New Ranking of Great Lakes Twitter Influencers Promotes Positive Dialogue

New Ranking of Great Lakes Twitter Influencers Promotes Positive Dialogue

Launch of the #GreatLakes Top 500

Launching September 13th, the #GreatLakes top 500 ranking of influencers on Twitter will be an online community resource and business network to help promote positive dialogue and increase stewardship engagement across the entire Great Lakes Basin and beyond.

Sponsored by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and created in association with SustMeme, this free-to-join ranking will measure influence both individually and collectively around the topic and the region, raising awareness and encouraging stewardship engagement on social media.

How to Participate in the Great Lakes Twitter Ranking

  • Participation in the ranking is open to all people and organizations with an interest in the Great Lakes, freshwater ecosystems and sustainability
  • Ranking will update every week with the top 500 Twitter users that have the most interaction and influence around #GreatLakes
  • Conducted in a spirit of openness and fairness, all scoring is independent and transparent
  • To help users make the most of their involvement, a library of articles giving helpful tips and hints can also be found in the User Guide to the SustMeme Top 500s
  • To nominate a person or organization for potential inclusion in the ranking, simply Tweet the Twitter username of the nominee to @SustMemeTop500, using the hashtag #GreatLakes500. Self-nomination is perfectly acceptable – don’t be shy!

Great Lakes Stressors

Mapped from west to east, lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario stretch across two countries, eight states, and one province, covering some 750 miles (1,200km) in total. Forming one of the largest ecosystems of its kind on the planet, the Great Lakes provide 21% of the world’s supply of surface freshwater and as much as 84% in North America.

For sustainability, though, the importance and value of the Great Lakes goes far beyond their direct environmental benefit and can be measured in more than just liters or gallons of water.

Conceptualized as a region including the U.S. and Canada, the Great Lakes represent the third-largest economy in the world. The Great Lakes Basin is home to more than 30 million people — roughly 10% of the U.S. population and 30% of Canada’s. It also contributes nearly 25% of Canadian agricultural production and 7% of American farm output.

The Great Lakes are, however, at risk. Climate change, emerging contaminants, pollution, biodiversity loss, harmful algal blooms, and other stressors threaten both the ecosystem and regional economy. There is an urgent need to amplify the sustainability message far and wide. Work to stimulate connectivity and collaboration will support restorative endeavors and investments to develop and secure long-term resilience.

The Twitter ranking will encourage public conversation about the Great Lakes and provide educational resources to users who follow the hashtag.