SpeedyQ is deeply committed to improving the areas we serve. And our Drive program was designed specifically to support our customers and improve our communities. We are locally-owned and family run. That means our communities are your communities and we’re genuinely invested in making a difference. Creating a better Michigan is at the heart of everything we do.
One of our most treasured natural resources is the Great Lakes ecoregion. The Great Lakes are the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem and contain 20 percent of all surface freshwater on the planet. More than 35 million people in eight states and Canada depend on the Lakes for their drinking water.
The Great Lakes watershed is also a remarkably diverse habitat for wildlife. It provides a haven for animals like the Canada lynx, the gray wolf, the moose and America’s emblem of strength, the bald eagle. Millions of migratory birds pass through in the spring and fall. And the lakes themselves – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario—are home to a wide range of fish such as walleye, whitefish, trout, and lake sturgeon.
In spite of their natural grandeur, the Great Lakes are surprisingly fragile and they face significant threats. Invasive species, toxins, water diversion, wetland destruction, sewage overflows, and climate change all pose a danger to the survival of the delicate system. Pollutants from residential, industrial and agricultural areas negatively impact water quality. Land development decreases the area available for wildlife habitats and fish populations have dropped in recent years due to overfishing.
Fortunately, organizations like the National Wildlife Federation are working to protect this irreplaceable ecoregion. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is a historic agreement among the eight Great Lakes states to protect Great Lakes water. The Compact protects wildlife and habitat from water diversions from the Great Lakes basin. It also promotes responsible water management within the area.
The Compact provides important protections to Great Lakes water because it treats groundwater, surface water and Great Lakes tributaries as a single ecosystem. An agreement among the Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec helps the U.S. and Canada work together to protect the beloved Great Lakes. The National Wildlife Federation led efforts to negotiate and pass the Great Lakes Compact.
We know that lots of individual efforts add up to society-wide shifts. When you fill your tank or your cup at SpeedyQ, that individual effort helps us support the important work of organizations like the National Wildlife Federation. Preserving natural habitats improves our communities and our planet.