard-Salading!

Are toxic chemicals getting into your garden?Many people are attracted to gardening by the promise of fresh and healthy ...
05/30/2026

Are toxic chemicals getting into your garden?

Many people are attracted to gardening by the promise of fresh and healthy food that escapes the dangers of industrial agriculture. But pollutants like PFAS can sneak into your garden through common pathways.

🛑 Biosolids — fertilizers made with sewage waste — contain PFAS at far higher levels than their alternatives. Check your fertilizer ingredients and avoid things that include “municipal waste,” “recycled organic matter,” and “residuals.”
🛑 Compostable paper foodware can introduce PFAS into your compost. When composting your own waste, skip composting those take-out packages and stick to food leftovers.
🛑 Pesticides often include PFAS as an active ingredient. You can avoid introducing PFAS by not using pesticides and learning more about organic gardening practices.

Learn more here: https://www.ecocenter.org/our-work/protecting-communities-pfas-pollution/pfas-chemicals-soil-amendments

05/29/2026

It was only three years ago that train cars containing more than 100,000 gallons of vinyl chloride and PVC plastic derailed and were subsequently burned, setting off a major environmental health disaster that contaminated East Palestine, Ohio.

Three years later, residents are still getting sick from toxic fallout related to the derailment. This devastating incident is a painful reminder of the inherent dangers of making, transporting, using, and disposing of vinyl chloride and other chemicals to make PVC plastic.

The number one use of vinyl chloride is to make PVC for building products like vinyl flooring and siding. Retailers like The Home Depot continue to sell PVC, despite safer alternatives being available.

Today — the day of its annual shareholder meeting — we’re joining Toxic-Free Future and our allies in calling on The Home Depot to act as a leader in transitioning us away from using plastic building products made with cancer causing chemicals.

Can you join us in asking The Home Depot to ban PVC plastic? Take action: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-home-depot-to-ban-pvc-plastic/

The EPA just dismantled the nation’s first-ever PFAS drinking water standards — a move that will make water less safe fo...
05/29/2026

The EPA just dismantled the nation’s first-ever PFAS drinking water standards — a move that will make water less safe for millions of people. ⚠️💧

The rollback eliminates protections for four PFAS chemicals and delays enforcement for the remaining two, despite strong science linking PFAS exposure to serious health harms.

Communities in Michigan — including military towns like Grayling and Oscoda — have fought for years for clean, safe water. This decision puts them at even greater risk.

We need leaders who will protect public health, not weaken it.

🔗 Read more: https://www.glpan.org/epa-rollback-of-pfas-drinking-water-protections-puts-americans-health-at-risk

05/28/2026

EPA rollback of PFAS drinking water protections puts Americans’ health at risk MAY 18, 2026Dismantling of first-ever national drinking water standards for ‘forever chemicals’ endangers health of Americans everywhereWASHINGTON, D.C. – The Great Lakes PFAS Action Network (GLPAN) today issued t...

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