Citation:
Abstract:
Generations ago, a prophecy told the Anishinabe people to move west to where food grew on water. Migrating from the eastern shores of North America, the Anishinabe people settled throughout the Great Lakes region where wild rice fields grew out of fresh water lakes. For hundreds of years, the Bad River Band lived in present day Wisconsin, harvesting wild rice, hunting, and fishing. Sadly, pollution began to threaten this sensitive ecosystem and the Anishinabe identity. Waste was hazardous and abundant on their lands, despite cultural creation and migration stories stressing environmental stewardship. The Bad River Recycling/Solid Waste Department set about creating environmentally sound practices of managing and disposing waste generated on the reservation, ending cycles of harm caused by poor disposal practices. Now, through community-wide education, incentives, and new waste management systems, the Bad River Band citizens boast a clean, safe, and green reservation environment.