Rocking around the sustainabili-tree

Hope Advocates for Sustain ability (HAS) have one goal: to create a more eco-friendly and sustainable campus. The key to creating a more sustainable world is to get individuals, organizations and institutions to change their practices and perspectives. HAS is taking the time to shift these perspectives, one individual at a time. They have also partnered with Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore, which seeks to empower and inform citizens in Holland to live more sustainably.

Together, they have made a great impact on campus this semester. Hope Dining received the Gold Certification in the Sustainability and Ecological Engagement Development (SEED) program of creative dining services, reflecting an on-going commitment to environmental care on their part. This green quality is now in the dining area, but HAS is still working to spread it all around Hope’s campus. This is beginning to happen as Hope has received statewide recognition for its efforts in becoming an advocate for environmental-friendly practices through certification from Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program in 2014. Hope has also partnered with other schools in the Great Lakes College Association-supported Environmental Dashboard initiative which enhances suitability commitments at each institution.

Today from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. in the A. Paul Schaap Science Center Atrium, HAS will be handing out free hot cocoa and signing up interested students to take a sustainability pledge. A pledge can be as small as recycling a pop can, taking a shorter shower or eating locally. A small act is enough to make a pledge and make a difference.

Once pledges are collected, they will be used to decorate a beautiful Christmas tree. Stop by for Christmas cheer, free hot chocolate and to support HAS by choosing to live greener