
Sierra Club: Knox is one of the nation's Cool Schools
Rankings cover academic programs, campus activities, environmental impact
Students initiated recycling at Knox and collect materials from academic and residential buildings campus-wide.
For the fifth year in a row, Knox College is ranked by the Sierra Club as one of the nation's "Cool Schools." The rankings -- including energy saving initiatives, environmental impact and academic programs -- were published in the club's monthly Sierra Magazine.
Areas where Knox has scored in the rankings include:
Instruction and Research
- Sustainability-focused and sustainability-related courses, including Urban Agriculture and Political Ecology: Biodiversity, Sustainability and Development.
- Support for research in sustainability by faculty and students
- Real world example: Theatre production prioritizes reuse, reusability
Energy
- Reduced 'greenhouse gas' emissions by making buildings more efficient and reducing heating
- Testing use of timer for temperature control
- Installation and retro-fitting of lights with high-efficiency LEDs
- Real world example: From the KnoxWorks blog -- LED lights installed and other sustainability-related construction.
Food
- Donations of unused food to a local shelter
- 100% of napkins made of recycled content
- Incentives for diners to purchase reusable containers
- Real world example: Farm to Fork program teaches grade school students about local food
Transportation
- Completed a campus-wide transportation survey
- Discourage air travel whenever possible
- Decrease vehicle idling
- Real world example: From the Knox Flickr channel: Support for Bike to Work Week
Water
- Close monitoring of water use on campus
- Installed rain barrels at Eco House and Community Garden
- Expanded use of native and drought-resistant plantings
- Real world example: Water line repair saves thousands of gallons a year
In Pictures: Sustainability initiatives at Knox, including energy conservation, tree planting, research and campus events
Published on October 03, 2013