Michigan sings the blues: Water is a new frontier

--This article originally appeared on November 19, 2009

Michigan is surrounded by lakes. Do you realize that? That's a lot of freaking water. California should be jealous, really jealous. But, seriously, there's a lot of water out there and there is this little thing called the "blue economy." As you've probably already guessed, it has to do with the water. And, recently, a panel was convened to discuss Michigan's future in the blue economy.

Excerpt:

The enormous surplus of water available due to the decline of automotive activity in the region creates a unique opportunity for Michigan's economic recovery and diversification of the manufacturing base to create both blue and white collar jobs.

According to Lt. Cherry and Pezza, efforts are underway to energize the water industry. Dr. Miller discussed the ways in which the state's universities are preparing tomorrow's water industry workers and O'Brien discussed the Rouge Gateway Partnership and industry's efforts to be cleaner water users.

"Today's event on the Blue Economy shows that Michigan has the strategic advantage when it comes to water. Water is a key unifier for our State and the enabler to rebuild our economy," said Skiven. "We extend our thanks to everyone. Problem solving, not fault finding, through collaboration is the answer."

Read the entire article here.