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 …

Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution – Thursday, February 21

Please join the Macatawa Creation Care Group on Thursday, February 21 in Graves Hall for a film screening of “Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution.” Doors open at 5:45, and the film starts at 6:00. The film will be followed by a panel of representatives from the City Of Holland, Holland Board of Public Works, and …

Living Sustainably: “Sustainable literacy” is a good goal for 2019

By Michelle Gibbs, Office of Sustainability With the recent turning of the new year and a new school semester starting this week, it is a great time to set a personal goal of “sustainable literacy.” But what does this mean?  The United Nations shares that “sustainability literacy is the knowledge, skills and mindsets that allow individuals to become …

Living Sustainably: We can resolve to be greener in 2019

By Karen Frink ’17, Holland Hope College Sustainability Institute As we celebrate the end of 2018 and the start of 2019, many of us list resolutions to improve our lifestyle in the coming year. What if your resolutions could help not only you but the earth and your local community, as well? Your friends at the Holland-Hope College …

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: You Can Stomp out a Smaller Carbon Footprint

By Karey Frink’18, Intern for the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute Carbon footprint.  This is a term we are hearing used more often, but what really does that mean? Carbon footprints are often thought about in terms of transportation habits. However, every person’s carbon footprint is comprised of much more. Here’s a complete definition from the Environmental …

JIM AND MARTIE BULTMAN STUDENT CENTER EARNS LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION

JIM AND MARTIE BULTMAN STUDENT CENTER EARNS LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION; WOOD FROM STORM-FELLED TREES LINKS PAST AND PRESENT September 17, 2018 — by Greg Olgers Organizations seeking LEED certification for their construction projects have many ways to earn it, including by using regional materials. In developing the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center, which recently …

Living Sustainably: Holland Stands Out in Governor’s Energy Excellence Awards

By Anne Saliers, Holland Board of Public Works More finalists have been selected from Holland for the 2018 Governor’s Energy Excellence Awards than from any other city in the state. Of the 21 businesses, organizations, and individuals across the state that have been honored this year, three are from Holland, a fourth is honored because of its work …

Living Sustainably: Booming bike use benefits Holland

By Meika Weiss, Pedal Holland The number of people bicycling in Holland has increased an incredible 281 percent since the year 2000, far outpacing the national increase of 51 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. This is great news because of the positive effects bikes have in cities like ours, even for people who don’t ride: …

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 …