Initiatives

Environmental Projects Toward Sustainability

The Strategic Plan for Knox College (PDF) opened the door for a campus-wide discussion of sustainability and its impact on the Knox community. Building on this discussion Knox has embarked on a path toward environmental sustainability.

Current Initiatives:

• Integrating ecological sustainability into the academic and co-curricular education that students at Knox receive.
• Examining and developing financial means for large-scale sustainable initiatives on campus.
• Implementing a plan to get students, staff, and faculty more involved in the campus recycing effort.
• Investigating the potential of reducing carbon emissions by banning the selling of bottled water on campus.
• Making reclaimed bicycles available to students.
• The Green Fee is funding student sponsored sustainability projects.

Completed Initiatives:

2009-2010 Projects

• 65 students attended the Bioneers Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. This conference, held annually, is "a gathering of scientific and social innovators who have demonstrated visionary and practical models for restoring the Earth and communities." See TKS coverage.
• Students participated in a Fall Festival 350 Bike ride to raise awareness for the 350 event.

2008-2009 Projects

• President Roger Taylor signed the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, which pledges Knox to accomplish nine goals by the end of 2010.
• Green Fee funds were allocated to the International Club to purchase biodegradable dining wear for use at I-Fair, and for the printing of the I-mag on recycled paper with soy ink. Funds were also given to the Bike Sharing Program for 15 bicycles, accessories, and tools.
• Implement re-usable take-out containers for the cafeteria and Oak Room.
  See The Chicago Tribune story regarding our use of these containers.
• President Roger Taylor engaged the Knox community in the college's sustainability efforts through an All Constituent Letter (PDF).
• A Knox student, Jules Trachsel, created a bike trailer which is used to collect paper for recycling three times a week. This has partially replaced motor vehicle pick up.
• Use technology tools, such as e-mail, wikis, blogs, and the Web instead of paper for communication, documentation, and collaboration (includes printing proofs, bills, time-slips, benefits materials,
  daily gift report, and personal account statements).
• To reduce printing and paper costs and reach their audiences electronically, Admission and Advancement have made some of their key publications available in electronic form.
• Re-use file folders, inter-office envelopes, cardboard shipping boxes, and waste paper for notepads and scratch paper.
• Human Resources developed walking programs for employees to promote exercise and reduce the use of motor vehicles.

2007-2008 Projects

• President Roger Taylor '63 convened a Presidential Task Force on Sustainability to help guide the college in its sustainability efforts. The task force met weekly throughout winter and spring term to discuss these efforts and plan for the future.
• ESG (Energy Systems Group) and Knox College completed an in-depth survey, analysis and upgrade of a number of campus utilities, resulting in improved function, appearance and energy savings.
• President Roger Taylor signed the Talloires Declaration, committing Knox College to a series of steps to address sustainability.
• Dining Services stopped using trays to save tray washing and to encourage students to take only what they will eat. See The Chicago Tribune story. This action results in a 30% reduction in food waste, and 9,240 gallons of water per academic year.
• The Freestore was first opened where students can drop off their unwanted belongings, which encourages re-use of items such as clothing. Volunteers through KARES stay in the Freestore during their open hours.
• Refurbished and renovated Hamblin Hall, including adding 29 additional bed spaces, new windows, heating and air conditioning, and energy efficient lighting.
• Implemented Server Virtualization, allowing the Computer Center to run 30 servers on two computers. The resulting electrical savings on the computers alone is enough to power a modest home. While more difficult to quantify, there are additional savings from reduced air handling (server computers produce a lot of heat).
• Student Senate passed a "Green Fee" of $15 per student, per year. Beginning 2008-2009, student organizations will be able to apply to Student Senate for grants from this fund to support sustainability-related initiatives and projects at Knox.
• Student Senate also created a new standing committee to support sustainability on campus, the Student Senate Sustainability Committee. The chair of this committee, sits on Senate's Executive Board.
• President Roger Taylor '63 invited Nathan Engstrom, Sustainability Coordinator at Oberlin College, to give a public talk to the campus community about sustainability and to meet with faculty, students, and staff to discuss ways to enhance sustainability efforts at Knox.
• The Environmental Studies Department hired a second tenure-track professor. This new professor, Katherine Adelsberger, will substantially expand course offerings, particularly in Earth Sciences.
• A Community Garden was started by five Knox students, Angela Martin '08, Ellen Vessels '08, Deana Rutherford '09, Helen Schnoes '11, and Po Chan '09. The Garden, at the corner of West St. and First St., yielded plenty of Swiss Chard, multiple varieties of lettuce, and lots of herbs. Plans for expansion are being discussed.
• All lab printers were changed to default to printing two-sided copies. Double-sided printing is now the standard on campus, saving nearly a million sheets of paper annually.

