Alliance for the Great Lakes

To protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes.

We envision two broad positive outcomes for people and the lakes. People and communities can safely enjoy and rely on all the benefits the lakes have to offer, from safe, affordable drinking water to recreation opportunities such as swimming, boating, and fishing.  Every community that depends on the lakes is heard and included in the decisions that affect the lakes and their community.  Our approach includes four core strategies including water advocacy, local partnerships, engagement, and operations and fundraising.

Each year thousands of volunteers clean up beaches on all five Great Lakes. Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are on the front lines of keeping litter, most of it plastic, out of our lakes. And they collect valuable data on what they find for researchers to use worldwide.

Educate your community about threats to the Great Lakes and how they can help. Join our Ambassador program and we’ll train you to spread the word.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the Great Lakes region to protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes. We are active in advocacy, volunteering, education, and research. Each year, through the Adopt-a-Beach program, thousands of volunteers work to keep the Great Lakes shorelines healthy by removing litter from our beaches and collecting important data.