The Ecology Center

On May 21st, you can join in a celebration of the Huron River. Huron River Day festivities include recreational opportunities, educational programs, food, and live music. So, how is the health of the river? Huron River Watershed Council executive director Rebecca Esselman joined WEMU's David Fair to provide updates on PFAS contamination, the threat of hexavalent chromium, and to explain why the river is fully available for fun and recreation.

High levels of PFAS, or forever chemicals, have been found in fish in the Huron River. WEMU's Josh Hakala reports.

The Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center is diving deep into research in an effort to better understand how toxic chemicals interact and spread through the environment, our wildlife and, ultimately, humans. The center’s senior scientist, Dr. Gillian Zaharias Miller, joined WEMU’s David Fair to share the details of current and future research in the ongoing quest for solutions.

A renewed call for action has emerged following the release of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium into the Huron River this past summer. WEMU's Cathy Shafran reports.

It has been 41 years since the US Congress held its first hearings about “global warming” and 25 years since the Kyoto Protocol was approved It committed the nations of the world to address the climate crisis. For decades, the fossil fuel industry’s stranglehold on US politics kept action at bay. In mid-August, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law committing $369 billion toward climate emission reduction efforts. WEMU's David Fair checked in with Mike Garfield from the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center to get early analysis of the benefits and shortcomings of the measure and what it may provide to Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan.

Low income households in Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan face an greater energy burden. That means paying for gas and electricity eats up a significant amount of the monthly budget. A coalition of groups, including the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, has been working with the Michigan Public Service Commission and the utilities in the state to create programs of greater assistance. David Fair brings you the latest in his conversation with the Ecology Center's Alexis Blizman.

Founded in 1970 after the very first Earth Day, Ann Arbor's Ecology Center has focused on making many improvements to the environment.WEMU's Lisa Barry…

Whether you frequent fast food restaurants or only stop by occasionally, the wrappers your food comes in may be doing harm to your health. Recent studies…

The buses and heavy trucks that travel our towns and highway system contribute a significant part of the emissions causing climate change. We are in the…

Gardening season is in full swing, and folks are ready to buy the essentials, such as natural fertilizers. Yet, buyers should beware. A national study…