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 …

Living Sustainably: Workshop targets positive community impacts by business

By Hanna Schulze, Local First Helping businesses make positive social and environmental impacts on their community is the focus of a workshop called “Raising the Bar for Business” to be held in Holland on April 12. Local First has partnered with the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance and Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute to host the workshop. Together they will …

Living Sustainably: Skilled workers needed to sustain local manufacturing

By Jennifer Owens, Lakeshore Advantage The Lakeshore region is driven by manufacturing. Nearly one quarter of the jobs in Ottawa County are manufacturing-based, which is almost three times higher than the national average. Many of these jobs require skills, certification and training beyond high school, but not necessarily a college degree. Yet, the average wage in manufacturing is significantly …

Living Sustainably: Herrick’s collection ‘grows’ with new seed library

By Andrea Goodell, Herrick District Library Not all knowledge comes in books.  Herrick District Library has long advocated knowledge in all its forms, not the least of which is experience. Our new seed library aims to create a cycle of locally grown plants and saved seeds … and gardeners. The Seed Library’s motto is “Select, Learn, Grown, Return.” Starting …

February 2018 Sustainability News

February 2018 February 28, 2018 – A supermarket in Amsterdam has an aisle with more than 700 grocery items – and no plastic February 28, 2018 – Hope College to host lecture on climate change psychology February 27, 2018 – Some Christians are cutting carbon for Lent:  Instead of giving up luxuries, they’re reducing pollution. February 27, 2018 – How …

Living Sustainably: Hope College’s RecycleMania limits landfill waste

By Karen Frink, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute Intern In a new twist on a basketball game, Hope College recently participated in RecycleMania, a competition between college and university recycling programs to see which can produce the least amount of waste. The GameDay Challenge looks to keep out of the landfill as much waste as possible produced during a single …

Living Sustainably: Awards event honors Lakeshore sustainability stars

By Hanna Schulze and Michelle Gibbs Local First and Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute Five awards recognizing business and individual efforts supporting local initiatives and sustainability were presented Thursday, Feb. 8, when Local First hosted its inaugural Lakeshore Annual Meeting.  The event was held for the first time in Holland to recognize the growing number of businesses on the …

Living Sustainably: No Snow, Snow Kidding!

By Michelle Gibbs, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute Did you know, in the City of Holland we have the largest municipal snowmelt system in the United States? After the recent expansion, the system provides more than 600,000 square feet of heated sidewalks and streets. Personally, I love walking around downtown and not worrying about slipping on the ice or having my …