Living Sustainably: Recycle and reuse at the ReStore

By Stacey Korecki, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity
Have you heard about the Holland ReStore and how it is a center of recycle and reuse activity?
The Holland ReStore is a donation center that sells materials used in home improvement projects.
Items such as new and used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more can be found in store.
The great thing is, when used building materials or household products are donated to the ReStore and then sold, that item is recycled and kept out of the landfill. For every $1 in ReStore sales, 1.3 pounds of material is kept out of your local landfill.
Habitat ReStores are independently owned and operated by local Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
The proceeds from ReStore sales are used locally to support affordable housing. The Holland ReStore supports the work of Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity which serves Ottawa and Allegan counties.
The Holland ReStore, located at 12727 Riley St., kept approximately 742,725 pounds of material out of the landfill last year, and is on pace for that same amount this year.
This ReStore is known particularly for kitchen materials sales, and has sold 35 to 40 kitchen cabinet sets! Part of the reason that kitchens are a big part of Holland ReStore’s sales is because of the deconstruction services that the store offers. Donors within the greater Holland area can call the ReStore to schedule a product pick up. The ReStore deconstruction team will come to a home and take out the items that the donor no longer needs and bring them back to the ReStore for sale. It doesn’t get much easier to donate that that.
You can support your local ReStore by shopping, donating, or even volunteering. The Holland ReStore is always looking for volunteers to help with organizing, taking in product, cleaning, customer support, merchandising, and creating new products out of items that come into the store. Some of our most popular products have been made by volunteers using donated items.
Don’t throw out that old desk! Donate it to the Holland ReStore. A volunteer may just fix it up, and someone will find that your old desk is just want they have been looking for at just the right price. You kept the desk out of the landfill and helped someone in your community.
The Holland ReStore is a great place to recycle and reuse to make Holland a more sustainable community.
 Stacey Korecki is the development coordinator for Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity in charge of events and marketing communications.  Stacey also supervises the marketing internship program which accepts two college interns each semester.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it is needed.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

 

Living Sustainably: Unique community sustains quality of life

By Krista Mason, Benjamin’s Hope
Ben Mason was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. As his parents, my husband Dave and I, like many parents, found that the diagnosis of autism ushered in immense uncertainty about the future. It brought questions like, “Will my child speak? Will he live independently and find purposeful work? Will
he have friends?”
Today, at 23, Ben does indeed have an extraordinary life full of friendship and purpose! Though profoundly impacted by autism, his life has inspired Benjamin’s Hope, a 40-acre “live, work, play, worship” farmstead campus on the north side of Holland, a community in which people of all abilities are transformed by the love of Christ.
Now open five years, Ben’s Hope celebrates abundant life happening in residential homes, the Life Enrichment Day Program, and through The Church of Ben’s Hope.

Hundreds of people are directly touched by Ben’s Hope each week with lives engaged in the four facets of live, work, play and worship:

  • Live: 30 men and women live at Ben’s Hope in six beautiful farm-style homes.
  • Work: More than 90 people work at Ben’s Hope as SideKicks. A SideKick provides care and support and is, by definition, “a friend, a companion in adventure.” 25 men and women participate in a weekday Life Enrichment program growing skills in gardening and animal care. Participants volunteer all over the community – at Kids Food Basket, The Holland Museum, Resthaven, to name a few.
  • Play: In late September, around 2,000 people enjoyed Harvest Festival, including
    hayrides, antique trucks, and even a helicopter! Ben’s Hope men and women are out and about town at sporting events, concerts, the library. And on Thursday nights, Ben’s Hope offers Club Connect, a super cool club for people of all abilities run by Hope College students.
  • Worship: The Church of Ben’s Hope meets every Sunday night at 6 p.m. This refreshing and wildly inclusive all-abilities worship is a great place to connect with the Ben’s Hope community.

