Protecting our Great Lakes Workshop with Peter Annin

This event is hosted by the North Shore Interfaith Green Team in partnership with Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. 

When: Thursday, June 11, 2026 | 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Where: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center | 1111 E. Brown Deer Road
✅ This event is free; seating is limited. Registration required using the form below.

Freshwater is sacred—and increasingly vulnerable. Join us for an inspiring evening with acclaimed journalist and author Peter Annin as we explore the challenges facing Wisconsin’s freshwater and the Great Lakes, and identify practical next steps for Conservation, Education, and Advocacy across our congregations and community partners. 

Event Goals 

• Deepen understanding of freshwater sustainability and Great Lakes stewardship 
• Strengthen interfaith collaboration around shared environmental values 
• Identify practical next steps for congregations and individuals 
• Foster long-term partnerships to protect Wisconsin’s freshwater resources 

Program Schedule 

6:30–7:00 PM — Registration & light refreshments / socializing
7:00–7:10 PM — Welcome & introduction (North Shore Interfaith Green Team)
7:10–7:55 PM — Keynote presentation and Q&A with Peter Annin
7:55–8:10 PM — Break & refreshments
8:10–8:45 PM — Breakout sessions (choose one)
Conservation: community water practices, habitat stewardship, reducing pollutants
Education: interfaith teaching tools, congregational programs, youth initiatives
Advocacy: policy priorities, Wisconsin opportunities, coalition-building
8:45–9:00 PM — Wrap-up & next steps 

Keynote Presentation: Global Water Tension and the Great Lakes Compact

Peter Annin’s presentation delves into the long history of political maneuvers and water diversion schemes that have proposed sending Great Lakes water everywhere from Akron to Arizona. Through the prism of the past, his talk analyzes the future of Great Lakes water diversion management, which is now controlled by the Great Lakes Compact. The Compact, which prohibits most Great Lakes water diversions, with limited exceptions, was adopted by the eight state legislatures in the Great Lakes region as well as the U.S. Congress before being signed by the president in 2008. A similar agreement relating to Canadian water diversions was adopted by the province of Ontario in 2007 and Quebec in 2009. This presentation analyzes several noteworthy Great Lakes diversions that already exist, including the controversial water diversion approved for Waukesha in 2016, and highlights the fact that the southwest corner of Lake Michigan is home to more water tension than anywhere else in the entire Great Lakes watershed.

Peter Annin is a veteran conflict and environmental journalist and author known nationally for his expertise on water policy and freshwater sustainability.

Registration Form

About the North Shore Interfaith Green Team

This partnership aims to promote environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community engagement through shared efforts and mutual support and respect for one another’s traditions.

Congregations
Christ Church Whitefish Bay Episcopal
Congregation Beth Israel Neer Tamid
Congregation Emanu-El B’Ne Jeshurun
Congregation Shalom
Crossroads Presbyterian Church
Fox Point Lutheran
Lumen Christi Church
St Joseph’s Catholic Church
United Methodist Church-Whitefish Bay

Support Organizations
Faith In Place
Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD)
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center