For Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

🦃(Nominate Mr. Great Lakes for a Lakie award.
Nominations close Dec. 4: https://bit.ly/Lakies25
*Science Podcast of the Year*)

1 – New research offers a simple solution to a widespread pollution problem.

A published study by The 5 Gyres Institute and Ocean Wise found that secondary dryer filters can capture up to 80% of microfibers before they become airborne. 

Researchers estimate that U.S. households emit a massive 702 trillion microfibers into the air each year from clothes dryers, which are a major source of microplastic pollution. 

If widely adopted, the most effective filters could prevent the release of up to 570 trillion fibers annually. 

Numbers that are hard to make sense of, aside: Microfibers from synthetic fabrics are increasingly found in human lungs and other organs, posing a threat to human health.

Experts say easy-to-install, affordable secondary dryer filters offer an opportunity to improve air quality and public health. 

There’s more info online at 5gyres.org/plasticair.

…

2 – The AuSable River Scenic Preserve is in the hands of Oscoda Charter Township. 

The site, made up of 42 forested acres on Hull Island, was transferred to the township last month (October) from the nonprofit Huron Pines.

The preserve is located just west of downtown Oscoda and features oak trees, squirrels and deer; 3,300 feet of river frontage; and a web of winding footpaths. 

The township partnered with Huron Pines in 2023 to permanently protect the spot and make it available for the public to recreate, access the river and enjoy events like a canoe marathon that finishes just downstream from the site. 

Lake Huron Preserved, Walleye Fishing Increased, Lightning Events Counted

…

3 – The federal government is back open and newly updated Michigan energy facts are out. 

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

• Michigan has 44 natural gas storage fields with almost 1.1 trillion cubic feet of underground storage capacity. That’s the most capacity of any state and almost one-eighth of the nation’s total natural gas storage capacity.

• The share of Michigan’s total electricity generation from natural gas-fired plants was about 45% in 2024, more than four times greater than a decade earlier.

• Renewables provided 12 percent of Michigan’s electricity net generation in 2024, with record wind power generation accounting for about 65 percent of the state’s renewable electricity. Michigan ranks 14th among states in the amount of electricity generated by wind.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM WUCX in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes