The Great Lakes are a mess. Invasive species such as the dreaded Zebra mussel have turned the lakes' ecology upside down. Sewerage overflows have pumped billions of gallons of filth in to the lakes. Industrial pollution, channel dredging, and all sorts of other culprits have all added to the lakes' misery.
The charge to clean it all up? $26 Billion.
But, as this article so simply states, it's not a cost at all but an economic investment that not only repairs much of the damage done, but pays for itself at least two-fold in direct economic benefits to the region.
This is a great example of more holistic thinking when it comes to both economy and environment (and recreational culture for that matter) and it's the kind of thinking that can cut through political differences because it's just plain common sense.
UPDATE - Check out the PDF with the full report.
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If you can make money by cleaning up the trash in the water, there should be a grand business opportunity here:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm
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