From the second-floor windows of Holland City Hall, City Manager Keith Van Beek looks out onto a canopy of green. Leafy trees from Centennial Park across the street frame his view — a reminder of the decades Holland has spent focused on sustainability.
Van Beek says the natural beauty outside his office windows is striking.
“It’s one of the first things visitors notice,” he says.
Holland’s dedication to the environment goes well beyond its recognition as a
Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The city recently earned
Gold Certification from the Michigan Green Communities (MGC) program, highlighting its efforts in energy efficiency, renewable energy, recycling, transportation, and community engagement.
The certification is part of the MGC Challenge, which evaluates municipalities on a range of sustainability practices. Holland’s gold status reflects significant progress across several categories, especially energy education, home upgrades, and collaboration with local nonprofits.
“To be a Certified Gold Michigan Green Community is a high achievement,” says Dan Broersma, the city’s sustainability manager. “Achieving the gold status shows that all departments within the city, and its residents, find value in sustainability.”
Building a career in sustainability
Broersma has spent more than 25 years helping organizations improve their environmental practices—from his time at Herman Miller and Goodwill Industries to his current role as Holland’s first sustainability manager. He began by tracking energy use, water consumption, and waste at work—not just to gather data, but to identify practical changes that could make a real difference. That hands-on mindset has guided his career ever since.
This year, Broersma
published his first book:
Practical Sustainability: A Perspective, Philosophy, and Guide for Implementing Sustainability in Any Organization. The book distills decades of lessons into an accessible guide designed for people across sectors—whether they run a business, manage a school, work for a nonprofit, or are simply trying to reduce their environmental footprint at home.
Readers don’t need technical expertise or a large budget to get started.
“The goal is to show that sustainability is within reach for anyone,” Broersma says.
Programs like Home Energy 101, which brings energy auditors into homes through partnerships with organizations such as Community Action House, Habitat for Humanity, Heights of Hope, and Love Your Neighbor, are part of Broersma’s impact in Holland. The city has also piloted an AI-driven recycling education program to help residents understand how to sort materials properly and reduce contamination in recycling bins.
These programs, along with rebates offered by the
Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW), are drawing interest from other cities looking to address energy waste and increase household engagement. Residents who participate in these programs often see lower utility bills, making sustainability both environmentally and economically beneficial.
Van Beek says the recognition reflects a long-term, city-wide approach. When he joined the city in 2018, leadership created its first full-time sustainability manager role. That investment helped formalize and expand the city’s work in climate adaptation and environmental responsibility.
“Sustainability means different things to different people, but we’ve worked to make it part of everything we do,” Van Beek says. “It’s not just one program — it’s a system.”
Community effort
He believes success depends on shared ownership. “It’s not our sole responsibility to educate the public, but we play a role in that,” he says. “If we set community goals, we can’t achieve them alone. It takes everyone — businesses, residents, nonprofits — to move things forward.”
The city supports this work through a dividend transfer from HBPW that helps pay for the nonprofit Holland Energy Fund. That fund supports rebate programs, home energy upgrades, and public education. Staff member Isabel Stein helps manage the fund’s community partnerships and implementation strategy.
Holland’s sustainability efforts are guided by its Community Energy Plan, adopted in 2012. A strategic development team reviews the plan every few years to track progress and update goals. The last review in 2021 found the city ahead of schedule, and a new round of planning will begin later this summer. An update is expected to go before the City Council by early next year.
The energy plan not only informs internal city operations but also influences regional and state policy. The state of Michigan has looked to Holland as a model, particularly as it prepares to roll out new environmental benchmarks and incentives.
“Our BPW is a leader in this area,” Van Beek says. “We’re seeing the state take notice and model programs after what’s being done here.”
The BPW’s Renewable Energy Rate gives customers the option to pay a small premium for electricity from renewable sources. All city buildings participate in the program, making Holland’s municipal operations powered entirely by clean energy.
Green space is another key part of Holland’s environmental strategy. In addition to the city’s extensive tree canopy — maintained year-round by Holland’s forestry team — the city recently completed renovations at the
DeGraaf Nature Center.
Operated in partnership with the
ODC Network, the center now focuses on conservation education and serves as a learning hub for residents and visitors of all ages.
The updates to DeGraaf include new exhibits and programming that help visitors connect their daily actions to broader environmental trends. Topics range from stormwater management to native species protection. Schools and community groups have already begun booking tours for the fall.
Van Beek sees the center as part of a long-term vision to strengthen community engagement through environmental learning.
“We didn’t start from nothing,” he says. “What we’re being recognized for now is the result of work set in motion decades ago — by the community, by staff, by leaders. And we have a responsibility to continue that work for the next generation.”