Sustainability – the belief that we have a moral responsibility to ensure that today’s actions do nothing to threaten our children’s future – is the thread that ties the issues of this campaign together. As we choose the path to our future, we need to keep the faces of that future – our daughters, our sons, and our grandchildren – at the front of our thinking. We need to build a sustainable Michigan.

This commitment to sustainability plays out in a number of ways. In ensuring that we serve as stewards of our environment, a focus on sustainability means that we say no to water diversion schemes – and commit to keeping Great Lakes water in the Great Lakes for our grandchildren and their grandchildren to enjoy. It means that as we consider decisions affecting land use, we take steps to ensure that we are no longer using our tax dollars to subsidize sprawl.

But just as important, a commitment to sustainability underscores my thinking about meeting and overcoming the economic challenges we face in this state. The other side has shown its hand – promoting an irresponsible budget and tax strategy that threatens our ability to compete today and in the years ahead. There is no doubt we need to make our state a more competitive place to do business, but the short-term fix promised by the GOP’s race-to-the-bottom is unwise, irresponsible and unsustainable. We will never be able to underbid the developing world in the global economy – and those that argue we should put their stock in a notion that is out-of-date by at least 200 years. Instead, our advantage must come from the quality, training and education of our workforce; the extent to which our people and businesses can tap into public services from health care to broadband access; and the quality of life available as a result of the vibrancy of our cities and towns and the beauty of our natural environment.

That is the essence of building a sustainable Michigan. And it’s the difference between preparing our state for the 18th Century, and building a Michigan capable of leading in the 21st.

In weeks to come, I will use this space to lay out specific policy proposals to protect our environment, grow our economy and deliver world-class public services to the people of Michigan. These proposals will be largely influenced by the discussions I continue to have with the residents of Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties, and once the proposals are on the table, I hope we can continue the discussion here and elsewhere. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, listening to your ideas, and to working with you to build a sustainable Michigan.