Speaker to Discuss "TimeBanking," April 13 at Knox College

Stephanie Rearick, executive director of Dane County TimeBank in Wisconsin, will discuss how people can benefit by exchanging time, in addition to money, for needed services in this spring's EquiKnox Lecture, at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 13, in Ferris Lounge, Seymour Union, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. The lecture, "TimeBanking: Valuing Human Wealth, Creating a World of Sustainable Abundance," is free and open to the public.

In addition to leading Dane County TimeBank, Rearick is co-chair of TimeBanks USA, a national organization that promotes cooperation and sharing of time skills, as an alternative to paying for services.

TimeBanking is more than people doing "favors or volunteering," Rearick explains on the Dane County TimeBank website. "TimeBanking is about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour is counted as a TimeBank Hour that you can spend on having someone in the network do something for you."

EquiKnox lectures at Knox College, scheduled near the spring and fall equinoxes, are sponsored by the President's Task Force on Sustainability. This year, the spring 2011 EquiKnox lecture is co-sponsored with the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Agency (GREDA).

"TimeBanking is a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections," said Oliver Ferguson, Business Development Coordinator of GREDA.

"The EquiKnox lecture series is part of Knox College's initiative to promote ecological sustainability -- campus-wide and in our community -- and TimeBanking promotes sustainability by sharing our skills and by focusing our attention on local interactions," said Tim Kasser, professor of psychology and a member of the President's Task Force on Sustainability at Knox.

Sustainability at Knox
The President's Task Force on Sustainability promotes sustainability efforts on campus and is chaired by Knox President Roger Taylor, who also serves on GREDA's Executive Committee.

Prior EquiKnox speakers have included author Sandra Steingraber, conservative environmentalist Dan Daggett, and Holter Graham, co-host of the Planet Green program "Wa$ted!"

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 48 states and 51 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.