Business leaders, community activists and lawmakers discussed supporting action on sustainability amid current political challenges.
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum Executive Director Daniel Schoonmaker says Michigan companies and communities are investing in sustainable practices despite what he calls the federal government’s current “adversarial approach.”
“It’s not unreasonable to ask them to honor their commitments and grant programs and contracts that were made over the last three months to three years to at least minimally advance and protect the investments the private sector is making.”
State Representative Carol Glanville of Grand Rapids says lawmakers will continue to fight for funding and adds adversity can create opportunity.
“When you throw in a barrier like this that is so sudden and so absolute, it really forces a lot of innovative thinking and work and collaboration, and we might see some really interesting public-private partnerships and things like that we hadn’t imagined before because we were going down a specific road.”
Glanville notes Michigan business owners tend to lean into sustainability and see the long-term return on investment, despite uncertainty over the current economy and regulatory changes.
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