The statistics are staggering. Today one in every 59 children will receive a diagnosis of autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Historically, individuals with profound disability have relied on the public health care system to provide needed housing, supports and funding. However, the reality is this: The public dollar is stretched. The need is growing. And people chronically struggle to find the support they need to live an abundant life.
Ben’s Hope relies on an engaged community and charitable support to continue its everyday extraordinary work. Each month Ben’s Hope must raise $20,000 to cover the shortfall of Medicaid.
Community giving enables the non-profit to remain debt-free while providing for nutritious food, excellent staff, a safe and beautiful campus, engaging programming, and authentic worship.
Communities everywhere are challenged to think in new and different ways about where people with autism will live, work, play and worship. Ben’s Hope is a community solution of public/private partnership that is leading the way and inspiring a bolder vision of abundant life for people with autism.
 Krista Mason, executive director and founder of Benjamin’s Hope – and Ben’s mom.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Quality of Life: The community, through governmental, religious, business and social organizations, makes decisions that contribute to its own well-being.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: Have yourself a merry greener Christmas!

By Anthony Aragon Orozco, Hope College Green Team

The holidays are upon us! Which is also the time we might panic, wondering what am I going to get for who, how will I decorate the house, and what on earth will I make to eat for the holidays this year?

I’m sure we all have our yearly traditions and have grown used to certain ways of doing things, but have you asked yourself if what you are doing is worth the expense of harming this wonderful planet we all know and love?

Maybe we can think about starting new traditions this year that can make the holidays greener – healthier for the planet and for us.

Here are some facts to ponder:

  • Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
  • 35 percent of Americans have unused presents sitting in their closets.
  • About half of the paper consumed in America is used to wrap presents and consumer products.

In light of that, consider these tips for having a greener holiday:

Holiday cards and gifts

  • Consider upgrading your family’s holiday card by sending e-cards this year.
  • If you do buy paper cards, consider purchasing one that provides a donation to a favorite charity.
  • Buy gifts locally to support your local businesses and the local economy.
  • Consider gifting a membership to an organization of the person’s interest or an online magazine.
  • When buying electronics, look for energy efficient models, normally tagged with an Energy Star label by the EPA.

Packaging/ Gift Wrapping

  • Reuse any boxes or bags that you kept from previous gifts.
  • Put gifts in reusable packaging such as bags, baskets, or fabric wrappers.
  • Find gift wrap that is made with post-consumer recycled content.

Holiday Decorations

  • Consider buying a live tree with a root ball, native to the area, that can be planted in your yard after Christmas.
  • If you plan to purchase or already have an artificial tree, be sure to use it for as many years as possible.
  • Consider using few or no lights in your decorations.
    Invest in energy efficient LED lights, which can use up to 90 percent less energy and can last up to 100,000 hours.
  • Make your own decorations using items at home or purchased from local businesses.

Have a Green Holiday Dinner

  • Buy from your local farm market and research healthy recipe alternatives.
  • Buy beverages and snacks in bulk to avoid unnecessary packaging.
  • Serve food in washable/reusable plates and utensils.
  • Consider heart healthy dishes.

Have a Merry – and green – Christmas and a sustainable New Year!

Anthony Aragon Orozco is a first-year engineering major at Hope College and an intern with the Hope College Green Team, which works towards creating a more sustainable community, on and off-campus, through outreach and education.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Environmental Awareness/Action: Environmental education and integrating environmental practices into our planning will change negative outcomes of the past and improve our future.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

