Hope Advocates for Sustainability presents Earth Week 2019

The Hope Advocates for Sustainability Interns will be kicking off a week of fun, educational, and Earth-friendly activities – we hope you’ll join us in the celebration!  

A common misconception about Earth Week is that it’s only for those who are already involved in sustainability – in reality, Earth Week is for those who want to leave the environment better than they found it but don’t know how to get started. Engaging every student is vital to making Hope a home for Christian stewards!

“Hope College supports environmental stewardship as an institution grounded in the historic Christian faith. 

This faith calls us to care for all of God’s creation and ensure its preservation for generations to come. We seek to honor our calling to be stewards of creation care on campus and beyond by engaging constructively in teaching, research and community service to sustain a world gifted to us by God.” Hope College Office of Sustainability

Earth Week 2019 will run September 30-October 4 with fun activities all week long:

• “Caught Being Green” Tickets will be handed out to Hope College students Monday-Thursday who are witnessed making an effort to be sustainable (picking up trash, riding a bike, composting, talking about sustainability, etc.) These can be redeemed at Earth Jam for the raffle (see details below about Earth Jam).
• Keep an eye out for Earth Week informational tables and promotions on screens around dining halls and in Chapel
• Tuesday, October 1, there will be a free screening of the film “Happening:  A Clean Energy Revolution” (https://happeningthemovie.com/) in Graves Hall.  The film will start at 7pm.  

Theme Days: 

Throughout the week, students, faculty, and staff are invited to involve themselves in different themes of each day. These prompts seek to foster entertaining and eye-opening thought spaces in which community members can challenge themselves and one another. 

• Meatless Monday – We are encouraging our Hope community to rethink their protein choices and will be highlighting meat-free food offered in the dining halls (but not completely removing meat from the menu). 
• Transportation Tuesday – All members of the college community will be challenged to get to campus without using fossil fuels. Don’t forget to pump up your tires and bust out your favorite walking shoes in preparation!
• Weigh the Waste Wednesday –  This theme begets the question “How much waste do our routine habits actually create?” Food waste in dining halls will be quantified and visually represented so that students can fathom the growing effect of many small sources of waste.
• Thursday = Earth Jam! 7pm-9pm in Bultman Student Center’s Program Space

Earth Jam is a partnership event with SAC Coffee House in the Bultman Student Center on Thursday, 9-11 and features a host of student groups & clubs who have a stake in sustainability/the environment.  Free Earth-conscious snacks will be provided! Our annual “Caught Being Green” raffle will also take place during the event and prizes include a new bike of your choice, coupons to local shops, gift baskets, and more!

For additional details about the week and learn more about sustainability on campus follow us on: Instagram-HollandHopeSustainabillity; Facebook-Hope Advocates for Sustainability; and Twitter-HC_Green.

Earth Week is part of Hope’s on-going commitment to sustainability and we are proud to participate in the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education’s Annual October Campus Sustainability Month which is an international celebration of sustainability in higher education.  For more information, please visit the Campus Sustainability Month website and follow #CampusSustainabilityMonth.

Written by the Co-President of Hope Advocates for Sustainability