Earth Day Toolkit has sustainable options for locals
HOLLAND — We should consider our planet daily, but celebrating Earth Day in April provides an opportunity to learn and make a difference alongside those who also care about Holland and West Michigan.
The City of Holland, in partnership with ODC Network, has created an Earth Day Toolkit to help direct residents to useful information and beneficial actions to lower their impact on the planet, save money, and support our community. The toolkit includes a great variety of resources, such as the following ideas:
Reducing energy use at home is an easy way to increase personal comfort while saving money and energy. Contact your utility provider (Holland BPW, Semco, or Consumers) to access free materials and personalized recommendations.
Reusing and maintaining existing belongings also lessens unnecessary spending and energy investments. Join the ODC Network and local experts to learn about bike maintenance and repair at the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council with Cross Country Cycles, or attend one (or more) clothing repair workshops with CultureWorks.
Recycling is a useful practice, but it's easy to fall into the trap of “wish-cycling” — that is, including ultimately unsuitable items that we hope are able to be recycled. Doing so causes entire batches of otherwise eligible materials to get sent to a landfill. To prevent this, brush up on the exact items accepted by your service provider, and learn about local options for recycling non-curbside items.
Learning about earth-conscious lawn and landscaping practices is a great way to steward personal properties in a way that saves time and money while also protecting water quality and creating habitat for local wildlife. Read up on ways to implement easy techniques for the upcoming Low Mow May movement.
Adding native plants to your outdoor spaces attracts pollinators to your yard, protects water quality, and improves soil structure. Native plants can also decrease the amount of regular yardwork while improving aesthetic. Source native plants more easily through the Ottawa Conservation District’s Native Plant Sale and Native Tree Seedling Sale. If you need personalized assistance, sign up for a site assessment from Macatawa Watershed Rainscaping.
Attending local cleanup events has the benefit of seeing the real-time need for removing pollution and improving native environments while spending time outside. Join students and staff from Hope College as they clean up Holland State Park and Kollen Park, or partner with the ODC Network at Stu Visser Trails.
This toolkit is a jumping-off point for those looking to make a positive impact in their life and on the Holland community — but it's far from exhaustive.
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By finding options that fit your interests and lifestyle, you can enjoy knowing you’re making a difference in a much more sustainable way, and hopefully you’ll get to work alongside other people with similar interests — both known and newly met — in your endeavor!
Earth Day is April 22.
— Sarah Washabaugh is a conservation educator with the ODC Network.
About This Series:MiSustainable Holland is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives.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.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Earth Day Toolkit has sustainable options for locals
