How to Stay Busy in Retirement: Marj Mulcahy’s Post-Retirement Goal to Save Our Waterways

In late summer of 2014, the Toledo Water Crisis took hold and the nearly half-million people affected vividly remember that the water became unsafe to drink, bathe in, or use for laundry. This water shutdown lasted almost three days and was found to be caused by an explosion in the growth of toxic blue-green cyanobacteria algal blooms in Lake Erie.

Long-time Toledo resident and retired emergency room nurse Marj Mulcahy thought at the time that the crisis would certainly spur significant governmental action. “At the time and then nearly two years later though, it remained as if nothing had happened,” she explained of her growing disappointment. Little conversation or change was visible to her and a concerned group of citizens, so they gathered to ask, “Well… what can we do?”

Marj recalled that the big questions early on revolved around “Do we really want to start this? Do we have enough energy to go about it?” Thankfully, her fellow founding Lake Erie Advocates were lifetime activists Mike Ferner and Sue Carter who assured the group that change was possible and they should in fact organize in a more official way.

“We had an introductory meeting at the Sanger Library branch, and to our surprise and delight about 40 to 50 people showed up,” Marj shared about the group’s 2016 launch event nearly ten years ago. “We discussed what direction we would go in and how to go about it — the types of things that would really make a difference. After we finalized our core list of priorities, I was asked to chair the Policy & Legislation committee.”

This committee aligned with the priorities of education and advocacy to create forward motion. “The educational aspect is really the most important thing; everything comes down to education — educating politicians, citizens, the media. I like teaching, and especially when we present to high school students,” expressed Marj. “In fact, when my kids were teenagers it was my favorite time as a parent. Sure it was challenging, but I found it fun to stay ahead of them!”

Though school presentations are rewarding, the Policy and Legislation Committee’s main activity is to educate elected officials, attend meetings, ask questions and get support for an impaired watershed. Marj recalled she and fellow committee members Tahree Lane and Pat Wright’s early activities included lots and lots of study. “We spent a lot of time reading — articles, journals, whatever would help us to speak accurately on the subject. When I think about the progress of our organization I’m really proud that now, when we talk to politicians, we can do so confidently.”

Marj’s committee began to pay closer attention to the EPA and Department of Agriculture. “We really spent those first couple of years meeting state and national representatives and senators, just talking with legislators to try and understand why this happened. We wanted to understand what the government did and did not know. We found conferences in particular to be helpful, such as the one run by the Lake Erie Waterkeepers, a separate national organization. We even learned quite a bit from Canadian publications. The U.S. and Canada do share Lake Erie after all.”

As someone who lives to learn, this work suits Marj. “Working in the emergency room before I retired, people would come in with a variety of difficult problems and we were prepared to help them in part because of the knowledge sharing our teams did. The doctors would present information to us, picking a topic once a month to cover. Transitioning to the Lake Erie Advocates work, the science concepts were already familiar and attractive to me,” she explained.

When asked about keeping motivated when doing work that can feel overwhelming, Marj shared that she needs things to do. “My life has always been active. As an emergency room RN we had to, and did, move really fast.” That love of learning and appetite for fast-paced work has lent itself well to Marj remaining active in retirement.

So what have the Lake Erie Advocates learned? “I’ve learned a lot about CAFOs, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. At first we were talking a lot about the fertilizers, but then we noticed that during a year where weather impacted farmers’ ability to plant crops and thus they used far less fertilizer, the algal situation was just as dire. So, something more was going on.”

Lake Erie Advocates agree with many environmental organizations and studies that these CAFOs are the biggest concern. “It’s important for citizens to understand how uneven the rules are,” urged Marj. “There are more rules about the operation of a single septic tank for a family in the country than there are for CAFOs. Small rural towns have to adhere to more stringent rules than animal farms producing far more waste.”

According to the ASPCA, animals on CAFOs in the U.S. “produce an estimated 885 billion pounds of manure each year. Unlike human waste, manure from CAFOs is not treated and typically gets flushed into underground pits or lagoons that are several acres wide.” Stored until it is applied as fertilizer on fields, the quantity of waste produced on factory farms cannot easily be absorbed, “resulting in over-application and runoff of the manure—and all of the chemicals, toxins and bacteria it contains—into local waterways.”

“It’s really a shame, because it costs our cities and municipalities more. The City of Toledo has made wonderful upgrades to water treatment and sewage facilities to combat the very poor water coming our way, but if CAFOs were regulated that water could be improved before arriving at our facilities,” explained Marj.

When asked what individuals themselves can do to help, Marj suggests being more mindful about their food sources. “This is a really big issue and it won’t be solved without laws, regulations, and monitoring. That said, we can direct our grocery shopping toward responsible farmers and producers.” Lake Erie Advocates has built a list of trusted food sources and Marj personally encourages family and friends to limit meat intake to once per day, or taking a day or two each week to skip meat entirely and eat more veggies instead.

“Just be aware of what you are eating, and what it goes through to get to you.”

Recently, Lake Erie Advocates took a big organizational step to apply for and receive their 501c3 nonprofit status with help from Toledo Library’s Small Business and Nonprofit department. Marj’s motivation to apply? “Our advocacy is working, and more and more people are starting to hear about us. It was time, and this official status will be a big help in generating donations and applying for grants.”

Certainly donations help Lake Erie Advocates to persevere, however, Marj explained that they have other major needs too. “We want to get the word out, so hosting us to present at your garden club, high school, senior center, church, etc. would go a long way. We’d also love to have a few more dedicated volunteers willing to have persuasive discussions with politicians.”

She noted a significant need for volunteers with technology and marketing know-how. “Our organization is mainly comprised of retirees. It would be a big help to have someone young and fluent with social media to assist with advocacy efforts.”

Want to stay up to date with Lake Erie Advocates?

Sign up for their monthly newsletter or visit lakeerieadvocates.org. The public is also welcome to attend a meeting to learn more; Lake Erie Advocates meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at Grace Lutheran Church.

Looking for assistance with your non-profit organization?

Connect with Toledo Library’s team of Small Business and Nonprofit specialist librarians at toledolibrary.org/sbn or by contacting business@toledolibrary.org and 419-259-5214.