Grand Valley State University is an institution that takes great pride in its sustainability practices. From LEED-certified buildings, an emphasis on recycling and the handful of sustainability groups on campus, GVSU makes an effort to ensure that the campus is environmentally safe. 

Given how prominent the concept of sustainability is at GVSU, students may be wondering how they can become more sustainable in their everyday lives and go about their daily routines while being as environmentally smart as possible.

To examine how GVSU practices sustainability and how individuals can do the same, the Community Service Learning Center (CSLC) and the Student Environmental Coalition (SEC) will be hosting an event titled “GVSU Sustainable Practices” Thursday, April 20. During this event, which will take place from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center Multipurpose Room, the CSLC and SEC will be teaching sustainable practice for everyday living.

Katelyn Tomaszewski, current treasurer and future president of SEC, said this event would allow students to become more knowledgeable about sustainability in relation to body care, whether they are on campus attending classes or at home.

“We’re going to teach them how to have a sustainable lifestyle in general,” Tomaszewski said. “We’re going to focus on body care. We’re going to give them different recipes and show them different products they can make completely natural and safe for the environment.”

In order to achieve this goal, the event will have several different activities so the participants can learn how to be as sustainable as possible in different aspects of their lives. Following a short presentation, there will be an interactive tutorial on how to sort between trash, recycling and compost, as well as several food-related activities that will allow the students to learn the best way to feed their bodies naturally and dispose of food in an effective and environmentally friendly way.

Tomaszewski said this event is open to all students who wish to learn more about different ways to become as sustainable as possible in their everyday lives.

“We’re trying to reach out to more students,” Tomaszewski said. “We want to get a broader variety of students engaged in the sustainable community.”

In an effort to help students realize that sustainability can be fun, easy and applicable in everyone’s lives, the SEC is putting on this event to promote sustainability and provide an opportunity for students to volunteer with other organizations.

“We’re an outlet to help students connect more with the sustainability community on and off campus,” Tomaszewski said. “We facilitate volunteer opportunities through the Green Team, Farm Club, West Michigan Environmental Action Council and just really get students involved on campus.”

Tomaszewski said even though this time of year can be busy for students with the end of the semester and final exams, everyone is encouraged to come out and learn more about sustainability. There will be pizza served at the event.

If students would like to learn more information about this event, they can visit www.gvsu.edu/events/gvsu-sustainable-practices-1/. Information about the SEC or the Green Team student organization here on campus can be found on Facebook.