Resources

The resources listed below can support your work in helping to create a more sustainable community and world. It takes all of us working together, using our personal skills and talents to create change.

Education (K-12 Students and Faculty)

• ExploreHope offers children an opportunitiy to explore, learn and grow. They host engaging K–12 student camps and teacher trainings and have an equipment and curriculum lending library with resources like air and water quality monitors.
• Join local organizations like the Holland Youth Advisory Council, City of Holland Sustainability or Human Relations Committee
• Great resources are available for the classroom as well as funding opportunities and an annual awards program by: 
  • Michigan
    Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
  • Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Program
  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Resources for Educators< and Wildlife Education & Outreach
  • Department of Energy
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• BioKids
• Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots
• Healthy Schools, Healthy Kids
• Healthier School Day – School meal resources, funding opportunities and information
• WaterSense, WaterSense for Kids, and water footprint calculator
• Protect Bees and Other Pollinators 
• US Green Building Council
• Center For Green Schools - Green Apple Day of Service
• Michigan Recycles

Businesses

• Macatawa Area Coordinating Council resources for stormwater management and a landscape company "Seal of Approval" program
• Attend meetings for the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
• The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy offers training opportunities.
• Evaluate your energy usage with Holland Board of Public Works and explore rebates and incentives for energy efficiency and electric vehicles.
• Michigan Materials Marketplace aims to create a collaborative network of businesses, organizations and entrepreneurs where one organization’s hard-to-recycle waste and by-products becomes another organization’s raw material.
• The EPA’s ENERGY STAR Buildings and Plants Program wants to help your business save money and energy
• Evaluate your waste streams and recycle with help from organizations like PADNOS, CompRenew, Michigan Recycles, and EPA
• Look at certifications like “B Corp” as a way to evaluate your business practices.
• Add vehicles with higher miles per gallon, hybrids or electric vehicles to your work fleet — use the EV explorer tool or the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide
• US Green Building Council has information about how to “green” your building and interiors

Community Members

• Participate with the City of Holland Sustainability initiatives or Human Relations Committee
• Upgrade your home with Home Energy Retrofit Program and On-Bill Financing
• Take courses through the Holland Academy of Senior Professionals (HASP)
• When purchasing a new vehicle consider switching to vehicles with higher miles per gallon, hybrids or electric vehicles — check out this EV explorer tool or the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide
• Commuting by bike to school, work, or just for fun is a great way to make our community more sustainable
• Eat and shop local
  • Holland Farmer’s Market
  • Downtown Holland and Local First
  • Fruit Ridge Market Guide
  • Join a Community Supported Agriculture Farmer (CSA)
• Learn about invasive species found in Michigan and what you can do to help protect our native animals and vegetation
• Protect Bees and Other Pollinators
• Calculate your water footprint or carbon footprint
• City of Holland recycling information, electronics recycling information from the EPA, GreenMichigan.org, and Michigan Recycles.

Local

• Hope College Sustainability
• City of Holland Sustainability
• Holland Board of Public Works
• Holland Community Energy Plan
• Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore
• Project Clarity 
• Macatawa Area Coordinating Council
• SEMCO – For Your Home
• Holland Area Beekeepers Association
• Holland snowmelt system

State and Regional

• West Michigan Environmental Action Council
• West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
• West Michigan Farmer's Markets
• Community Sustainability Partnership
• GreenMichigan.org
• Alliance for the Great Lakes
• Midwest Energy News
• Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Michigan Saves
• Michigan Recycles
• Michigan Materials Marketplace
• Report an environmental violation to the Mi-EGLE or US-EPA

National

• Energy Star
• Department of Energy
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Environmental Justice
• US Green Building Council
• National Wildlife Foundation
• Sierra Club