Living Sustainably: Recycle, get new Christmas lights and save at Light Exchange

By Morgan Kelley, Holland Board of Public Works
Did you know holiday string lights cannot be recycled in everyday recycling?
Light strings not only contain a large amount of rubber and plastic, and sometimes glass, but also copper. These materials do not biodegrade easily, and copper is a valuable metal.
But by participating in the Holiday Light Exchange hosted by the Holland Board of Public Works, you are helping to reduce landfill waste.
The Holiday Light Exchange is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, in the Holland Board of Public Works Customer Service lobby at 625 Hastings Ave., Holland. BPW customers can come and exchange old incandescent holiday string lights for new Energy Star-certified LED strings of lights.
Old lights will be properly recycled at Padnos Recycling. Each Holland BPW electric customer is eligible for up to two new LED strings, provided that two or more old strings are turned in. These LED strings meet the strict energy efficiency requirements for the Energy Star certification program, set by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, each customer will receive a nightlight and be able to choose a floodlight or a regular light bulb.
Christmas lighting began as candles perched on Christmas tree limbs in 17th  century Germany. Once the light bulb was created in the 19th  century, string lights followed fairly quickly. The tradition of elaborate string light decoration developed throughout the 20th  century.

A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy study found that decorative holiday lighting accounts for 6.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity consumption across the country. This equates to running 14 million refrigerators and exceeds the total electric consumption of many developing countries.
That energy use can be trimmed. In recent years, Americans have switched to LED string lights, which use at least 70 percent less energy than incandescent strings.
In addition, unlike incandescent lights, LED strings do not have filaments, which can heat up and burn out. LED strings of lights last much longer, are sturdier, emit little to no heat, and still have a warm glow.
They also save you energy and, therefore, money, are safer overall, and are better for the environment. The DOE states that a single strand of LED lights can last up to 40 years. And it costs 27 cents to light a 6-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days with LEDs versus $10 for incandescent string lights. In addition, up to 25 strings can be connected without shorting a circuit due to their efficiency.
Holland BPW customers recycled 237 pounds of string lights in 2016, and 661 pounds in 2017. Help us make it to 700 pounds recycled this year! See you Nov. 30.
 Morgan Kelley is conservation programs specialist at Holland Board of Public Works and leads the residential energy waste reduction and water conservation programs.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Smart Energy: We need to use both conservation and efficiency measures to manage our resources to provide access to reliable and cost-effective energy.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

STUDENT RESEARCH WINS FIRST PLACE AT NATIONAL GEOLOGY CONFERENCE

A research presentation by two Hope College students won a first-place award during the recent annual national meeting of the Geological Society of America.

Photo taken by faculty member Dr. Suzanne DeVries-Zimmerman

Juniors Chelsea Moore of Muskegon and Amy Olgers of Holland were honored for their poster presentation of their research project “Reconnaissance of Microplastic Distribution in a Small Michigan Watershed,” which they conducted collaboratively this past summer with faculty member Dr. Brian Bodenbender.  They were chosen for the recognition in the Environmental and Engineering Geology Division out of a field of 24 entries that included graduate students as well as undergraduates.

To read the full article, please click here.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: You Can Stomp out a Smaller Carbon Footprint

By Karey Frink’18, Intern for the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute

Many factors make up each person’s carbon footprint, as shown in this illustration. Source: Ohio State University Extension

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 Protection Agency’s Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change: A carbon footprint is,“The total amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere each year by a person, family, building, organization, or company. A person’s carbon footprint includes greenhouse gas emissions from fuel that he or she burns directly, such as by heating a home or riding in a car. It also includes greenhouse gases that come from producing the goods or services that the person uses, including emissions from power plants that make electricity, factories that make products, and landfills where trash gets sent.”
Did you know that you can actually estimate your carbon footprint? Calculators can measure a variety of variables to reach a good estimation of your total annual carbon consumption.
To calculate your individual carbon footprint, The Nature Conservatory has a simple to use, free calculator at www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/consider-your-impact/carbon-calculator/. It takes into account travel, home, food, and shopping habits, and will report your carbon footprint in tons of carbon dioxide per year. It also will show how you rank compared to the average consumer.
Once you understand what your impact is, you can consider ways to reduce it. The same Nature Conservatory website has recommendations for reducing your transportation, household and shopping impact.
More locally, the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute website, hope.edu/sustainability-institute, includes resources to help community members reduce their environmental impact. These resources include information about Holland’s Home Retrofit Program, greening your commute, as well as looking local first when buying things.
Ultimately, the quickest and most significant step to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce or eliminate consumption where possible. Purchasing less, changing your diet, unplugging unused electronics, and utilizing natural light can quickly reduce carbon impact.

