2025 Annual Report
There was an unbelievable and unconscionable defiance of decades of American environmental leadership in 2025 that spanned Congress, the courts and the presidency. In a burst of grassroots leadership, hundreds of environmental organizations, leveraging the support of thousands of Michiganders, increased their commitment, their advocacy and their impact in response. And the Environmental Council was right there to help bring these wins across the finish line. Scroll to read through the highlights of our 2025 Annual Report, or download a PDF copy at the link below.
Introduction
Standing as a beacon of hope amidst federal harm
There was an unbelievable and unconscionable defiance of decades of American environmental leadership in 2025 that spanned Congress, the courts and the presidency.
In just the first six months we saw the Department of Energy claw back $8B in funding for projects to fight climate change, the Supreme Court severely restrict the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency roll back protections from mercury and PFAS contamination.
The message was clear: we can no longer count on the federal government to protect the air we breathe, our water and the places we love. It’s up to us. Michigan is ours to protect.
Michiganders stepped up to the task. Our Legislature enacted the largest transit funding package in state history. The State Supreme Court upheld our nation-leading PFAS protections and the state’s authority to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations and waste runoff. The Whitmer Administration rolled out more than $26M in Renewable Ready Communities grants to help local governments prepare for large-scale energy projects.
In a burst of grassroots leadership, hundreds of environmental organizations, leveraging the support of thousands of Michiganders, increased their commitment, their advocacy and their impact in response. Protect the Porkies once again safeguarded an iconic landscape from the threat of mining expansion.
The Detroit Environmental Agenda (DEA) made our issues a key factor in the city’s council and mayoral election. The Cleanup Club and the Sierra Club drove the introduction of an historic strategic approach to protect the Great Lakes from microplastic.
And the Environmental Council was right there to help bring these wins across the finish line, providing critical cash prizes to support groups like Protect the Porkies, publishing and promoting the DEA’s 2025 Voter Guide, and lending key legislative support to microplastics prevention efforts.
This kind of activism is crucial given the fight we have ahead of us. The Trump Administration jumped into 2026 by eliminating human health risk considerations from the assessment of environmental regulations and repealing the endangerment finding that anchored the regulation of greenhouse gases. This assault will not stop. So we are going to have to fight harder and smarter.
In 2026 the Council membership will build out the Ours to Protect campaign–a multi-year, multifaceted policy and programmatic effort to strengthen our state-based response to federal retrenchment.
We’re going to completely rethink Michigan’s environmental protection and conservation regime: strengthening the rights of citizens and communities to a clean environment, creating competitive advantage for businesses that honor and adhere to our environmental values, securing permanent funding for essential agencies and programs, and modernizing sanctions on polluters to deter repeat offenses and put egregious bad actors out of business.
This is a huge and challenging effort in a comparatively poor and politically purple state. But one thing has always been true and continues to manifest in polling, community conversations and local decision-making: Michiganders hold their environmental and conservation values deeply.
Whether we’re conservative or liberal; black, brown or white; urban, suburban or rural, we share a belief in our obligation to protect the air that fills our lungs, the water that gives us life and the places that define our experiences as Michiganders, from the neighborhood park to a national forest.
In 2026, we lean into that solidarity. Together, with the support of individuals, organizations and foundations, our Council can ensure Michigan is a champion and not a victim in this whirlwind time of change.
In Solidarity,
2025 Wins by the numbers
$423 Million
117
113,000
438
Rallying our allies to help Michigan withstand cuts, rollbacks and deep polarization
2025 was a challenging legislative year in Lansing. With Republicans controlling the House and Democrats the Senate—and polarization running high at both the state and national level—major bipartisan policy movement was difficult to achieve. At the same time, sweeping federal funding cuts, deregulation and the dismantling of key environmental programs created new risks for Michiganders and the places we love. In response, the Council focused on strengthening the structures that protect Michigan’s environment and communities. Our policy and campaign teams worked to convene our allies and align defensive strategies that help our movement withstand harmful federal rollbacks, while also focusing on critical legislator education. Even in a difficult political landscape, the work continued—and progress was made on several key priorities.
Connecting lawmakers with advocates & experts
A core pillar of our policy advocacy work is expanding legislative knowledge about environmental issues. In 2025, we hosted successful legislator education events, met individually with lawmakers and shared our expert testimony on numerous bills aimed at increasing protections. On May 7/8, Lead Education Day brought 61 volunteers to Lansing, where they met with 31 legislators to educate them on the issue of lead exposures within homes.
Meet some of the Lead Ed Day advocates
Securing Michigan’s largest transit investment to-date
Our extensive advocacy with legislators and the administration resulted in the largest state budget increase in local bus operating (LBO) funding in recent history, from $226 million up to $271 million. In addition, the newly created Neighborhood Roads Fund (NRF) set aside $35M/year of additional LBO funding and $65M/year for "high-capacity transit infrastructure” over the next five years. Non-motorized trail expansion and installation also received $5.3 million in funding.
