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Every day, the choices we make in our homes and communities connect to much bigger environmental stories. One of those connections is through Plastic Free July, a global movement encouraging people to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics. But what does that look like right here in Washtenaw County? Lydia McMullen-Laird is the co-founder and deputy director of the Ann Arbor-based Zerowaste.org. She and Rebekah Warren discussed ways residents can reduce their use of everyday plastic and how to participate in the 2026 Plastic Free July Challenge.

The Ann Arbor Sports Commission is kicking off the summer with some big sporting events in the Ypsilanti area. One of which is the return of the RowFest National Championship on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township, running July 10-19. Lee Van Roth provided all of the details on this exciting event in a conversation with the Director of the Ann Arbor Sports Commission, Meaghan Hughes.

Inspired by her own experience as a caregiver for a loved one living with a serious mental health condition, Judy Gardner is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, inclusion, and access to care. She has continued that passion as Executive Director of the Washtenaw County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Gardner talked about the organization's work in promoting men's mental health with Decky Alexander.

The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way people do business. On this month’s "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor chats with Atomic Object Managing Partner, Jonah Bailey and Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, Andy LaBarre about how responsible adoption of AI can help companies remain innovative and achieve long-term growth.

Military veterans and their families can face many difficulties after serving our country. Anything from housing to proper physical and mental health care can sometimes be out of reach. Fisher House Michigan in Ann Arbor is a resource for these veterans. Decky Alexander talked about Fisher House's work with its executive director, Kate Melcher.

It's the first "1st Friday" with former state lawmaker Rebekah Warren and Michigan League of Conservation Voters President/CEO Lisa Wozniak as your hosts. For this month's edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment," Rebekah and Lisa talked about the current state of the Great Lakes with Cameron Davis, who served as a senior advisor to the administrator of the EPA and as "Great Lakes Czar" during the Obama administration.

For more than 30 years on WEMU, Thursdays have meant "Cinema Chat"! After three-plus decades, David Fair is stepping away from WEMU and into retirement, so this will be his last opportunity to talk movies. For 30 of David's 32 years at WEMU, he co-hosted "Cinema Chat" with the former head of the Michigan Theater Foundation and Marquee Arts, Russ Collins. Those two will get together one last time to reflect on their time together and their time with you.

What does it take to heal a community impacted by gun violence? For some local advocates, it starts with an industrial chop saw in a church parking lot, turning dismantled firearms into pieces of art. For others, it's launching a lock-it-up campaign with community centers or pediatric offices that give away free lockboxes to anyone. These grassroots efforts are just part of the story for Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence (PPGV), founded by local doctors who have witnessed the physical and psychological toll of firearm trauma firsthand. Washtenaw United's new host, Decky Alexander, talked all about PPGV's ongoing work with the organization's president, Dr. Mike Otto.

For years, Washtenaw County’s relationship with the "forever chemicals" known as PFAS has centered on massive industrial pollution along the Huron River, like the Tribar industrial spill upstream. Yet, a two-year, proactive study by the Multi Lake Water and Sewer Authority entirely flips that script, revealing that the low-level PFAS consistently detected in local wastewater isn’t a corporate spill—it's coming from everyday consumer products used inside Dexter and Lyndon Township homes. Rebekah Warren discussed the study and what actions may come from it with Daniel Brown, climate resilient specialist and emerging contaminant for the Huron River Watershed Council.

A YMCA building that closed its preschool collaborative doors in March reopened in June as something else entirely — a free, neighborhood-embedded wellness and community hub now known as the "Neighborhood Collaborative". Ann Arbor YMCA President James Highsmith spoke with Lee Van Roth about the development of the Neighborhood Collaborative and what the future may hold for it.