This chart shows the sources of greenhouse gases in the Holland community’s carbon footprint. The total of 735,200 metric tons in 2015 is down from 795,200 in 2010.
Source: Holland 40-Year Community Energy Plan

The City of Holland is also monitoring the whole community’s impact in terms of greenhouse gases as part of its 40 Year Community Energy Plan efforts. Find out more at https://www.cityofholland.com/sustainability/holland-community-energy-plan. In 2010, Holland’s carbon footprint was 24 metric tons per capita. By 2015, it was down to 22 tons. With the impact of reductions at the Holland Energy Park, that 2017 number is estimated to have gone down to 17 tons.

Information about Hope College’s Carbon Footprint can be found here:  https://hope.edu/offices/sustainability/campus-sustainability/greenhouse-gas-inventory.html

So why should you care?  Monitoring your individual impact will give you power over your consumption habits. It’s easy to think that our individual impacts may seem insignificant. However, collectively as a society, as we make these changes, we will start to see the impact of these changes.
 Karey Frink is an intern for the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute and will be graduating from Hope College in December with a degree in communication and a minor in environmental science.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Environmental Awareness/Action: Environmental education and integrating environmental practices into our planning will change negative outcomes of the past and improve our future.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: Living Sustainably program will sort out recycling questions

By Michelle Gibbs, Office of Sustainability
Quick quiz: Which of these items can you recycle in Holland’s yellow curbside recycling bags?

  1. Plastic milk carton
  2. Paper milk carton
  3. Paper
  4. Junk mail
  5. Styrofoam cups
  6. Plastic bags
  7. Cereal boxes
    Think you know?
    The answers may surprise you.
    For example, while plastic milk cartons can be recycled at the city of Holland’s waste hauler Republic Services, lids cannot. Neither can paper milk cartons (although third-party recyclers such as TerraCycle can). For the rest of the answers, keep reading.
    Want to know more about what can and cannot be recycled in the City of Holland? “Stump Our Recycling Chumps!” is coming to Herrick District Library – and Facebook Live – in the next Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore presentation. The public is encouraged to bring their toughest recycling questions to see if they can stump Holland’s local experts.
    The recycling initiatives and sorting practices of Republic, the new city-wide waste hauler will also be discussed.
    The evening will kick off with a short presentation on the new waste-hauling contract between the city of Holland and Republic as well as about new international rules and how they impact people locally.
    Then it will be time for members of the in-person and online audiences to “stump our recycling chumps.”
    The panel of “chumps” will be:
    Aaron Thelenwood – City of Holland solid waste/recycling and sustainability coordinator;
    Ken Freestone, Angela Fox and Dan Boersma – co-founders of greenmichigan.org;
    Tom Mahoney – Republic Services general manager.
    And now the answers to the quiz: What can be recycled in the city of Holland’s curbside program?
    Paper, junk mail and cereal boxes are all OK! Styrofoam cups and plastic bags don’t belong in the city’s yellow recycling bags, although many grocery stores accept the grocery bags for recycling.
    Want to know more?
    Stump Our Recycling Chumps!, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, will have all the answers. Participate in person or on Facebook, where the event will live stream over the Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore Facebook page.
    This event also is part of Holland’s annual participation in the “America Recycles Day.” Go to americarecyclesday.org/ to learn more. And go to www.cityofholland.com/solidwasteandrecycling for more about City of Holland recycling.
     Michelle Gibbs is director of the Office of Sustainability at Hope College and director of Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it is needed.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: Less stuff is more sustainable

By Sarah Irvin, DeGraaf Nature Center

This chart gives ideas for sustainable living, by beginning at the bottom of the pyramid when exploring ways to meet needs.

