Hello & Welcome!

Welcome to Michigan Distilled, the Michigan Environmental Council’s latest vehicle to bring ideas, analysis, news, and a bit of fun to the public discourse.

Yeah, we know, another blog.  And to boot, one whose title evokes images of backwoods stills churning out rotgut moonshine.

But it’s not that definition of distilled we’re talking about, at least for the most part. We’re talking about the definition that says: “to separate or extract the essential elements or essence of…”

We’ll share comment and analysis from our policy staff, a little verbal sparring with those hell-bent on sacrificing our natural resources, and plenty of links to outside news, commentary and blog posts from our member organizations and others.

Michigan is fascinating.  We want to share and perpetuate the wonder.  Where else do you get to choose between Hell and Paradise?  Or the Giant 500-pound, man-eating clam and the Mystery Spot?  Or where you pass an eight-story-tall tire on your way to see the world’s only floating post office?

And, of course, we’re the only place on the planet nestled in the center of the world’s greatest freshwater system!  So, as we told former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson a few years back when he was running for President:  Keep your filthy hands off our water!

We digress. Welcome. And thanks for checking in.

Hugh McDiarmid Jr.

Communications Director

[email protected]

P.S.:  This forum complements our other communications vehicles:  press releases, Twitter updates @MichEnvCouncil, our Facebook page, print and electronic newsletters.  And, of course, social gatherings where our policy wonks stultify you with conversations about the definition of biomass under P.A. 295 or the nuances of municipal wastewater system permits!