ABSTRACT
Great Lakes Commons (GLC) is an ambitious bioregional initiative to transform water governance in the Great Lakes so that the long-term needs of communities and the watershed take precedence over quarterly profits and settler-colonial state-making. Leadership of the GLC reflects a confluence of people across Nations, geography, and ancestry. GLC’s newest pilot project challenges our collective relationship with money. The GLC Currency project rethinks currency, value, and the impact money has on the world around us, especially water. GLC has been seeding a transformative approach to water governance. The Water Friendship Project sets out to name the relationships, present their value and role in water protection, and offer concrete actions to guide water policy, curriculum, and advocacy. Additionally, uncovering lost connections to water invites more people into the movement from different cultures, professions, and locations. Water-commoning in the Great Lakes has so far designed a unity Charter, learning and action Toolkit, shared journey experiences, and a community story-telling platform.
