Celebrating Earth Month through community, connection and sustainability

Grand Valley is celebrating the environment and sustainability throughout April in honor of Earth Day on April 22. The festivities are starting earlier in the month to better align with when students are on campus, said Yumiko Jakobcic, director of the Office of Sustainability. 

As one of Grand Valley’s core values, sustainability is reflected through year-round programming and efforts to make campus facilities as energy efficient as possible. The Princeton Review named Grand Valley one of its Top Green Colleges , ranking it No. 1 in Michigan and No. 13 in the nation. The Office of Sustainability Practices also recently submitted its 2026 Stars report to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which grants ratings on the overall sustainability of a university’s campus, course catalogue and other factors. 

Sustainability on GVSU’s campus 

Grand Valley has more than 25 LEED Certified buildings across its campuses, which use 30% less energy, 40% less water and 75% less material than regular buildings. Fifty percent of the Valley Campus’s electric capacity comes from renewable resources, and $1.1 million is saved each year due to energy-efficient practices. 

Students also have many opportunities to practice sustainability on a regular basis. More than 400 classes in the course catalogue are offered with sustainability content, and Grand Valley offers multiple sustainability-related programs including the Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Geography and Sustainable Planning and Natural Resources Management. 

“There is a lot of sustainability work being done on campus, and we want to highlight that collective effort with our calendar of Earth Month events,” said Jakobcic. “These events were organized by a variety of groups and individuals and highlight the diversity of our campus-wide efforts. More than anything, we hope Earth Month allows us to promote sustainability through community and connection.”

Schedule of Earth Month events 

The month’s events began with the Sustainability Showcase held March 30 - April 4, featuring a showcase of research projects, innovative designs and other work by students in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies program. Events and programs will continue through the end of the semester, and include: 

Artist Talk: Maria Gambino

• Thursday, April 2, 6:30-7:30 p.m. 
• Grand Rapids Art Museum Auditorum 
• Hear current Padnos Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Maria Gambino discuss how the ecosystems that exist in nature inspire her art. 

GVSU 6th Virtual Climate Change Student Symposium at Student Scholars Day

• Wednesday, April 8, 9:30 a.m. - Noon  
• Online 
• Learn about student research and scholarship across multiple disciplines focusing on climate change on a local, national and global scale. 

Native Plants & Campus Landscaping tour

• Tuesday, April 14, 4-5:30 p.m.
• Tour begins at Zumberge Pond 
• Identify native plants in campus landscaping and learn about the importance of native flora on a short walking tour at the heart of campus. 

Social Spokes Sundays

• Sunday, April 19, 4-5:30 p.m.
• Ravines Center
• Through the Outdoor Adventure program, meet “bike-minded people” who share a passion for all things bicycle related.

Volunteer at the SAP

• Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m. and Fridays, 1-4 p.m.
• GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project
• Get your hands in the dirt and join other Lakers planting seeds and preparing the SAP for spring. 

Find the full list from the Office of Sustainability, and check back throughout the month for additional events.