As part of our ongoing capital campaign to increase our long-term strength and effectiveness, MEC has created a powerful new financial tool-the Michigan Environmental Action Fund.

The Action Fund will provide Michigan's environmental community with the resources it needs to respond to unexpected environmental challenges or opportunities that just can't wait. We hope to raise a total of $1 million into the Action Fund and replenish it over time as we use it. We believe this Fund will enable us to win Michigan's truly pivotal environmental battles, even when we face well-funded opposition.

Tom Porter of Ann Arbor and the Porter Family Foundation have provided a founding pledge to this fund of $100,000, which includes a challenge to increase the number of donors to the Action Fund significantly over the next two years.

An entrepreneur and venture capitalist with a broad range of experience in founding, managing and advising successful technology growth companies, Porter joined the Michigan Environmental Council board in 2005. He serves as the Executive-in-Residence Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is also General Partner of Trillium Ventures, an investment and investment advisory company.

"Our family has been concerned about the increasing pressures put on our state's natural resources by the demands of a growing population, industry, other states and our important tourist industry," Porter said. "We believe legislative action will be necessary to truly protect our treasured resources and the health of our citizens. We are pleased to help launch MEC's new Action Fund to provide MEC with the resources to deal with Michigan's most pressing environmental problems when needed and whether they have been budgeted for or not."

In addition to the support of the Porter family, the estate of Julia Morris provided a planned gift to MEC of $125,000, of which $20,000 was placed in the Action Fund. And Peter and Rita Heydon have made a five-year $50,000 pledge to the Fund.

"The creation of an Action Fund helps meet a critical need of MEC to be able to respond quickly and effectively to critical, and often unanticipated, environmental issues," said MEC President Lana Pollack. "We cannot always anticipate when new issues will arise that require our immediate attention and resources. The Action Fund will be an incredibly important tool to help increase the responsiveness of MEC to its members and the health and recreation needs of the people of Michigan."

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to MEC's new Action Fund, you can do so by sending a check with "Action Fund" in the memo line to the address below or by writing us a note when making a secure online donation at www.mecprotects.org. Send checks to:

Michigan Environmental Council
119 Pere Marquette, Suite 2A
Lansing, MI 48912