Sustainability Conference tackles service projects

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hundreds of students from across Michigan will gather at Grand Valley State University this weekend for a sustainability conference. Conference participants will do more than listen to speakers, though. They will participate in community service projects throughout the area. 

The Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, working in conjunction with human rights group Global Exchange and the Grand Valley State University Sustainable Community Development Initiative, will host the third annual Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition Summit. The summit, held at Grand Valley State University's Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids, will bring together students from across Michigan for three days to strategize effective solutions for appropriate renewable energy technology in Michigan and on Michigan campuses.

As part of President Barack Obama's USA Service program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Grand Valley's Sustainable Community Development Initiative will organize 14 community reinvestment projects on Saturday, January 24, from 9-noon.

“In his inauguration speech, President Obama asked us to band together, gather like-minded individuals to create a force of change,” said event organizer Toni Jones, a graduate assistant with Grand Valley's Sustainable Community Development Initiative.  “Summit participants will be part of the change he is speaking of. This is a call to action for those who want to save our planet, our economy, and our people. Service is what separates this event from the other conferences. We're not just talking about solutions we are engaging our communities and building crucial relationships with community members and organizations.”

Participating organizations include:
• Clean Water Action
• Land Conservancy of West Michigan
• Eastown Community Association
• Southeast Community Association
• Humanity for Africa
• Creston Neighborhood Association
• Midtown Neighborhood Association
• Ottawa County Parks, YWCA
• Grand Rapids Children's Museum
• Degage Ministries
• Habitat for Humanity - Kent County
• Dwelling Place
• Grand Rapids Housing Commission - Ransom Tower

The January 23-25 event is in Eberhard Center, 301 W. Fulton St. Registration is $15, which includes meals; $5 from each registration will be re-invested into community projects in Grand Rapids. The agenda includes remarks from Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, Coal River Mountain Watch co-director Judy Bonds, and Jessy Tolkan, director of Energy Action Coalition. Other events include a community reinvestment project, sustainability focused workshops, and a Saturday night concert featuring the bands The Ragbirds and Brett & Circus.

For more information visit www.msscsummit.org. Media interviews are available with Brandon Knight  of the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, (248) 521-4219. Toni Jones can be reached at (616) 331-8084.