2006-2007 Projects

• Completed E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center with high efficiency heating, cooling, and lighting systems. Also, the center was built with all Low-emittance (Low-E) coated windows, which prevent heat and ultra-violet (UV) rays from passing through glass.
• The Eco-House became a permanent special interest house. The Eco-House is a theme house for students who are interested in living a sustainable lifestyle. The house makes and uses green cleaning solutions and composts its food waste to be used in the community garden.

2005-2006 Projects

• Phase II lighting retrofit in eight residential buildings, Center for Fine Arts and Seymour Union to conserve energy.
• Cleaned and recommissioned air handling units, replaced air handling motors with high efficiency motors – to manage heating and air conditioning more efficiently.
• Installed building control systems for central temperature regulation, saving more than $360,000 in annual energy costs.
• Back-up generator for the Umbeck Science & Math building installed to prevent power outages from destroying samples and experiments in science labs, and disabling the computer systems.
• Pool cover in the Lay Natatorium installed to prevent heat and chemical loss.
• Complete theatrical lighting system replacement in Harbach Theatre, modernizing the system using energy efficient fixtures.
• All 248 steam traps inspected and tested for inefficiencies, repaired or replaced to conserve steam energy usage.
• The first year of the Eco-House.
• The college, on the recommendation of the Student Senate, began charging students for printing more than a designated number of pages during the term. This resulted in a 25% drop in student printing. The money generated by the billing for student pages subsidized the change to using recycled paper for all printing and photocopying on campus.

2003-2004 Projects

• Energy efficient, reflective roofs installed on the Center for Fine Arts and Seymour Library, greatly reducing heat load during summer months.
• A dozen Knox College students and faculty dug a 50-foot-by-100-foot prairie plot in the middle of campus. The group, led by Peter Schwartzman, assistant professor of environmental studies, planted approximately 80 species of grasses and plants native to the upper Midwest.

2001-2002 Projects

• The Green Oaks term was first held in the spring of 2002 and continues on a two year cycle - spring of 2004, 2006, and 2008 so far. Plans are for another edition in the spring of 2010. Green Oaks, which is located about a half hour's drive from Knox's main campus in Galesburg, is home to several different habitats, including tallgrass prairie, old growth oaks, second-growth oak-hickory forest, strip-mined lands, lakes, and streams, all of which offer students a natural and social setting as well as a context for artistic creativity. The college acquired Green Oaks from the estate of Alvah Green, Knox alum, in 1957.

1999-2000 Projects

• Phase I lighting retrofit, installing energy-efficient lighting and fixtures in seven academic buildings: Umbeck Science & Math building, Seymour Library, Old Main, George Davis Hall, Old Jail, Memorial Gym, and maintenance buildings. Replaced nearly 6,000 fixtures.
• Replaced old chiller with 1,500-ton high efficiency two-stage steam absorption chiller to reduce air conditioning costs.
• A campus wide energy audit was conducted.
• The Environmental Studies program was started in 1993 as a minor and in 2000 it became a major.
• KARES, (Knox Advocates for Recycling and Environmental Support) a group which seeks to promote education and support of environmentally-friendly practices, was established in 1989. KARES directs the recyling program on campus and provides recycled school materials.