We live in an age of consumption, as evident in our overflowing and expanding homes, garages, and external storage facilities.
Studies have shown this accumulation is not making us any happier and comes with a cost to both people and our environment. So, we need to think about the impact of our purchases. Sustainable consumption supports our economy, provides for the wellbeing of people worldwide, and protects the planet, according to a group called the Global Development Research Center
To live sustainably, we must first confront the notion of “need,” which is drastically different from a “want.” Once an actual need is realized, we can refer to Sarah Lazarovic’s “Buyerarchy of Needs,” which shows ways to meet a need with the least social and environmental impact. The idea is to explore the lowest impact options first, such as using what you have or perhaps borrowing, with buying something new only considered after all other options have been exhausted.
Another consideration is the lifespan impact of a purchase, beginning with the sourcing of materials, to manufacturing, use, and eventual disposal.
This holiday season is a great opportunity to start buying more sustainably. Consider buying gifts that are gentle on the planet, socially responsible, and meet a need of the person you’re buying for. When buying new, look to purchase from companies that are a Certified B Corporation. These are companies that have committed to considering impacts on workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. Or look to support other companies that prioritize employee’s well-being, minimize packaging, use renewable or recycled materials, or whose products can later be donated, recycled, or composted.
Other ideas for sustainable gifts move away from giving material objects. Scientific studies have found ways of getting more bang – or rather, happiness – for our buck.

One way to reduce the clutter of stuff more sustainable – is to gift people with experiences, such as tickets to a play, an event like Hope Christmas Vespers or science camps for kids.

One idea is to invest in experiences instead of material goods. Examples are tickets for an event or skill-learning class; membership to a museum, park or zoo, or being generous with time, such as offering help with a project or learning a hobby together. Gifting experiences also have the benefit of including a memory to revisit.

Another idea is to use money to benefit others instead of the individual you are gifting. Donate to a cause that a person cares about, use money to create and distribute care packages for disadvantaged persons, or purchase from organizations that use profits to benefit local or global causes.
Our ultimate goal should be to pursue joy and generosity regardless of physical belongings.
Following these guidelines will create more complex decisions, but nothing is more deserving of investment than products that minimally impact people and the Earth.
 Sarah Irvin is an intern naturalist at the City of Hollands DeGraaf Nature Center.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Environmental Awareness/Action: Environmental education and integrating environmental practices into our planning will change negative outcomes of the past and improve our future.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: Fall and winter are local food seasons, too

By Madison Ostrander  ’17
Eating seasonally is one of the best ways to thank your community and environment. Doing so feels especially whimsical and effortless in the spring, summer, and early fall, when the Holland Farmers Market is filled with beautiful flowers, fresh fruits, and a wide variety of vegetables.
But with cold and snow coming, many believe that means the end of eating locally. I’m writing, however, to fill you in on a little secret: The end of the growing season does not signify the end of the abundance of available produce in Holland!
As the temperatures are dropping along with your motivation to leave the house, harvest still happens. That’s whats so great about eating seasonally: The season will change and introduce new goodies which create opportunities to try new recipes.
Are you new to eating seasonally, haven’t started yet, or simply wondering what you can expect to see at the market from now on? How about treats like these:
 Apples
 Squash
 Broccoli
 Cauliflower
 Greens
 Brussel sprouts
 Grapes
 Leeks
 Carrots

