| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.88 |
| Liaison | Kristina Hope |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Knox College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Deb
Steinberg Director of Campus Sustainability Initiatives Office of Sustainability |
Is the institution utilizing the campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in the following areas?:
| Yes or No | |
| Air & Climate | --- |
| Buildings | --- |
| Dining Services/Food | Yes |
| Energy | --- |
| Grounds | --- |
| Purchasing | --- |
| Transportation | Yes |
| Waste | Yes |
| Water | --- |
| Coordination, Planning & Governance | Yes |
| Diversity & Affordability | --- |
| Health, Wellbeing & Work | --- |
| Investment | --- |
| Public Engagement | Yes |
| Other | --- |
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Air & Climate and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Buildings and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Dining Services/Food and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
Student interns and volunteers actively manage and staff the campus farm, producing thousands of pounds of synthetic-chemical free produce for the student cafeteria. The students plan the crops, tend them, and harvest and record the products of the farm. The student managers communicate actively with the Director of Dining Services throughout this process, and learn not only about the process of producing food, but the logistics of its use and the integration of local food economies into large-scale food systems. Up to four student managers each year, and several dozen volunteers, gain experience on the Knox farm.
The campus outcome of these students' work is an increase in transparently grown, fresh local produce in the cafeteria, and growing enthusiasm among the student body for such food - the products of the Knox Farm are labeled clearly when they are served on the line.
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Energy and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Grounds and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Purchasing and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Transportation and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
Four student workers are employed in the campus bike shop and administer a bike share cooperative. Many student volunteers learn mechanical skills in the shop, and together with Bike Club, the bike shop workers advocate for improved bicycling and pedestrian-safe infrastructure.
KnoxCorps fellows drive the campus electric car to all local job sites; they must plan according to the battery life, and experience the infrastructural limitations and benefits to alternative vehicles.
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Waste and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
Student interns in the Office of Sustainability help to plan and facilitate zero-waste events and low-waste initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community. Through weekly meetings and ongoing work, they observe the state of solid waste production and management on campus, create and update signage, instruct campus constituents on proper composting and sorting of waste, and quantify, transport, and process various waste streams after collection.
The results of these efforts are notable. Their role in the waste system on campus has resulted in increases in composting (from 200 lbs/day to 320 lbs/day over the course of the last academic year), improved the cleanliness of the compost stream, achieved successful landfill-free events (Commencement 2014, the Sitka Salmon Bake in summer of 2014, and more), and educated hundreds of patrons of campus eating establishments and special events.
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Water and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Coordination, Planning & Governance and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
The President's Council on Sustainability is a planning and governance body that makes direct recommendations to the President for sustainability initiatives that affect the college as a whole. This Council encourages (and achieves) active student engagement. The participation of each student at the table bears equal weight to that of staff, faculty, or administrator participation. Student members of the Council also participate in special task forces to address focused issues on campus, such as climate, waste, and sustainability governance.
Outcomes of this Council have been changes in the campus energy contract, purchasing policies, building and grounds policies, direct contributions to the campus Strategic Plan, and the job description and selection of the campus Sustainability Director, among others.
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Diversity & Affordability and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Health, Wellbeing & Work and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Investment and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Public Engagement and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
KnoxCorps fellows are placed in internship roles at public institutions, building connections between the campus and the community, and experiencing the political challenges of governmental and NGO work for social causes. These students have facilitated and introduced new programs involving food aid, health education, neighborhood improvement, and more.
A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory in Other areas and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
The MAD (Make a Difference) project is a requirement for every student who takes the introductory ENVS course, or 100-level sustainability course. The project, undertaken in pairs, requires students to fully familiarize themselves with a specific aspect of campus operations or management, and to research and propose a program or initiative that would decrease the environmental footprint of the school. Recent outcomes have been public transportation use guides (now featured on the campus website), recommendations for a reusable bag program for the C-store (implementation in progress), and contributions to the Galesburg Community Foundation's food solution endeavors.
The website URL where information about the institution’s campus as a living laboratory program or projects is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.