Plaster Creek Stewards Named 2024 West Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (MiSBF) is proud to recognize Plaster Creek Stewards as a 2024 West Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year honoree. The organization is celebrated for its leadership in local watershed restoration, particularly in promoting green stormwater infrastructure and fostering collaboration with the private sector and community stakeholders.
Plaster Creek Stewards, an initiative based at Calvin University, is not just working, but they are transforming the Plaster Creek watershed through innovative use of native plants and Low Impact Development (LID) practices. Their approach combines technical expertise with community engagement, fostering meaningful connections between residents and the creek that unites them. This transformation is a beacon of hope for the local ecology and a source of inspiration for all involved.
“Plaster Creek Stewards focuses on building relationships among the people who live, work, and worship throughout the watershed and strengthening connections between these communities and the creek itself,” said Dave Warners, director of Plaster Creek Stewards and professor of biology at Calvin University. “Over the past century, the growth of Grand Rapids has severely impacted local biodiversity and ecosystem health. The way the city was developed has also marginalized certain groups, favoring some while neglecting others. Our work acknowledges these injustices to the land and people and is committed to fostering healing. By addressing the harms of the past, we strive to create a more inclusive and more beautiful future.”
Plaster Creek Stewards is deeply committed to nurturing environmental advocates across all generations. Their initiatives, which include supporting high school Green Teams, enhancing undergraduate educational initiatives, and expanding Project GreenER cohorts for adults, are designed to empower individuals to act in preserving and improving the health of their local watersheds. This commitment is a source of encouragement and motivation for all who share their hopeful vision.
Their research addresses pressing environmental challenges while highlighting the critical role native plants play in maintaining ecosystem health and supporting local biodiversity. By documenting the benefits of green infrastructure—such as enhancing biodiversity, improving human health, and bolstering ecosystem functions—Plaster Creek Stewards hopes to inspire practical and lasting conservation practices in the places where people live, work, and worship.
The award will be presented during the 11th Annual Triple Bottom Line Bash on October 23, 2024, at The High Five Grand Rapids. The event will feature an evening of celebration, networking, and a special tribute to MiSBF’s 30th anniversary. Attendees will enjoy a locally sourced dinner and beverages while helping to support MiSBF’s ongoing statewide programming that promotes sustainable business practices across Michigan.
About Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum promotes business practices that advance climate leadership, social justice, and the creation of a circular economy. It is Michigan’s leading organization for beyond-compliance sustainability, with a community of practice featuring our region’s most recognizable brands, largest employers, and most innovative entrepreneurs, advocates, and educators. It formerly did business in Southwest Michigan as Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its 3,700 students from 48 U.S. states, 66 countries, and five Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin offers 100+ majors and programs, including a growing portfolio of graduate-level offerings. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty. The university’s 400-acre campus is in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Discover more at www.calvin.edu.
