Building Campus Sustainability on
the Strengths of Institutional and
Cultural Identities:
Calvin’s Decade Long Journey
Clarence W. Joldersma
Gail Gunst Heffner
Janel M. Curry
Introduction
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Institutions of higher education are constituted
through networks of particular, multiple,
overlapping identities.
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These identities can provide resources for
institutional change toward sustainability.
Our Cultural and Institutional
Identities
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Embedded in a city known for sustainability
Comprehensive liberal arts college
Valuing both teaching and research
Faculty-governed institutional structure
Religious affiliation
Grand Rapids LEEDS certified art museum
Initiatives for building campus
sustainability
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Curriculum
Community engagement
Organizational structure or governance
Student and faculty environmental action
Operations
Environmental and sustainability research
1. Curriculum initiatives
Calvin Environmental Assessment Program
(CEAP):
Integrating Research, Pedagogy and PlaceEngagement
Physics
Statistics
Geology
Engineering
Communications
Economics
Archaeology
Chemistry
Biology
English
Geography
Education
2. Community engagement initiatives
Environment
Urban Revitalization
CEAP
Plaster Creek Watershed
Food for Thought
3 Neighborhood initiatives
Health, Housing,
Community Organizing,
Land Use, Traffic, Schools
Academic Community Engagement
starts with a focus on the
strengths and issues
of our city
Literacy
Racial Reconciliation
Adult literacy
Youth language development
English as a Second Language
Community Voices Project
Oral Histories
Community-Based Performance
Downtown Grand Rapids
Calvin College
Mapping our
connection to the
community
Primary Partners:
•Calvin College (CEAP)
•Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc.
•West Michigan Environmental Action
Coalition (WMEAC)
•Christian Reformed Church
Initiatives:
•Science Education (EPA grant)
•Public Education on Watershed
•Watershed Management Plan
•Research
Other connections to the Grand Rapids
community
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Teagle Foundation project – Strengthening Liberal
Arts Education by Embracing Place and Particularity
NSF-funded program –TRIAGE
Food for Thought – in partnership with Greater Grand
Rapids Food System Council
Joining Partnerships
The Grand Rapids Community Sustainability Partnership
(CSP)
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Established to support achievement of the principles of the triple
bottom line: economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and
social justice.
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Initial partners: City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public
Schools, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College,
and Grand Valley State University
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Currently nearly one hundred partners from the public and
private sectors
3. Organizational
structure and
governance initiatives
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Environmental Stewardship Committee
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Change in governance
Developed Statement on Sustainability
Benchmark report - Environmental State of the
Campus
4. Students and faculty
environmental action
Plans for new wellness center
Calvin college woodlot
Rescuing the
woodlot
On Thursday, March 29 and
Monday, April 2, students and
faculty worked to rescue
wildflowers from the area,
producing roughly 1,200 pots of
wildflowers.
5. Operations intiatives
Bunker Center and Ecosystem Preserve
Calvin Nature Preserve
Discovery Place
Multi-purpose
Room
Laboratory
Classroom
Gray Water Treatment System
6. Environmental research
initiatives
•1.8 Kilowatt power
output
•50-325 RPM Operating
Velocity
•Gearless Permanent
magnet brushless
alternator
•240VAC Output Voltage
•170 lbs. / 77 kg
•Cut in Speed: 8mph
•Optimal wind speed:
20mph
•Blade diameter: 12ft
•No Gear Box
•Built-in Inverter
Conclusions:
lessons learned
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Tie actions to institutional identities and mission
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Build networks—external and internal
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Using our identities in creative, new ways
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Making visible the collective efforts at ―greening the
campus‖
Ongoing Challenges
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Maintain the vision and build leadership
Keep the momentum building
Action is needed from the bottom up and the
top down