A lot of the Pure Michigan campaign was based around expansive outdoorsie beauty shots of our lakes and forests. Now that the water poisoning of Flint is a major international story this approach has a hollow ring. And it is hitting home big time at the business level.

This week's Crain's has a cover story about the hand-wringing going on and how the campaign can be salvaged and deflected until the Flint mess fades. Among the approaches is to pivot to other assets, like the positive news around Detroit and its tourist opportunities.

What would be your solution? Me, I would urge the state to go full force into environmental protection and non-polluting sustainable energy projects. Stop selling Pure Michigan and start being Pure Michigan and let the world know that.

Under Gov. Rick Snyder, the state adopted the Pure Michigan slogan for use in its business marketing. So if the brand is tarnished for the long term, it affects corporate recruitment and other efforts.

Economic development professionals say any damage done by the Flint crisis won't be permanent. But in the meantime, they added, the state and its individual regions need to coalesce around a consistent message that Michigan remains open to business and tourists.

"It is too early to tell how much impact the Flint water crisis will have on the state's image. Certainly with our brand being Pure Michigan, it is more of an image problem," said Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan, the state's business roundtable.

"We worked so hard to have Detroit not be a negative issue," Rothwell said. "Now, Flint puts a damper on it."