Living Sustainably: Holland Energy Park – Resource, Destination, Gateway

By Michelle Gibbs, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute

Holland’s vision is to be a thriving, world-class energy efficient city that generates energy cleanly, uses it efficiently, and distributes it reliably and affordably.
A cornerstone of that effort is the new Holland Energy Park, and a Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore event offers the first chance for a public visit to the facility on Tuesday, Oct.10. The event is limited to 80 guests, so an RSVP is required at http://bit.ly/visit-holland-energy-park.

The new power plant at the Holland Energy Park is a key part of Holland’s groundbreaking Community Energy Plan. Photo courtesy of the City of Holland.

Holland Board of Public Work (HBPW) General Manager, David Koster, will discuss how the Holland Energy Park is helping the city to meet our goals in becoming a more sustainable community.  After the presentation, guests will have the opportunity to walk around and see the new energy education center on a self-guided tour.  HBPW staff will be stationed around the facility and able to answer questions.  Door prizes will include home energy efficiency resource totes.
The City of Holland’s long-range Community Energy Plan is a 40-year plan to become a world-class leader in energy security, affordability, sustainability, and efficiency.  To see the full report, please visit:  http://www.cityofholland.com/sustainability/holland-community-energy-plan.
The Holland Energy Park fulfills three core functions: to be a world-class resource that provides a sustainable and long-term energy source and is an educational hub; to be a destination that provides activities for the public to
connect the community; and to be a gateway-enhancing eastern access into the City of Holland.
In July 2016, the Holland Energy Park received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision Platinum award recognizing the sustainability of public infrastructure. Holland Energy Park is the first-in- the-country base load power generating plant to receive an Envision rating!
Paved walking trails around the plant are connected to miles of protected Macatawa Greenway space throughout the Holland/Zeeland community.
We look forward to having you join us as we learn more about Holland Energy Park and opportunities that lay ahead for Holland.

If You Go
What: Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore-Holland Energy Park
Where: Holland Energy Park, 1 Energy Park Way, Holland
When: 6:30 to 8 p.m., Tuesday Oct. 10
RSVP: http://bit.ly/visit-holland-energy-park

Please save the date for these other upcoming Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore events.  The November and January events will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Herrick District Library.
 “Community and Neighborhood:  Recycling, It’s not just 3R’s.  Hint: It’s 8R’s,” Tuesday, Nov. 14.
 “Economic Development: Forecasting a Sustainable Government,” Tuesday, Jan. 9.
To see recordings of past events and details about other upcoming community events, visit the “Events” section at www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute or you can follow us on Facebook by searching for “Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore.”

 Michelle Gibbs, is the director of the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute.  The vision for the institute is a healthy and economically vibrant community that promotes environmental stewardship and mutual respect for people and the planet. Our mission is to foster collaborative efforts to infuse sustainability into the minds and practices of the greater Holland community.

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.