March

If you’ve lived in Michigan long enough, you know March has its issues.

It’s snow boots in the morning, rain by lunch, and the sun says hello right before sunset. Weather mood swings aside, there's a lot happening.

Snow is melting (and going somewhere). Rivers are rising. Birds are returning. Farmers are testing soil. Ozone season has returned. And in our own homes, many of us are clearing space for spring.

This month, we’re looking at what happens during this in-between season, environmentally, structurally, and personally. From where the snow goes to how we declutter responsibly, to recognizing the women shaping sustainable change, March is all about transition.

Women’s History Month

Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future

Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978. It became a nationally recognized Women’s History Week in 1980 and was expanded to a full month by Congress in 1987. The purpose was simple (& way overdue): to recognize the historical, cultural, political, scientific, and economic contributions of women that had long been overlooked in textbooks and public memory.

This year’s theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” (kinda perfect right?) asks us to look beyond environmental protection alone and consider the systems that allow communities to endure: economic stability, access to healthcare, educational opportunity, civic participation, and intergenerational equity.

Sustainability is about what lasts, and women have consistently built what lasts... with no credit of course.

Across Michigan and beyond, women are shaping climate policy, restoring wetlands, advancing environmental justice in Detroit neighborhoods, strengthening local economies, leading research on Great Lakes health, and organizing communities around food access and clean water.

At the same time, women especially from marginalized communities, often experience the impacts of climate change, economic instability, and healthcare disparities most acutely. Rising housing costs, environmental exposure, limited access to resources, all which intersect. Yet, the leadership emerging from these communities is often the most adaptive, collaborative, and forward-thinking.

To shape a sustainable future means designing systems that support both people and the planet over time, and women are playing an active role at redesigning these systems.

Before it Blooms

Michigan is not a places that eases us into spring. One day it’s snowing. The next day it’s 55 degrees and raining sideways. Then we’re back below freezing and its snowing. It feels chaotic..and environmentally, it is.

March is what climatologists call a “bridge month” sitting between winter’s stability and spring’s growth. But beneath the gray skies and muddy sidewalks, a series of major environmental transitions are happening across the state.

Let’s go through them shall we.

Volatile Weather & Increasing Extremes

March weather in Michigan has always been unpredictable. From lingering snow showers, freezing rain, and dramatic temperature swings. But in recent years, we’ve seen an increase in severe weather events, including torrential downpours and even early-season tornadoes.

Climate change is amplifying these fluctuations. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means when storms hit, they hit harder. Aging infrastructure across many Michigan communities, especially in Metro Detroit, struggle to handle this volume of water.

The result? Flooded basements. Overwhelmed storm drains. Strained sewer systems. In other words, March is great for it’s infrastructural stress-testing season.

Ecological Transition

We might still wearing coats, but ecosystems are slowly transitioning.

You might notice:

Early bird migrations beginning.
Buds forming on trees.
Plants slowly breaking dormancy.

Here’s the thing: freezing temperatures are still possible.

False springs (short period of warm weather) trigger early growth followed by hard freezes, are becoming more common. This stresses plant life and agriculture.

Farmers across Michigan are preparing fields and managing soil moisture, but increasingly unpredictable precipitation patterns make timing difficult.

Rapid Snowmelt & Flood Risk

As temperatures climb into the mid-40s during the day (while still dipping below freezing at night), the winter snowpack begins melting rapidly.

The problem: the ground is often still frozen.

When soil can’t absorb water, runoff increases dramatically. That water moves quickly across pavement and compacted ground, flowing into storm drains and eventually into rivers and lakes. This is why March flooding is common across Michigan.

Declining Air Quality

Throughout winter, snowpack traps pollutants from vehicle emissions, industrial activity, and road salt applications. When that snow melts, those pollutants are released back into the environment, sometimes contributing to reduced air quality during early spring.

March also marks the beginning of ozone season in Michigan (starting March 1). As temperatures rise and sunlight increases, ozone formation becomes more likely, especially in urban areas.

