Knox Joins State-wide Environmental Sustainability Initiative

Knox College has joined the state-wide environmental sustainability initiative for institutions of higher education. Knox President Roger Taylor this week signed the Sustainable University Compact developed by the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council. The document pledges Knox to accomplish nine goals by the end of 2010 -- including objectives such as implementing green building practices, developing sustainable transportation options, improving water conservation, and incorporating sustainable dining practices.

"Sustainability is one of the most important issues that we face in our time," Taylor said. "At Knox, it involves all segments of the campus community. In 2007, sustainability was adopted by the Board of Trustees as part of its strategic plan, and we created a Presidential Task Force on Sustainability, comprising students, faculty and administrative staff."

The goals that Knox pledged to accomplish over the next two years are:

• Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Challenge.
• Achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for all new campus buildings.
• Promote sustainable transportation, such as the use of renewable fuels and carpooling.
• Reduce water usage by at least 15%
• Increase waste recycling by at least 15%
• Improve stormwater management, such as the use of permeable-surface parking areas, or landscaping to reduce erosion
• Purchase non-toxic cleaning products where practical
• Compost at least 5,000 cubic yards of organic waste
• Use integrated pest management to reduce application of pesticides

Already this year -- at the suggestion of the Student Senate -- Knox has stopped using cafeteria trays, reducing food waste by 30%, saving more than 9,000 gallons of water and more than $23,000 a year. Knox also added reusable take-out food containers to eliminate the large number of disposable containers used in campus dining facilities.

"As far back as 2001, Knox committed $2 million to energy conservation projects," Taylor said. "A second round of energy conservation work was completed in 2006, at a cost to the College of $2.5 million. These projects are saving both energy and money - more than $500,000 each year."

Governor Pat Quinn has invited institutions of higher education across the state to identify and accomplish attainable environmental goals by 2010. Governor Quinn is chair of the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council -- a post he held since 2005 when he was serving as lieutenant governor. It works with state agencies to reduce pollution and develop conservation programs. Out of more than 140 community colleges and four-year institutions in Illinois, some 75 are listed on the council's website as signatories of the Sustainable University Compact.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's 'Old Main' is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.