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Resources

Small steps, big changes!

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
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

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