By Eric Freedman

As journalists and as researchers, the Knight Center’s faculty and students keep up with, report about and study the latest environmental developments. Although we’re based here at Michigan State’s School of Journalism, our scope and interests go far beyond Michigan with a particular emphasis on the Great Lakes region.

We’re also international in scope and not just about Canada. For example, our faculty and grad students are conducting research projects and training professional journalists in Latin America, China and Central Asia.

Environmental issues in our region reflect national concerns.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development has just released a list of 10 of the most-read stories in its Science Matters newsletter in 2024. Last year, our Great Lakes Echo environmental news service reported on a majority of those same topics for our readers.

Here’s a quick run-down of  them:

Tires: EPA: “The issue of tire pollution is complex, as every step of a tire’s life cycle, from production to use to disposal, can impact our environment, health and wildlife”

We posted a Great Lakes Echo story by Anna Barnes about making asphalt for roads from recycled rubber tires.

Cyanobacteria and algal blooms: EPA: “Excessive growth of some cyanobacteria can result in harmful cyanobacterial blooms”

Great Lakes Echo posted four stories on that topic: algal blooms on the Wisconsin side of Lake Superior by Barnes; harnessing mussels to filter contaminants out of freshwater by Amalia Medina; toxic algal blooms on Lake Erie by Gabrielle Nelson; and how dams may slow the spread of algal blooms in urban lakes by Elinor Epperson and Daniel Schoenherr.

“Forever” chemicals: EPA: “Thousands of PFAS have been introduced to the environment“

Great Lakes Echo reported on “forever” chemicals in fish in a story by Ruth Thornton..

Environmental data: EPA: “Accessing chemical data is a vital step”

Another Epperson story in Great Lakes Echo told readers about a new online tool to share data on environmental justice.

Groundwater: EPA: “Tracking groundwater remediation efforts”

Our story by Alex Walters looked at potential damage to crops from salty groundwater.

Recycling innovation: EPA: “Innovative technology”

A trio of Great Lakes Echo stories updated our readers on recycling developments. Donté Smith wrote about recycling grants, Epperson covered expanded e-waste recycling in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Theo Scheer reported on a controversial proposed chemical recycling facility in Michigan.

Air pollution: EPA: “Trapping pollutants on leaves and branches”

Great Lakes Echo readers learned about the risks of indoor air pollution with a story by Mia Litzenberg focusing on the situation in Detroit and Cleveland.

Of course, we don’t need to follow the lead of the EPA in deciding what issues to cover, issues that matter to our readers and to the public at large in the Great Lakes region.

For us, the world’s most important beat produces fact-based stories on biodiversity, environmental justice, mass transit, environmental health, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, mining, agriculture, sustainable energy, logging, Great Lakes maritime history, solid waste, toxic spills and much, much more.

Eric Freedman is the director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism