Making a Difference

By Barbara Badolati-Cini

Several sand mining companies operate within miles of my home. One, in particular owns 440 acres, which it has mined for over 90 years. In just one community of one state, the dunes have been flattened and will never be replicated by those who have profited. I understand that the sand along the shores of Lake Michigan is ideal for casting various metal and automotive parts. However, I am deeply disheartened by what has occurred to another precious resource during our stay on Mother Earth.

And if this weren’t enough, this mining company has proposed to install a 600 foot pipeline through other critical dunes, construct a rock plunge pool on the beach and discharge 8.3 million gallons of treated waste water per day!

When I read and heard of this proposal, I decided to do what I could. I knew I didn’t have a great deal of time, but that I could spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon to protest. A friend provided me with several pages of statistics and told me when and where the SOS (Save Our Shoreline) would be meeting.

The weather and sunshine were on our side, as well as many passersby supporting our mission with honks and waves. This day made such an impact on me, not only for my convictions, but the connection I had with others. I met every face of that community that day. People drove up to the corner with luxury SUVs and cars that have seen better days. There were people of every color, young and old, parents with children, and individuals coming or going to work. Nearly everyone of them stopped to learn more, or put a bumper sticker in their car, or was willing to call a political representative and let them know that they were against the sand company’s plans. It was invigorating to see people become empowered once they received information or were given the opportunity to help, just as this had happened for me.

The local newspaper conducted a public telephone poll which asked whether this sand mining company should be allowed to pump treated waste water into Lake Michigan. Of 183 responses, 93% voted no, and 7% voted yes. Easy to understand, after all, this is one of THE Great Lakes!!! Many of us choose to live here because of the lake and its surrounding beauty and recreation. We value it and are committed to protecting it.

Someone once said, “I hate local politics,” and Tip O’Neil, former House of Representative responded, “All politics is local politics.” Remembering this, I chose to spend 10-15 minutes calling my local and state representatives that following Monday. This was fairly easy since the names and phones numbers were provided by SOS. I left a message with a few, and actually spoke to a few others. I didn’t pretend to be a lawyer or to know everything. I just spoke from my heart and with my authentic passion. When I hung up, I felt that I had done a bit more to help this cause—and felt better about myself, too.

There is a hearing between the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) who had denied the permit and the sand company who has contested it. Whatever should be decided will be. What I have learned is that each and every one of us has a choice to make a difference. It may be in voicing your beliefs, making a phone call or saying a prayer. At times, issues can be overwhelming, and we aren’t always sure what to do, or we don’t think we have enough time to make a difference, and then we don’t do anything.

We forget that we are powerful and that our opinion counts. The parents I saw who had their children in safety seats were just as concerned about their children’s drinking water. (The sand company proposes to discharge the treated waste water between two water filtration plants which serve approximately 120,000 people.)

Sometimes we are uncomfortable going to such uncomfortable places. We would rather leave it up to “them.” We don’t want to educate ourselves on the issue(s) or we just want to have a good time and “escape.” However, it is my belief that we are connected to each other and all things, therefore, there is no escaping. As long as we live in the world we co-create, we are responsible, even if it is in taking care of our own backyard. Continue to make this world a better place.

Barbara Badolati-Cini and her family live and play along the shores of Lake Michigan. Barbara helps people live vibrant and healthy lives. Visit her at www.aliveandwellbarb.com.