On April 4, Maude Barlow began a speaking tour in defence of the Great Lakes in Duluth, Minnesota.
In advance of the tour stop, Northlands News Center reported, “The national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and chair of Food and Water Watch’s board is embarking on a seven-city speaking tour in Canada and the United States in an effort to protect the Great Lakes. Maude Barlow will be touring regions of the Great Lakes to talk about threats such as low lake levels, pollution, over-extraction, climate change and invasive species. …Barlow is calling for the Great Lakes to be recognized as a Commons and a Public Trust to be shared, protected and managed by those living around them. …The Great Lakes tour will kick off Wednesday April 4 in Duluth.”
Her stay in Duluth included an art event and press conference at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), a two-hour workshop with about 40 people, and then a lecture titled ‘Poverty and the World’s Water Supply’ presented in the Mitchell Auditorium at The College of St. Scholastica.
After her visit, KBJR (NBC News in Duluth) reported, “(Barlow spoke to) staff and students from UMD (taking) part in World Water Day to celebrate the Great Lakes. Reusable aluminum water bottles were handed out to remind people how bad plastic water bottles are for the environment. The event also stressed the importance of using Lake Superior as a source for Duluth’s drinking water. …Barlow also spoke at St. Scholastica Thursday to talk about global water issues.”
The tour continues in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 15.
