THE CAMPAIGN DRAWS ON the emotional attachment that many basin residents have for the Great Lakes and is rooted in the simple truth that protecting the lakes starts with appreciating them.

To that end, the campaign seeks to make “Thanks Great Lakes” and its abbreviation “ThxGlx” ubiquitous expressions throughout the basin. It would do this initially through mass distribution of free ThxGlx stickers and later with the collaboration of Great Lakes organizations, municipalities and government agencies that agree to incorporate “Thanks Great Lakes” into their communication and marketing channels.

In challenging Great Lakes People to show their gratitude, the campaign’s one and only call to action is modest and to the point — If you feel it, say it!

THE COLLECTIVE VOICE of Great Lakes People has the power to influence public opinion and shape policy. An outpouring of Great Lakes pride from Duluth to Kingston would affirm and amplify the importance and affection that basin residents attach to the lakes and, in turn, fortify the political will of lawmakers in the U.S. and Canada to act on the lakes’ behalf.

This is the motivation behind the Thanks Great Lakes campaign.

The campaign seeks to do two things: 

• First, to hammer home the message that the Great Lakes system is like nothing else on Earth, an incomparable natural resource that we can’t afford to take for granted, and;

• Second, to strengthen a sense of Great Lakes identity among basin residents and nurture a deeper feeling of common cause — the idea that no matter where Great Lakes People live, our roots grow in the same water.

Of course, a basin-wide display of gratitude for the Great Lakes will not, on its own, solve the many problems plaguing the lakes. But in so far as it sways public opinion and strengthens regional pride, the Thanks Great Lakes campaign can compel a sustained commitment to the policies, research, and funding needed to fix those problems.

THE TIME IS RIGHT for the Thanks Great Lakes campaign. Consider the current state of affairs:

• Federal budget cuts threaten to dismantle decades of environmental progress, eviscerate essential programs, and stall basic research in the Great Lakes.

• On top of recurring ecological challenges, the Great Lakes are beset by serious newer challenges, including forever chemicals and microplastics.

• Demand for Great Lakes water is growing and will continue to increase as the region becomes a hub for mega data centers.

• Political friction between the U.S. and Canada portends a frostier working relationship on critical Great Lakes issues.

INCREASING THE PUBLIC'S appreciation for the lakes and building a stronger regional identity are goals that have been specifically identified by Great Lakes leaders over the years, perhaps most notably in the 2021 “Action Plan for Growing the Great Lakes Blue Economy.” The report was organized by the Great Lakes Commission with input from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, and other thought leaders in the region.

The action plan’s many goals include these four:

• Strengthen public appreciation for the Great Lakes through public education, outreach programs and other activities.

• Emphasize the Great Lakes as our region’s unique and defining characteristic.

• Establish a unified, regional identity and branding.

• Promote tourism and the unique identity of the Great Lakes region associated with water-related recreation.

While no single tactic could accomplish these ends, the Thanks Great Lakes campaign would be a practical step toward achieving progress in each of these areas.

IMAGINE IT'S SEVERAL YEARS  from now and you’re driving the giant loop around all five lakes. Wherever you go, in both the U.S. and Canada, you see references to “Thanks Great Lakes.” 

The diner you stop at has free ThxGlx stickers available at the counter. Same with the brewery you visit later on, and the bike shop you go to the next day. The national park visitor center, the marine sanctuary, the maritime museum — all of them are giving out free stickers. And they all proudly display the sticker on their front doors.

As you stroll around, you see ThxGlx stickers on cars, storefronts, laptops, and water bottles. People you pass on the street are wearing ThxGlx T-shirts, the same ones displayed in the windows of area souvenir shops. 

ThxGlx stickers are on charter fishing boats, kayaks, jet skis — even on the Coast Guard cutter, cruise ship and university research vessel tied up in the harbor. The marina has ThxGlx on its sign. So does the ferry company. 

When you go online to look up tourist information, you see the ThxGlx symbol embedded on several websites. You also notice a site for the Thanks Great Lakes Photo Contest.

As you continue your drive around the lakes, you see ThxGlx used in city publications and tourist guides. It’s even on billboards and banners in several cities.

It all makes sense when you learn that major conservation organizations, as well as governors, premiers and mayors across the basin, have endorsed the Thanks Great Lakes campaign and encouraged other Great Lakes organizations and cities to do the same.

At the end of your trip, it’s obvious that “Thanks Great Lakes” has become a rallying cry for basin residents and a de facto marketing slogan for the region, finally laying to rest the "Rust Belt" slur that has defamed Great Lakes People and their home for far too long.

AS ENVISIONED, a prominent Great Lakes organization would lead the Thanks Great Lakes campaign and solicit the endorsements of other key groups working to protect the watershed. 

For example, imagine if the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW Coalition) were to lead the campaign. The coalition consists of more than 180 organizations in eight states and Ontario and includes regional and national players such as Alliance for the Great Lakes, Flow Water Advocates, National Wildlife Federation, and Great Lakes Business Network. 

Although a formidable voice in its own right, the HOW Coalition would seek to broaden support for the campaign by soliciting the endorsements of Great Lakes advocates that are not part of the coalition. They fall into five groups.

• Conservation and education organizations, including university institutes and the Great Lakes Sea Grant programs; Inland Seas Education Association; maritime museums, marine sanctuaries and national parks.

• Intergovernmental organizations and advisory commissions such as the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Great Lakes Commission, International Joint Commission, and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission.

• Municipalities, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus.

• Businesses that depend on the lakes for their livelihood, such as breweries and restaurants, marinas, ferry companies, cruise ship companies, surf and kayak outfitters, bicycle rental shops, fishing charters, and souvenir stores, etc. 

• News media, including “Great Lakes Now” (Detroit PBS) and its partners in the Great Lakes News Collaborative.

By means of their combined communication channels, the HOW Coalition and the additional advocates they recruit would amount to a giant megaphone that could thoroughly promote and quickly launch the Thanks Great Lakes campaign across the basin.

Missing here is a discussion of how to pay for the campaign, the most expensive part being the printing and distribution of ThxGlx stickers. It is hoped that the campaign’s potential would be sufficiently evident that one or more Great Lakes champions could be persuaded to cover the relatively small cost. This might be a foundation — Mott, Joyce, Erb Family — or a private business, such as the Meijer Co. 

I'm Tom Rinderle, a journalist by profession and a Great Lakes guy by birth.

The best efforts of scientists and policymakers aren’t enough to ensure the health of the lakes. Ultimately, basin residents must do their part, too. That's the point of the Thanks Great Lakes campaign — to inspire greater appreciation for this one-of-kind oasis in our backyard.

As author Dave Dempsey warned in “On the Brink, The Great Lakes in the 21st Century, "Protecting the Great Lakes in the end will depend not just on how people feel about them, but how strongly they feel, and how willing they are to fight for them.”

I invite you to share your suggestions for the Thanks Great Lakes campaign at THXGLX@gmail.com.