Living Sustainably: People can expand or limit invasive bugs’ impact

By Analise Sala ’19 and Micaela Wells ’19, Hope College Travel has consequences. Thanks to an increasingly connected world, American forests house more than 360 non-native insect species, 30 percent of which have become serious pests. By relocating and displacing organisms, we are effectively homogenizing our planet’s landscape in a period of great human influence on the environment …

Living Sustainably: Trees add value in Holland (Hope College Biology Student Research Project)

By Katelyn DeWitt, Hope College Biology Student Have you hugged a tree lately? This summer I have been walking around Holland doing just that. In a joint project between the City of Holland and Hope College, I have been working to census all of the trees on public property in Holland by recording every tree’s trunk diameter and …

Living Sustainably: Celebrate Your Watershed at this year’s Water Festival

By Ashley Van Zee, Outdoor Discovery Center It’s time to celebrate your watershed! Yes, we all live in a watershed. If you live in the Holland and Zeeland area, you live in the Macatawa watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a certain stream, river, or lake. It’s like a bathtub – all the …

June 2018 Sustainability News

June 2018 Sustainability News June 30, 2018 – Parks enrich children’s lives June 30, 2018 – ‘Task force’ quietly planning James DeYoung vision process June 30, 2018 – The Annual Macatawa Water Festival is right around the corner, Saturday, July 14! June 30, 2018 – Trump claims Saudi Arabia will boost oil production June 30, 2018 – What will become …

Living Sustainably: Summer is time to spur kids’ natural curiosity

By Susan Ipri Brown, Hope College – Center for Exploratory Learning “Nature is our kindest friend,” said the famous British scientist Michael Faraday. Place-based environmental learning is a powerful tool for improving students’ knowledge of the world around them and sustaining their natural curiosity. Summer is the perfect time to put this natural curiosity into play as families …

May 2018 Sustainability News

May 2018 Sustainability News May 31, 2018 – Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth May 31, 2018 – Group challenges Nestle’s water permit from Michigan May 30, 2018 – Exhibit provides a look at ‘Industrial Nature’ May 30, 2018 – Lower temps at a lower price: How to improve the energy-efficiency …

April 2018 Sustainability News

April 2018 Sustainability News April 30, 2018 – Sustainability at the 2018 Tulip Time Festival April 30, 2018 – Living Sustainably:  Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance’s Summit on Race and Inclusion April 30, 2018 – Department of Energy Announces $19 Million for Advanced Battery and Electrification Research to Enable Extreme Fast Charging April 30, 2018 – 2018 Michigan …

Living Sustainably: Fly Fishing Helps Promote Conservation

By Andrea Goodell, Herrick District Library Fly fishing is a serene, contemplative pastime. It’s about conversations with friends, visiting the local restaurant near your favorite stream, the rod or hand-tied flies passed down from your grandfather and just “decompressing in the water,” local author Jon Osborne said. “Fly fishing is a balance to career, especially a stressful career …

Repost: Science, Sustainability, and a Bahamian Town Dump

SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY AND A BAHAMIAN TOWN DUMP Ah, spring break in the Bahamas. Sun. Sand. Palm trees. Snorkeling in coral reefs. Exploring limestone formations. Visiting the town dump. What? Wait. The town dump? Yes, Deep Creek Town Dump to be precise. For more than 20 years, Dr. Brian Bodenbender has had a penchant for teaching and researching coastal geology in the Bahamas, …

March 2018 Sustainability News

March 2018 Sustainability News March 31, 2018 – DOWNLOAD YOUR DIGITAL GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS IN WEST MICHIGAN! March 31, 2018 – Resource from the MSU Extension.  How to plan your garden tip sheet. March 30, 2018 – Big in Sweden: Picking up trash + jogging = ‘plogging’ March 30, 2018 – A break for spring: Week is full …