Grand Valley Groundhogs: celebrating sustainability and Groundhog Day at GVSU

BY Julianna Schrier
Image credit - Cory Morse

Feb 2, 2026

The morning of February 2 was cold and gloomy, but a Groundhog Day celebration reminded Lakers that spring isn’t far off while also spreading the word about campus sustainability efforts.

Hosted by the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Office of Sustainability and GVSU Facilities Services, Grand Valley students, faculty and staff were invited into the basement of Lake Ontario Hall for a rare opportunity to view the campus’s underground utility tunnels and learn about the progress Grand Valley is making to reduce its environmental impact.

In Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, famous groundhog Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter for 2026. “Brooksatawney Bill,” a character created by Brooks College Dean Mark Schaub for the celebration, reported otherwise.

“Friends, today every Grand Valley Laker is a Grand Valley Groundhog,” Schaub said. “In this rough winter we’re having, he has given us hope. It’s cloudy; Brooksatawney Bill emerged, did not see his shadow. So, get ready for an early spring.”

A young woman in a groundhog onesie walks with a man through the basement of Lake Ontario Hall.

Dressed as Brooksatawney Bill, social innovation master’s student and Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies administrative assistant to the dean Abby McClure, left, and integrative studies major and CLAS Academic Advising Center office coordinator Joe Stoddard explore the tunnels during the Groundhog Day & Sustainability Celebration at Lake Ontario Hall on February 2.

While the theme of the event was whimsical, the fun was meant to draw attention to the sometimes “underground” work taking place to improve campus sustainability.

Grand Valley is preparing to submit its seventh report to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), a comprehensive report that looks at all things sustainability on campus, said Yumiko Jacobcic, director of the Office of Sustainability. “The Princeton Review pulled data from this report to rank us number 13 this year on its guide to green colleges. We're very proud of that. And we know there's always more we can do, so we look forward to pushing the needle forward, too.”

The report features statistics and information about the work being done to make Grand Valley a sustainable campus: 50% of the Valley Campus’s electric capacity comes from renewable resources, and $1.1 million is saved each year due to energy-efficient practices. These statistics and more were on display in the tunnels, encouraging attendees to learn as they explored.

MORE: GVSU ranks no. 13 on Princeton Review’s list of Top Green Colleges for 2026

A poster of a groundhog pointing to a fact that reads “GVSU offers 400+ classes with sustainability content”.

Signs as part of the Groundhog Day & Sustainability Celebration at Lake Ontario Hall on February 2.

A poster of a groundhog lounging between solar panels and wind turbines. A fact to the left reads “50% of the electric capacity used on the Allendale Campus is from renewables (wind and solar).”

Grand Valley also hosts a 3 MW solar garden on the Valley Campus in partnership with Consumers Energy, which produces enough energy to run approximately 70-80 homes a year. The Valley Campus also houses the Sustainable Agriculture Project: a 4-acre farm that hosts classes, grows produce served in on-campus dining facilities, and cultivates sustainability leaders. The SAP also donated over 600 servings of fresh produce to the Replenish Basic Needs Center.

“Whether they know it or not, sustainability is important to students,” said Andy Hardgrave, a member of Grand Valley’s Student Senate. “It's in how we eat, where we learn, what we wear, and how we try to stretch our very slim college student budgets.”

Hardgrave is also involved in a variety of sustainability-related student organizations, including the Student Environmental Coalition, for which he serves as the Advocacy and Community Outreach chair.

“I got an email about the event, and said, ‘Yeah. That’s exactly what I wanna do with my Monday morning,’” said Malia Ludovico, an allied health science major who attended the Groundhog Day event with three of her friends. The four wore matching groundhog hats as they explored the basement of Lake Ontario Hall. “I hadn’t seen the tunnels before. I liked learning the sustainability information,” Ludovico said. “It was all new to me.”

In addition to the basement tour, attendees also got a chance to take photos with “Brooksatawney Bill” and take home some groundhog-themed swag.

“Grand Valley does a lot of sustainability work, but it’s all behind the scenes,” said Remus Carmagno, a senior in communications. “It's just run so well that students don't know it’s happening.”