Ice Breakup on the Great Lakes

Maximum ice cover on the upper Great Lakes typically occurs in early March. After that, ice begins to fragment and recede.

Inland lakes across Southeast Michigan also experience ice-out conditions during this time. While this signals seasonal transition, it can also create dangerous conditions for ice fishing and recreational activity.

Decluttering, Without Creating More Waste

Its almost timeeeee! Spring is coming, the birds are chirping, and the sun is shinning .. kind of. Very soon you will be filled with the motivation to clean out your room, attic, basement, or garage, hey maybe even all of above. Before you do that lets talk about a few things. I want your decluttering journey to feel productive, but i dont want the clutter from home to just clutter the landfills instead.

In the U.S., over 11 million tons of textiles are sent to landfills each year. The average person throws away about 81 pounds of clothing annually. Furniture is another major waste stream, where millions of tons discarded yearly, much of it is bulky, hard to recycle, and slow to decompose. Many synthetic fabrics and treated materials can take decades to break down.

When we “just throw it out,” it doesn’t disappear.

So what’s the alternative?

1. Donate directly when possible

When we give directly, we tend to be more thoughtful about what we’re passing on. We ask: Would I actually give this to someone I care about?

Important: Charities often need seasonally appropriate clothing, coats, socks, undergarments (new), hygiene items, and basic household goods more than outdated décor or heavily worn pieces.

Call ahead or check websites to see what is actually needed.

For Metro Detroit consider:

COTS (Coalition on Temporary Shelter) – clothing, hygiene products, household essentials
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – gently used clothing, coats, shoes
The Pope Francis Center – seasonal clothing and daily essentials

HAVEN (Oakland County) – new or gently used clothing and household items for survivors of domestic violence
Local churches (many run clothing closets and food pantries)
Community mutual aid groups or neighborhood Buy Nothing groups

2. Sell What Still Has Value

If an item has resale value, it shouldn’t go to landfill.

Try these platforms:

Facebook Marketplace
Poshmark
Depop
ThredUp (for accepted brands)
Local resale shops and consignment boutiques

Selling extends the item’s life and keeps it circulating within the economy. Remember these sites when your looking to buy as well

3. Upcycle What You Already Own

Before donating or selling, consider whether you can repurpose it.

Examples:

Turn oversized T-shirts into cleaning rags or tote bags
Refinish or repaint furniture instead of replacing it
Convert old sweaters into pillow covers
Tailor or crop clothing for a better fit
Use glass jars for pantry storage

Upcycling reduces demand for new production, which reduces emissions, water use, and resource extraction.

4. Recycle Responsibly

Not everything should go to thrift stores.

Look for:

Textile recycling programs for worn-out fabrics
E-waste recycling for electronics
Proper battery and hazardous waste drop-offs
Scrap metal recycling

Many “donated” items that are damaged or unsellable ultimately end up in landfill anyway.

The Most Important Step: Break the Cycle

Decluttering is only half the equation.

If we clear space only to refill it with new purchases, the environmental impact doubles. Production, shipping, packaging, and eventual disposal all add up.

Before buying something new, ask:

Do I truly need this?
What will happen to it in five years?
Can I borrow, repair, or repurpose instead?

Sustainable decluttering isn’t about minimalism as an aesthetic.

It’s about reducing waste, circulating value locally, and adjusting consumption habits so we don’t repeat the same cycle next spring.

Clear intentionally.
Give responsibly.
Buy thoughtfully.

March reminds us that change is slow and kinda uncomfortable.

It melts slowly. It floods unexpectedly. It returns in the form of migrating birds and longer evenings. It looks like clearing out a closet...and deciding not to refill it. It looks like recognizing the women reshaping our world for the better.

The common thread this month is awareness.

Where does the snow go?
Where does our stuff go?
Who's shaping the future we’re stepping into?

Spring will get here soon enough, and before you know it, we will be complaining of the summer heat.

Until then, see you in April.

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