Local Opportunities to Celebrate Earth Month
By: Sarah Washabaugh
Many people say they “just want to do the right thing " when considering how to help the planet but find it difficult to know where to begin. This year’s Earth Month Toolkit highlights some local Earth-conscious events happening in April. It can be helpful to prioritize what you value and choose the option(s) that best align with those values!
REUSE
If you value resource sharing, learning new skills, or tenacity in problem-solving, help keep things out of the landfill by donating/sharing with others or repairing items instead of replacing them! Organize your own resource swap to increase access to beneficial items without requiring new raw materials. If you have items you’d like to repair but don’t know how to, visit the Repair Cafe at Herrick District Library. At this event, expert tinkerers will be on site to repair many different items. (If you’re a tinkerer with skills you’d like to share, sign up to volunteer here!)
REINTRODUCE
If you value caring for the physical environment, plants, and animals, you could reintroduce native plants to your yard to increase essential habitat for native species (among other benefits). Families are invited to learn the basics and complete a hands-on activity at the Holland Museum’s Native Plant Night on their Free Second Monday in April! Native plants can be more difficult to source, but many can be preordered from your county’s local Conservation District. Allegan Conservation District will have their Spring Shrub & Tree Sale, with plants available by preorder (due 4/18).
REMOVE
If you value improving outdoor spaces or mindful material management, you could help remove unwanted items and dispose of them appropriately. City of Holland residents can participate in the Spring Clean Up by placing yard waste on the road shoulder in front of their house (keeping in mind neighbors, storm drains, traffic, and utility structures). On April 7, City Department Street Crews will scoop up yard waste, which can be composted and used in landscaping elsewhere.
Otherwise, improve our shared outdoor spaces near your home or join an existing clean-up event. Those living on the south side of Lake Macatawa can help Hope College pick up trash at Kollen Park at their Watershed Clean Up. On the north side of the lake, Ottawa County Parks will spend their Service Saturday pulling invasive garlic mustard plants and picking up litter at Tunnel Park.
RETHINK
If you value connection with others, especially when pursuing shared causes, there are many ways to get involved! Seek out local produce stands or visit the Farmer’s Market to get to know the people growing and providing our food. To further discuss issues facing the Great Lakes and how they have changed from our desire to manage them, join Herrick District Library’s Environmental Book Club in reading The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan.
This is by no means an exhaustive list! Make time this April to tap into the creativity, knowledge, and skills within you and your community and pursue both learning and sharing when possible!
Sarah Washabaugh is a Conservation Educator for ODC Network.