Plastic Bags/Films Recycling on Campus

Our Hope Advocates for Sustainability interns have begun a 6-month campaign to help reduce the amount of plastic film from going to the landfill. Due to COVID there has been an increased usage of single use items and our interns hope this program will help with this problem. We encourage all staff, faculty, and students …

Sustainability Film Series

Please join the Hope College Green Team, League of Women Voters-Holland Area, Macatawa Creation Care, and Citizens Climate Lobby-Holland Area for a FREE virtual film series. You can view each of the films anytime on your own: “Honeyland” Tuesday, February 9 and “Kiss the Ground” Tuesday, February 23 and then from 7pm-8pm we will host …

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 …

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 …

Living Sustainably: Improving our community one rain garden at a time

By Kelly Goward, Macatawa Area Coordinating Council The Macatawa Area Coordinating Council is working with the City of Holland and homeowners to plan and install rain gardens. Rain gardens are depressed areas that collect rain water and allow it to soak into the ground. Rain gardens not only reduce the volume of water in storm …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

Living Sustainably: Healthy home and healthy world go hand-in-hand

By Cait Seppo, Seppo Chiropractic Single-use plastic is an issue I’ve become extremely conscious about in my life. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t even start over a concern for our planet. It was, in fact, my passion for all things health and wellness that led me down this road. It all started with a reusable water …