Hope Advocates for Sustainability student interns have put together an AMAZING series for you celebrate our Earth and put Creation Care into action.
Click this link to see ways you can participate and join in the fun!
Earth Week kicks off Tuesday, April 19 and even includes a cosponsored Earth Jam CoffeeHouse on Thursday, April 21.
#SustainableHope
Are you considering pursuing an internship addressing environmental advocacy and/or education with a non-profit organization for this summer? If so, Hope College is offering a new funding source to support a low or non-paid role: the Environmental Internship Fund. This new fund will provide up to $4,000 to support a full-time summer internship addressing a pressing climate change issue. Apply through this link by Monday, March 21st.
Hope Advocates for Sustainability (HAS) is NOW HIRING for the 2022-2023 school year! Apply now on Handshake to join this amazing team of interns who are passionate about sustainability and making a change on campus.
Head to Handshake to read more about each position.
The Carbon Footprint SHARP Research position is open for applications. The research focuses on Hope’s carbon footprint and energy usage. If this is something that interests you, click here for more information.
October is Campus Sustainability Month and Hope Advocates for Sustainability (HAS) is excited to be hosting a number of activities to promote sustainability on Hope’s campus!
Below is a list of events/activities that will be occurring. We would love to see you participate in any or all of them!
October 5 and 9: Local Park Cleanup Events
Join HAS as we host cleanup events at two of our local parks (Kollen Park and Holland State Park). Email sustainability@hope.edu for registration information.
October 6: Critical Issues Symposium Breakout Session
HAS will be leading a breakout session focused on “environmental well-being” as part of this year’s Critical Issues Symposium. Email sustainability@hope.edu for more information.
October 14: Volunteer at Eighth Day Farms
Stop by anytime from 12:30-3pm to help prep Eighth Day Farm for winter. It will be at their main site in the town center (12330 James St.). We recommend wearing comfy clothes that can get dirty, dressing in layers and bringing a water bottle and gloves if possible! Email sustainability@hope.edu for registration information.
October 10-31: Greek Goes Green
Join in on Campus Sustainability Month through your Greek Organization! The winning organization will be named the Most Sustainable Greek Organization of the 2021-2022 Academic Year. Email Christian.Lundy@hope.edu with any questions.
October 15 – 29th: Students, get “Caught Being Green”
HAS Interns and Green Team members will be handing out tickets during this time period to students they catch “being green.” Activities may include being seen: using a reusable green-to-go clam shell, reusable water bottles/coffee cup, turning off the light when you leave a room, and biking to class (don’t forget your helmet). Bring your tickets to the collection box at our informational table in the library by October 29 and be entered into our drawing for prizes.
October 15 – 31st: Table at the Library
The VanWylen Library Table will be featuring books, posters, and other items that reflect Campus Sustainability Month. Signs will showcase some of the events and projects that HAS interns have been working on throughout this semester. The “Caught Being Green” cards can also be dropped off at the table in order to enter for the raffle. Be sure to stop by!
October 18-22: “Get Planted” with Dining Services
This week, we are spreading the word about the environmental benefits of plant-based eating on college campuses. Often, people wonder if they are getting enough protein when cutting back on meat. To help answer that question, Dining Services will be highlighting plant-based sources of protein all week. Follow them on social media and be sure to check out the yummy food options being offered. C’mon, veg out a little!
October 20: Nutrition Event
Have you ever considered becoming vegetarian, vegan, or simply incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet? On October 20th at 8pm in the Martha Miller Fried Hemenway Auditorium, HAS will be hosting an informational event that will cover a wide range of topics surrounding plant-based diets. These topics include the myths and facts behind the nutritional aspect of a meatless diet, as well as how a plant-focused diet can help promote a more sustainable lifestyle. We would love to spark curiosity and provide information about an exciting topic! Come join us!
