Living Sustainably: Green Commute Expo offers info and fun at Holland Energy Park

By Michelle Gibbs, Hope College Office of Sustainability and Colleen Nagel, Holland Sustainability Committee “Green commuting” might sound complicated to some, but it’s not. In fact, the “why, where and how” will be explained Tuesday evening, along with other fun activities, as part of a free Community Green Commute Expo at Holland Energy Park.  The family-oriented event will focus …

Living Sustainably: Rethink, Reuse, Recycle with Holland BPW during Tulip Time

By Morgan Kelley, Holland Board of Public Works The Holland Board of Public Works is excited to be the official Tulip Time Conservation Partner for the seventh year in a row and, as such, to help the community “rethink, reuse and recycle” to help boost sustainable practices in our community. Along those lines, consider these opportunities: Rethink your …

Living Sustainably: Native plants are beautiful and beneficial

By Sarah Irvin, DeGraaf Nature Center This growing season, you can help reintroduce native plants to our otherwise cultivated landscapes of non-native or invasive plants and monocultures of green grass. Including native species in your yard will bring beauty to your life; benefit our local ecosystem, and save you time, money, and energy! Here are some of the …

Living Sustainably, Get Ready to Roll in Green Commute Week

By Carolyn Ulstad, Macatawa Area Coordinating Council Spring is a time to reinvent, refresh and reflect on how we want to proceed through the warm months ahead. For most of us, after enduring the long winter, spring means spending as much time outside as possible. My own warm weather goals involve promises to myself to see the beach …

Living Sustainably: Two events address business sustainability

By Michelle Gibbs and Paul Lilly, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute Businesses are emerging as significant players in the environmental/social movement because of their opportunities to implement solutions while still following principled business methods. Two upcoming events provide opportunities for businesses and community members to learn about ways to support the “triple bottom line” – the business approach that …

Living Sustainably: MAX Transit again offers efficient access for Tulip Time

By Shelby Pedersen, Max Transit There’s no need to tiptoe to the tulips this year – or walk or drive downtown, for that matter. The Macatawa Area Express (MAX) is again pairing with Tulip Time to offer an inexpensive way to avoid parking and traffic problems during the festival that begins May 4. To avoid traffic and …

Spring into Sustainability this Earth Month!

Below is a listing of some of the fun things happening around the greater Holland area that you can participate in to learn more about our Earth and how to protect it.   Be sure to also check out the events on the calendars for the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, Outdoor Discovery Center, DeGraaf Nature Center, City Parks, and our county …

Living Sustainably: Research Fest celebrates learning

By Laura McMullen and Karey Frink’18 , Hope College Hope College invites all community members to come to the 18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Each year Hope College students work on a variety of research projects in all academic divisions and display their results at the Celebration. This year, more than 200 projects from …

Living Sustainably: Kids can learn to be sustainability leaders

By Susan Ipri Brown and Shana McCrumb, Hope College “We need to have a vision of the world we want to create so that we can see ourselves as collaborators with future generations in the project of shaping it.” – Dr. David Grinspoon “Think of your kids and live sustainably.” How often do we hear such statements as …

Living Sustainably: Water, water everywhere? Not so much, anymore

By Paul Sachs, Ottawa County One of Ottawa County’s most alluring features is its water. For as far as the eye can see, Lake Michigan’s crystal-blue waters lap up against our expansive sandy shoreline. Twenty-four miles of coastline provide the perfect backdrop for walking, swimming, kayaking, boating, and fishing. But what we can’t see, and something that is …