KARES

Knox Advocates for Recycling and Environmental Support

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

• Promoting education and support of environmentally friendly practices at Knox, in Galesburg, and around the world
• Working closely with the Student Senate Sustainability Committee
• Greatly increasing action regarding issues important to the planet. Some of these issues include recycling, pollution reduction, water conservation, power conservation and 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 Earth Day, the Green Solutions Expo 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, and all-campus lights out for a few hours of the day
• Bike-sharing program. After requesting money from Student Senate, KARES began a bike co-op where students can access maintenance tools, bikes, and helmets free of charge. Now the Cycle Club runs the program that rents bikes out to students free of charge
• 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 Recital Hall

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 water bottles)
• 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.