October 21/22: “The Perils of Plastic” and “Plastic Paradox”
The Office of the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences is pleased to welcome Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, one of the foremost experts in the field of Freshwater Plastic Pollution, to campus October 21 and 22, 2021.
Dr. Mason will deliver two lectures:
6:30pm in the HASP classroom at Anderson-Werkman
2:00pm in the Bultman Student Center Auditorium
We hope that you can join us as we learn about the impact that plastics have on our beloved Great Lakes. The Gentile Lectureship is made possible by a gift from the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, CA.
October 22: Annual Campus Sustainability Month Tree Planting
We will be planting a Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) in the triangular turf area between the Bultman Student Center and Van Vleck Hall at 2pm.
October 30: Plant-a-Thon
Come to the Pine Grove between 12:30-3:30 pm to plant some herbs! Bring your own pot (reuse old food containers or pots) and we will supply soil and seeds.
November 16: Film-“Gather” at the Knickerbocker
The Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Sustainability are partnering with The Big Read to present the film “Gather”. The film is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide. The screening will be held in the Knickerbocker Theatre on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00pm. The public is invited and admission is free, although advance registration is required at https://kinema.com/events/gather-svtwtf
As always, check out our social media channels and podcast for additional tips and details about things happening this month and all year long! – Hope Advocates for Sustainability
Instagram @HopeCollegeSustainability and @HAS_hopecollege
Facebook HopeAdvocatesforSustainability
Twitter HC_Green
Podcast Spotify = Voices of Sustainability
Website hope.edu/sustainability
ExploreHope and the Office of Sustainability are recruiting Hope College students who love the outdoors and want to share their enthusiasm with area k-12 students. We are looking for students to help nurture environmental stewardship through peer mentoring and volunteerism in our educational programs.
Students, if you are interested in being contacted when we have events happening, please complete this Google Form.
To read about one of our recent programs, check out this blog post from ExploreHope. “Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Okay, that’s an old riddle perplexing minds for ages, but here’s a better one: Which came first, math or nature? Nature, of course! Math was invented to help us describe all the amazing patterns, quantities, and complex features we find in nature. Elementary students got to explore ways math and nature work together at ExploreHope’s Environmental Stewardship Day.”
A recent report cites 104 fires burning more than 2.4 million acres in 14 U.S. states. Would it surprise you to know that these wildfires impact us here in Holland?
Pictures from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data show wildfire smoke wafting through West Michigan last month. Did you notice these plumes as they drifted through Holland? Hazy skies and fantastic red sunsets for photographers were one indication.
Scientists saw them, too. Scientists use data to “see” things. For example, advanced air quality monitors at the Lakeview School Park on 32nd Street in Holland generate daily air quality data.
These monitors collect data for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. For example, a chart from July 4 clearly indicates the air quality impact from fireworks at the end of the day. Another chart shows data from July 20, when the smoke plume passed through town.
Students and teachers collect and study Holland air quality data, too, thanks to a local network of student monitors. The project is managed by Hope College’s ExploreHope Academic Outreach office and is funded through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium.
“Our project brings authentic experiences in data collection to middle school and high school classrooms throughout Western Michigan,” said Susan Ipri Brown, the program director and assistant professor of engineering instruction. “Our monitors, though not directly calibrated to the EGLE monitors, let local students and teachers see the same data patterns.”
“The monitors are excellent inquiry-based tools for students using state-of-the-art technology,” science teacher Bob DeBruyn said. “Students use data they collect to answer questions they are curious about. They feel like real scientists.”
Collective Idea, a Holland software company, equips these monitors to report data live and in real time.
“Our team loves working with the community — students, the public and decision makers — to show meaningful data in real-time at a fraction of the cost of government monitors,” CEO Dan Morrison said.
Joe Sikma, sustainability manager at the Outdoor Discovery Center, put a monitor at the DeGraaf Nature Center and another on the roof of Holland City Hall, as part of the effort “to increase air quality awareness and provide real-world educational opportunities for students.”