This list of late-season items is pulled straight from the Holland Farmers Market website. Anytime you’re seeking up-to-date information about what farmers are offering, visit www.hollandfarmersmarket.com.
Knowing what’s available at the market can inspire seasonal soups, roasts, or enticing side dishes for dinners. Make your own soup stock by freezing your vegetable scraps until that icy cold day leaves you craving hot soup. And if you’re craving something sweet, try your hand at making applesauce, crisps, or pies.
The Michigan Farmers Market Association has an abundance of great recipes for using seasonal and local produce at this page: www.mifma.org/recipes/.
And the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems has put together a guide outlining when different fruits and vegetables are available in our state. Check for the mobile or print-at-home versions at www.canr.msu.edu/foodsystems/resources/.
As a reminder, the Holland market also accepts EBT Bridge Cards and Double Up Food Bucks.  If you have questions about this program, call (616)355-1138.
Although we all might be mourning the loss of those delectable late summer tomatoes, not all is lost.
The Holland Farmers Market continues every Wednesday and Saturday until Dec. 22. You’ll find tasty treats like breads, syrups, potatoes, kale, carrots, and beets.
Earlier this summer I wrote about the health, environmental, and economic benefits of supporting local growers. Now, although the ground will soon be covered in snow, that doesn’t mean we have to stop supporting our local growers.  Visiting the farmers market in the winter is still a fun family activity; you just might need an extra layer on.  See you there!
 Madison Ostrander studied business and English writing at Hope College. After spending a summer interning on a farm in Holland, her love and passion for sustainable and local living has only grown stronger.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Quality of Life: The community, through governmental, religious, business and social organizations, makes decisions that contribute to its own well-being.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.

Living Sustainably: HBPW wants to snuff out vampire power

By Morgan Kelley, Holland Board of Public Works
Being smart about your energy use is not only easy, but saves you money.
The Energy Waste Reduction programs offered by Holland Board of Public Works seek to meet goals in the City of Holland’s Community Energy Plan and Sustainability Framework by promoting affordability, sustainability, and energy efficiency for residents and businesses.
One simple step is snuffing out phantom power. Many appliances use energy when plugged in, even while they are turned off. In fact, that phantom power, also known as vampire or standby power, costs the average U.S. household $100 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Smart power strips are intelligent surge protectors that sense usage and automatically shut off electricity to devices that are not being used. For example, if a TV is plugged in to the master outlet, and the DVD player, gaming system, and sound system are plugged into strip outlets controlled by the master outlet, the flow of electricity will be cut to all devices when the TV is turned off. Older, traditional power strip outlets are either all on or all off. (Smart power strips also have always-on outlets for devices that must always be on, such as an air purifier or dehumidifier.)
The Holland Board of Public Works is promoting wise use of energy this month with a fun, festive Halloween giveaway at its Service Center, 625 Hastings Ave, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22.  While the supply lasts, each HBPW residential electric customer is eligible for one smart power strip.
To reduce your phantom load, help the environment and save money, come claim your smart power strip. We also will have candy, stickers, coloring pages, and a surprise guest, so be sure to stop by!
Also, until the end of the year, Holland BPW is doubling – to $50 – the rebate on Energy Star air purifiers. Air purifiers help keep your home air free of harmful pollutants as you close up your home for colder weather. In fact, indoor air pollution is two to five times worse than outdoor air pollution. Air purifiers provide the most effective health benefits when constantly turned on, so it is important to select a product that is energy efficient. The offer is valid on air purifiers purchased between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018. Visit https://goo.gl/SeKK1x for more information.
HBPW’s other, year-round residential energy saving programs include Appliance Rebates, Appliance Recycling, Energy Star New Home Rebates, Free Home Energy Check-Ups, and an Income Qualified Refrigerator Replacement Program. And product giveaways provide energy efficient products for customers to try.
Stay up-to-date on our giveaway events by following us on social media. For more information visit: https://www.hollandbpw.com/my-home/energy-efficiency-programs-and-rebates .

 Morgan Kelley is conservation programs specialist at Holland Board of Public Works and leads the residential energy waste reduction and water conservation programs.

If You Go
What: Holland Board of Public Works Halloween Giveaway
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22
Where: HBPW Service Center, 625 Hastings Ave., Holland
Who: Any HBPW residential electric customer.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Smart Energy: We need to use both conservation and efficiency measures to manage our resources to provide access to reliable and cost-effective energy.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.