Plastics, Everywhere? explores the impact of plastics on modern life, highlighting their benefits, challenges, and future role in society through insights from GVSU organic chemistry professor Matt Hart and a few of his students. Discover exciting developments in plastic recycling, such as GVSU's upcoming program to recycle PLA cups into a cleaning product. Throughout this class, we'll explore: What types of plastics are the hardest to recycle and why? What exactly are microplastics? Are some types of plastics more prone to becoming microplastics? Are there any good solutions on the horizon like plastic-eating microbes or new biodegradable plastics? Walk away with an understanding of how to avoid unnecessary plastics, make sustainable purchasing decisions, and engage with recent innovations in plastic recycling.Instructor: Matt Hart is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at GVSU. In addition to his research on organic synthesis to make novel molecules, his collaboration with GVSU Chemistry Club investigates a program to recycle PLA cups into a "green" cleaning product for the University Community, thereby reducing the University's overall budget. The program will increase the lifecycle of lactic acid in the PLA cups already being used on campus and provide a useful cleaning product for students and staff to use.

Bring your gently used holiday decorations and swap them for something new-to-you. From Christmas lights to Cupid, we are swapping decor from any holiday. No specific number of items dropped off are required to participate! Items taken home are not tied to number of items you bring. We trust our community to give, receive, and reuse with cheer. It's free, fun, and eco-friendly!

Make a difference towards protecting Rockford's cold water trout streams! This fall, our Eco-Steward workdays focus on planting trees, shrubs, native forbs, grasses, and sedges along the Memorial Park boardwalk in places that were cleared of woody invasives. Gain a hands-on understanding of how polluted water can enter our streams, and h ow Michigan-native plants can serve as a stream buffer that control erosion, improve water quality, and create habitats for birds and pollinators. Meet at the Extremis parking lot on 239 Northland Drive. From there, we'll walk to the boardwalk of Memorial Park for the workday. Eco-Stewards under 18 must be accompanied by an adult or sign a waiver. Planting gloves provided.Workdays are let by Andrew Lidral of the Kent Conservation Strike Team and leader of the Sustainability Committee's Rockford Environmental Stewardship Team. Andrew lends his expertise in plant identification and invasive removal strategies during these workdays for a hands-on learning opportunity.