KARES

In the past few years, Knox has made visible efforts to become more sustainable and instill a sustainable mindset in its students for life on campus and for life after college. Many of these efforts are put forth by Knox Advocates for Recycling and Environmental Support, commonly known on campus as KARES.

Goals

• Promote education and support of environmentally friendly practices at Knox, in Galesburg, and around the world
• Work closely with the Student Senate Sustainability Committee
• Greatly increase action regarding issues important to the planet. Some of these issues include:
  • recycling
  • pollution reduction
  • water conservation
  • power conservation
  • alternative energy resources

Past events

In addition to constantly promoting ways to maintain a sustainable lifestyle, KARES sponsors many events on campus, some of which are the largest campus events each year, such as Earth Week. The club also collaborates with other club events to make other events more environmentally sound.

• Eco-Week
  • During fall term, Eco-Week aims to educate people about what KARES is about. In 2008, Eco-Week also included a Big Green Meeting where students could talk about environmental issues on campus as well as an Eco-Rap open mic
• Earth Week. Past Earth Week events have included:
  • Celebration of the earth on Earth Day
  • Green Solutions Expo, on the Knox College campus, at which dozens of businesses from the Galesburg area came to educate people on how to be more environmentally-minded 
  • Bringing Jack Chernos, a punk-folk banjo player and environmental/political activist, to campus
  • Hosting a green-themed open mic
  • All-campus lights out for a few hours of the day
• Bike-sharing program
  • KARES requested money from Student Senate to buy 15 bikes, maintenance tools, and helmets that will be ready for use in the 2009-2010 school year for students to use free of charge.
• Tree fundraising donations
  • Through the Center, KARES has donated money to student efforts aimed at buying and planting trees in Galesburg.
• Movie screenings
  • KARES has sponsored many movie nights for environmental films, one of the most notable being The Eleventh Hour, which was screened in Kresge.

Recycling at Knox

One of the most notable influences of KARES on campus is the recycling program at Knox. Working with Facilities Services, KARES has broadened the kinds of materials that can be recycled weekly at Knox, and recycling bins are available in every residence hall room and campus building.

What can be recycled at Knox?

• #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 plastics (like soda and waterbottles)
• Metal
• Cardboard (like cereal and shipping boxes)
• Glass
• Paper, newspaper, magazines

Through recycling and overall environmental awareness and action at Knox, KARES hopes to inspire students, faculty, staff, and residents of Galesburg to live more sustainably in order to change the state of the planet. KARES meets weekly in the Human Rights Center and welcomes everyone.