Category Archives: Smart Energy
Living Sustainably: Drop the Phone, Grab the World
Now more than ever, we can’t seem to exist without technology. Though humanity was already walking that precarious path, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us even closer to our devices — perhaps a little closer than we were ready. Viewing our phones, tablets, and TVs as lifelines to the world brought into perspective how much life we …
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Living Sustainably: Holland’s Energy-Saving Trees Program Adds 500 Plantings
By Anne Saliers, Holland Board of Public WorksHolland’s Energy-Saving Trees Program grew from 300 to 500 trees in this the second year of the program. A partnership of Holland Board of Public Works and the City of Holland, the program saw 500 trees planted recently by homeowners, bringing the two-year total to 800 trees.Developed by …
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Living Sustainably: Germany offers ideas for sustainable redevelopment
By Eric Schumann ’21, Hope College Office of SustainabilityEvery global recession results in an economic restart. Governments flood stimulus packages to citizens to ensure some economic activity, but typically without regard for environmental consequences.Our post-coronavirus economic recovery offers an opportunity to address environmental sustainability, especially with regard to the challenges posed by our changing climate.But …
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Living Sustainably: Time to sign up for free, energy-saving trees in Holland
By Morgan Kelley, Holland Board of Public Works The opportunity to get a free tree to help save energy is back. For the second year in a row, through the Energy-Saving Trees program, Holland Board of Public Works residential electric customers can reserve a free tree to strategically plant in their yards this spring to …
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Living Sustainably: Holland wins Green Communities Challenge gold certification
By Michelle Gibbs, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute The City of Holland’s sustainability efforts were honored Thursday, Nov. 21 with a Gold Certification in our first submission to the 2019 Michigan Green Communities Challenge. Holland was recognized along with other Michigan Communities during the annual Michigan Sustainability Conference held in Lansing. The three recognition levels – Bronze, …
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Living Sustainably: Holland’s Energy-Saving Trees Program Nets 300 Plantings
By Morgan Kelley, Holland Board of Public Works The Holland Board of Public Works partnered with the City of Holland this past April to provide the Energy-Saving Trees Program, a project that netted 300 new trees in the community. Developed by the Arbor Day Foundation, the Energy-Saving Trees Program educates homeowners about the energy-saving benefits …
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Living Sustainably: Tree benefits branch far out
By Zoe Gum, Alec Berrodin and Katelyn DeWitt, Hope College Biology Students How much is that tree in your front yard worth? Sure, you might cash in once on its lumber value – or you could treat it as a long-term investment. In the latter case, the value will grow tremendously as the tree ages and provides …
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Living Sustainably: Energy efficiency upgrades create comfort, savings and healthier homes
By Ken Freestone, City of Holland Although we had a late start to summer, is your home already too hot – especially that second or third floor? Now think back just several months ago. Remember how cold some of your rooms were during the Polar Vortex? A Home Energy Upgrade could solve many of those issues, whether cold …
Living Sustainably: Local efforts can address global climate change
By Diane Haworth, local sustainability professional There is plenty of news related to climate change these days. The planet’s climate has constantly been changing over geological time, but now scientists are concerned that the natural fluctuation is being increased by an upsurge in greenhouse gases from human activities. The greenhouse effect refers to the way the Earth’s …
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