The new Sustainability Guide, developed by the GVSU Sustainable Community Development Initiative, has the answer. The guide has 10 sections addressing sustainability issue areas, such as food, energy and waste minimization. Each section has information about the GVSU initiatives related to the issue, actions that the reader can take and success stories from GVSU students, faculty and staff.

“One of the main goals of the new guide was to feature students, alumni, faculty and staff that have created and implemented sustainability related projects as an example for others,” said Andrea Marz, the office coordinator of the SCDI. “We hope the feature stories will help spark ideas for more sustainability projects for the readers of the guide.

“We previously had a student sustainability guide, but the information was dated and the focus was only on students,” she continued. “We wanted to create a new guide that GVSU faculty, staff, students, alumni and local community members could learn from and utilize.”

Being sustainable is a lifestyle, not just a series of sustainability-based activities, said Norman Christopher, executive director of the SCDI. Changing human behavior and perceptions of sustainability will reduce human impact.

“In essence, the guide addresses the triple bottom line sustainability impact, including social, environmental and economic areas,” Christopher said. “It was developed for our faculty, staff, students and local community. What can we all do to become better global citizens for local communities? Sustainability is a journey, and this guide was developed to help provide a framework and road map for us all.”

About 100 copies were printed on Forest Stewardship Council-approved paper and handed out to specific groups and departments.

Rhonda Lubberts, assistant vice president of Institutional Marketing, said the FSC ensures the forest that paper for the guides came from was responsibly harvested. Lubberts also said that at least 10 percent of the paper used in the guides was recycled.

“People seem very excited about the information included in it and the opportunities that it can inspire,” said Bart Bartels, project manager of the SCDI. “With all the great projects going on, it was difficult to narrow down content for the guide. We want the guide to serve as a starting point, not an all-encompassing document. Our website will continue to showcase opportunities and the amazing work being done at GVSU, with our guide as a solid foundation for continued efforts.”

To promote less consumption of paper and ink, digital copies of the guide are available to the general population at www.gvsu.edu/sustainabilityguide.

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