This presentation was part of the RCE Americas Meeting 2017 in Vancouver, Canada on Sustainable Communities: Exploring the Role of ESD in Development of a “Green Culture”.

1. What has RCE Grand Rapids, MI
accomplished?
Towards a Sustainable Community, City, and
Culture
Michael J. Lorr, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Director of the Community Leadership
Program
Aquinas College

2. RCE Grand Rapids, MI History
• http://www.grandrapidsrce.org/
• Founding partners
• Aquinas College
• City of Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Community College
• Grand Rapids Public Schools
• Grand Valley State University
• The CSP has been meeting every other
month since 2005
• The RCE was spearheaded/reinvigorated by
Mayor George Heartwell and community
members in 2011
• The RCE and CSP started a strategic planning
processes summer 2017

3. RCE Grand Rapids, MI
Accomplishments
Wege Prize designing for a circular
economy: Kendal College of Art & Design
Annual Virtual Youth Conference
since 2013: GRPS

4. RCE Grand Rapids, MI
Accomplishments
Seeds of Promise: Non-Profit
Plaster Creek Stewards: Calvin
College

5. RCE Grand Rapids, MI
Accomplishments
Experiencing Economicology:
Aquinas College
RCE Conference of the Americas
2015: multiple community partners

6. A Larger Context
post-truth/post-fact
national context
vs.
local/regional/global work
towards
environmental justice
&
sustainability

7. Other Barriers?
• Are we moving towards a sustainable
community, city, and culture?
• At what scales?
• At what speed?

8. RCE Grand Rapids, MI
Future Directions/Actions Plans
• Entering into a strategic planning process
• Preliminary facilitation began in summer 2017
• Efforts to combine the education oriented RCE with the business
oriented CSP
• Efforts to expand and reinforce regional West, MI communication,
partnerships, and programming
– Ex. GVSU hired Heartwell in a community sustainability coordinating
capacity after his mayoral term to keep up momentum and allow
access to resources
• What’s Next?