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Programs & Initiatives

Knox is located in a small city surrounded by prairie and farmland, at the center of the country's freight rail system. We're rooted here and deeply sensitive to the ways in which the human and natural worlds interact.

Here are some ways we nurture our culture of sustainability:

  1. Students find hands-on involvement in sustainability initiatives by volunteering at the Knox Farm, joining student organizations like Students 4 Sustainability and the Food Recovery Network, participating in our community composting program, or working as Sustainability and Resiliency Project Leaders.
  2. Sustainability is also integrated into academics at Knox. Many courses focus on sustainability issues and work with the challenges of sustainability as case studies. There is also funding available for sustainability research and sustainability-focused internships.
  3. Knox cares about making sustainability accessible to students and promoting a sharing economy. For example, the Bike Shop loans bikes to students for free, and the Share Shop is an incredible volunteer-led initiative that collects and organizes donations of used clothes, books, and household goods into a free thrift store that diverts waste from the landfill. A campus food share pantry helps facilitate food security.
  4. Knox College's Green Oaks Biological Field Station encompasses 700 acres (283 hectares) of forest, grassland, and aquatic habitat. Formerly scarred by strip mines, this is the second oldest tall grass prairie in the nation. At Green Oaks, students learn about land stewardship,  participate in an annual prairie burn, conduct independent research, and connect to nature. This site also hosts the Green Oaks term - an immersive, residential program living and learning at Green Oaks.
  5. At Knox, we are dedicated to continually improving our social and environmental responsibility. The Sustainability Working Group, which consists of faculty, staff, and student representatives, meets monthly to assess how we can make our campus more sustainable.  Additionally, the Student Senate Sustainability Committee assesses, supports, and allocates funds toward campus sustainability initiatives. Finally, the Office of Sustainability assesses the campus’s sustainability annually through third-party certification in STARS reporting (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System).

Here are the results of some of Knox's sustainability programming:

  1. A sharing economy is embraced by Knox College, through the Bike Share program that supports a fleet of almost 100 bikes, the Knox College Share Shop with weekly hours for donations and "shopping", and a campus food share pantry.
  2. All levels of the food system are addressed at Knox from growing more than 2,000 lbs of food each year for the Hard Knox Cafe on the student-run Knox Farm, purchasing local and healthy foods by dining services, compost collection in the Gizmo, the Hard Knox Cafe, and across campus, and an active chapter of the Food Recovery Network.
  3. The "There is No Away" campaign during campus move out collects items that would otherwise end up in the landfill. In 2019, more than 6 tons of donations, including clothing, household items, food, and personal care products, were distributed to local charities, shelters, and used to stock the Knox College Share Shop.
  4. A portion of the campus electricity consumption can be attributed to renewable energy sources. The college shows its support of renewable energy by participating in wind and solar partnerships.