With these monitors, students see the same data patterns seen from the professional monitors. The graphs from the student monitors clearly indicate the effect of the Fourth of July fireworks, for instance. It’s real data, real events, and real student learning.
Sometimes students ask if the air they are studying is safe. Smoke contains particulate matter smaller than 2.5 millionth of a meter. As we breath, these particles pass through our lungs and into our bloodstreams, reaching vital organs.
Health standards for matter of that size consider 24-hour exposures.
“Short upticks from a night of fireworks are less concerning than long-time exposures,” noted Jeff Pfost, a local air quality consultant.
It’s all connected. From wildfires to air quality, from Space Consortium grants to science classrooms, it’s amazing how the people of Holland work together to help our students learn.
Be your own data scientist:
— Don Triezenberg is a physics and mathematics teacher. In retirement, Don volunteers with the student air quality monitor program at Hope College and advocates for a rigorous Community Energy Plan for Holland.
About this series
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives.
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.
Reserve your FREE TREE (while supplies last) arborday.org/HBPW Hurry, before they’re gone! Energy Saving Trees – Holland BPW and the City of Holland are providing free trees to HBPW electric customers through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program.
Tree distribution will be Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.
Green Commute “Week” is a fun event intended to take vehicles off the road during the height of ozone season (June through August). Every year, the event aims to encourage individuals to carpool, ride the bus, ride a bike, walk, and telecommute.
This year, we are trying something different – Green Commute “Week” BINGO!
The event will run between AUGUST 1st-AUGUST 31st, 2021
Learn more at: http://www.the-macc.org/gcw-2021/
Hope College is now powering some landscape equipment and electric golf carts by the sun!
A small 2.4 kW photovoltaic system has been installed on top of the Keppel Carriage House thanks to students in the 2019-2020 Intro to Engineering Course.
This carriage house itself is a repurposed building that was moved in the 1990s to its current location between the Jack H. Miller Center for the Music Arts and the Physical Plant Office. The Keppel House was built in 1914 as a family residence. Both buildings were saved and relocated to allow for construction of Haworth Hotel and Cook Hall residence hall.
The latest sustainability effort for the old building is a multi-department solar energy project involving faculty, staff, and students from our Department of Engineering, Physical Plant, Office of Sustainability, and campus Green Team.
Students took the lead in researching and designing the system as well as sourcing the materials and researching the permitting process. This is an off-grid system, so the students also had to develop a storage plan for the energy that was created.
“The system was designed by Hope engineering students in the Introduction to Engineering course. Most of the students in this course are first-year students. Student teams developed a range of potential designs, and then Physical Plant staff selected the system they felt was a best fit to their needs,” said Dr. John Krupczak, professor of engineering at Hope.
“The project was a great real-world example for engineering students. The student teams needed to consider multiple factors such as cost, siting, and use schedules in developing their designs.”
The system was installed by the Hope College Physical Plant team and started to generate power this April. So far, more than 150 kWh of energy have been produced.
“This project has and will continue to offer more energy options for the Physical Plant as a whole as well as the grounds department,” said Bob Hunt, the college’s grounds manager. “The system will be used for charging campus-use carts, the Greenworks electric stand-on 48-inch mower, and handheld grounds equipment. We are in the process of converting all of the Hope carts to electric and are looking to expand the solar collection surface area in the future to expand charging and storage capabilities.”
This collaborative and cross-functional project has been fun to work on because it pulled together people from all over campus and allowed the students to help with a real-world project that will have a direct impact on the campus and the college’s sustainability goals.
While this may be a small project, we know we will continue to learn about how initiatives like electrification of our fleet and solar energy could play a part in our campus sustainability journey.
To know more about other Hope College sustainability projects or programs, please visit
hope.edu/sustainability.
-Michelle Seppala Gibbs is the director for the Office of Sustainability at Hope College.