What we'll fight for alongside this funding
Flood Proof: standing united against federal harm
The Environmental Council along with key policy allies like the Sierra Club and Michigan League of Conservation Voters took swift action as federal officials began efforts to unravel the fabric of our national environmental protections, ‘Flood Proof,” a two-part webinar series, informed Michiganders on how federal environmental decisions impact the state's people and places, how we can protect ourselves, and how we can come together to aid the cause.
What the 'Big, Ugly Bill' means for MI
“While our federal leaders are determined to slash funding, cut programs and green-light polluters, it’s up to us (and our allies, like you) to defend our bedrock environmental and climate goals, and fight for critical state investments that safeguard Michigan.”
Charlotte Jameson, Chief Policy Officer
Building community & connection to weave many threads into a strong rope
As a trusted convener for organizations across the state, the Council continues to play a central role in bringing Michigan’s environmental community together. Grounded in shared values and a collective commitment to protecting our air, water and the places we love, our movement building work strengthened connections, coordination and engagement across the network in 2025. Across Michigan, smaller environmental and conservation groups faced sudden funding freezes, program cuts, and even staffing reductions. In response, organizations turned to one another—and to the Council—to share information, coordinate strategies and support the frontline leaders and communities most affected by federal harm.
Connecting at the 2nd annual ECOsystems Conference
The second annual ECOsystems Conference, held at Crystal Mountain, brought together members from across the region for several days of inspiration, collaboration, and community building. Participants engaged in thoughtful discussions about the challenges and opportunities facing our movement, and left energized by the exchange of ideas and the sense of collective purpose. Highlights included Ian John Soloman’s inspiring and thought provoking keynote.
Meet Ian John Soloman
Creating an environmental voter guide for Detroiters
A central element of the Environmental Council’s Detroit Program is a passionate and diverse coalition of environmental organizations called the Detroit Environmental Agenda (DEA). In 2025, we worked diligently with DEA members to create a voter guide for the mayoral and city council elections. The guide contained survey responses from nearly every candidate regarding their positions on everything from citywide recycling programs, to urban flooding, air quality concerns and more.
Read the 2025 Detroit Voter Guide
Catalyzing Protect the Porkies' efforts
Thanks in part to their 2024 ECOsystem Prize and support from collaborators Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior, the Protect the Porkies coalition made the long trip from the U.P. to Lansing in July to speak out against proposed public funding for the Cooperwood mine project. The Council proudly hosted this grassroots coalition of locals, Indigenous water protectors and advocates fighting for the future of the Porcupine Mountains at our Lansing office where they prepped before heading to the Capital.
Learn more about Protect the Porkies
“Our members—especially those representing communities of color and those already facing injustice—are feeling the effects of federal harm firsthand. Our response is rooted in listening, convening and infusing resources where we can.”
bill wood, movement building director
Elevating stories (and storytellers) to cut through the deluge of bad news
It was hard to escape the constant loop of doom and gloom news in 2025—reports of entire federal departments being dismantled, to footage of our top leaders shaking hands with prolific polluters, to local coverage of community groups grappling with funding cuts seemed to come weekly. So cutting through the noise to engage our supporters with meaningful policy updates and critical stories from the movement presented a real challenge. In 2025 we connected with new storytellers like never before, creating uncommon collaborations so that our important stories were getting out through the lens of individuals, volunteers and frontline community members from across our movement. The result was powerful engagement and growth across our platforms that will be critical to tap into as we look to the hard work ahead.
Reaching new heights with video storytelling
In 2025, our communications strategy had to adapt to the legislative environment that dominated the year—delays and halts on some of our priority work, and rapid response to the deep federal cuts. Not only did we meet the moment, but we harnessed the power of high-value short-form video to surpass on annual growth and engagement goals on our digital channels. Our policy experts stepped in front of the camera to break down complex issues—from CAFO pollution to shoreline protection—in ways that were accessible and relevant to broader audiences.
Hear from our Climate policy guru, Carlee
Fostering collaborations with Michigan-based “microinfluencers”
In December 2025, we teamed up with five Michigan-based microinfluencers to produce a handful of short videos for the Ours to Protect campaign, which maximized our project’s exposure to their unique audiences. The project earned us over 60,000 views on Instagram alone. This included Hannah Tzides (left), a microplastics warrior with the Cleanup Club, and Ian John Soloman (right) of "Ian Outside."
Hear from Hannah with the Cleanup Club
Supporting our movement’s environmental communicators
We launched the ECO Comms Collective to connect and support environmental communicators across the state. In its first full year, the program hosted monthly virtual gatherings on topics ranging from using AI in communications to strengthening media strategies and creating effective feedback systems. By the end of 2025, the Collective had grown to 35 participants.
Discover our storytelling work
“Michiganders are hearing one clear story from our national leaders: the environment (and the people affected) are worth sacrificing. But we tapped into stories that combat that rhetoric and showcase our team, allies and advocates across the state who are standing up for our communities and the places we love.”
Grace noyola, communications director
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