Rockford Sustainability-Michigan

10/21/2026

SusCom Native Planting Gnomes in Action!

Sat Oct 3rd, 13 volunteers showed up to plant 573 (yes I counted them :D) native plants immediately adjacent to Rum Creek along the boardwalk trail section of Memorial Park. The goal is to establish a living plant buffer that will slow down rain water rather than allowing surface erosion over bare soil and thus preserve high water quality in Rum Creek, a cold-water trout stream right here in the Heart of Rockford. On top of that, there will now be more pretty native flowers throughout the season :)

So a huge shout out of thanks to all the wonderful people that helped out! :)

10/15/2026

ISO 👀 In Search Of... Master Recyclers! 🤓♻️ If you want to learn about recycling in Kent County, join this FREE 6-week course. The first class is Monday, October 19th!

Thank you for your interest in our Master Recycler course! Please look through the following information and fill out the form if you would like to reserve your spot for the course. Overview: The Master Recycler Course is a free 6-part training offered to anyone interested in furthering recycling ed...

10/13/2026

Microplastics are everywhere 🤯 What do we know about microplastics? What problems do they cause? How can we make a difference?

At Rockford City Offices on Wed, Oct 21, 2026 at 6:30PM, Rockford Sustainability Committee is excited to host Professor Matthew Hart, Associate Professor of Chemistry at GVSU along with several of his students for a Live and Learn Event focused on the world of microplastics.

Professor Hart’s presentation will focus on the lifecycles of plastics and the challenges of microplastics. He will discuss how they are formed, what challenges they pose, and what opportunities are available to manage their impact.

Please come with your questions and your friends.

Leave with a better understanding of microplastics and what you can do to lessen their impact in your life!

09/29/2026

SusCom's Rockford Environmental Stewardship Team September 2026 Report

Well this Committee member is now all caught up with thanking all the wonderful Community of Volunteers that come out for the monthly SusCom Ecosteward workdays to restore and preserve that amazing natural areas found in Rockford Parks! :)

There were numerous people that came out to continue an ongoing restoration project at Memorial Park. So far an acre has been cleared of non-native, invasive bushes which is an amazing achievement! Yay‼️🙂

The next 2 events are planting events at the East Side of the Park. Meet at the Extremis Parking lot at 239 Northland Drive across from Herman's Boy. Please see our event pages for further details.

Sat Oct 3rd 9am-12 noon, planting native sedges and flowers
Sat Nov 7th 9am-12 noon, planting native trees

09/29/2026

SusCom's Rockford Environmental Stewardship Team June 2026 Report

Yay, this committee member has made it into Summer Kudos! Now we're cooking :D

Thank you to the numerous individuals that came out for a Garlic Mustard/Dames Rocket pull at the Dog Park along the Rogue River where we did a major environmental restoration project in 2023. Now it's mainly in a maintenance phase to keep out invasive plants & observe Nature's response.

And yes, the Rockford Environmental Stewardship Team does our best to celebrate Accomplishments, Life and Each Other while supporting Local Businesses 🥪🍻😋 😊

09/29/2026

SusCom's Rockford Environmental Stewardship Team May 2026 Report

Yay, this committee member has made it into Spring Kudos!

Thank you to the numerous individuals that came out for a Garlic Mustard/Dames Rocket pull at Memorial Park. Filled 6 yard waste bags and made a huge dent towards preserving the native flora along Rum Creek.

One thing about these efforts is meeting and working with some wonderful people. Just look at those smiles! :) And we always REST by supporting a local restuarant after doing REST activities ☕️🥯😋

Attached are several native plants in bloom
- American Black Currant - a low growing bush with a conservation coefficient of 6 out of a possible 10.
- Two Leafed Toothwort - a Spring ephemeral with a conservation coefficient of 5 and a wetness factor of -3 which means that the natural urban wetlands in Memorial Park are perfectly suited for it :)

09/29/2026

What SusCom's Environmental Stewardship Team did over Winter - April 11 2026 Report

Well better late than never is one SusCom member's motto when it comes to giving thanks.

Here's a shout out to 6 hearty souls who came out for an extra SusCom Eco-Steward work day to haul a whole winters worth of invasive brush cutting along Rum Creek at Memorial Park out to the curb for the City of Rockford - City Hall to pick up & shred.

Many thanks to Kimberly the neighbor next door for letting us pile brush on her property temporarily. Rockford truly is an amazing community of people helping people helping Sustainability

09/29/2026

What SusCom's Environmental Stewardship Team did over Winter - March 2026 Report

Well one winter bear came out of hibernation late & Winter kudos to-dos have become Fall TaDahs :D So here's gratitude to the 10 hearty souls who came out to remove non-native invasive brush from along Rum Creek in Memorial Park. The amount of work, a small group of people can accomplish in a morning always astounds me and for that SusCom is eternally grateful 😊

09/20/2026

PFAS updates and community conversation: this Thursday! Don’t miss this important event from the Wolverine Community Advisory Group

07/16/2026

Do to the hazardous air quality due to Minnesota & Canadian wildfires, tonight's SusCom Rockford Environmental Stewardship event is cancelled.