Welcome to the first edition of our new quarterly green newsletter, featuring updates from Kenyon's five green centers, plus a look at how we're leading the way on environmental stewardship and responsibility with students like Jayne Gelman ’22, a former green center intern who wants to pursue a career in solar energy development.

OFFICE OF GREEN INITIATIVES

An Ecosystem of Education and Action

From sustainable farming to conservation to green burial and of course education, few colleges can claim the breadth and depth of programs that Kenyon has to equip students (and the institution) to be good stewards of our precious resources. The Office of Green Initiatives coordinates sustainability efforts on and off campus with an emphasis on curricular engagement and connecting students to all that Kenyon has to offer. MORE >>

BROWN FAMILY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

Education, Engagement, Conservation

The fall 2021 semester saw 29 different classes use the BFEC's 600-acre property, ranging from environmental studies to modern languages, dance, art, sociology, English and more. For most of these classes, staff worked closely with faculty to ensure meaningful experiences that add depth and texture to each course. MORE >>

KENYON FARM

Where Pastoral Meets Academic

For the students who help operate the 10-acre Kenyon Farm, the value of the experience is incalculable. Some plan to run their own farms when they graduate. Others are interested in working in public policy regarding food safety and sustainability issues. It’s more than just hands-on experience for these students. It’s a chance to live the agricultural life to its fullest while also taking advantage of the stellar academics at Kenyon. MORE >>

KOKOSING NATURE PRESERVE

A First-of-its-Kind Setting for Green Burial 

What some may remember as the site of the former Tomahawk Golf Course was dedicated in 2015 as the Kokosing Nature Preserve, a conservation burial ground which is helping some members of the Kenyon community make their final footprint on our environment as small as possible. Kenyon is currently the first and only college or university in the country with a certified green burial cemetery. The preserve offers a natural burial option on 23 acres of native prairie, ponds, wetlands and woodlands, less than a mile from Kenyon’s campus. MORE >>

PHILANDER CHASE CONSERVANCY

Maintaining the Healthy, Productive Lands We Remember 

Nationally, roughly a football field of green space disappears every 30 seconds. The pressure on rural lands is clearly not relenting. Since its creation in 2000, the Philander Chase Conservancy has worked with conservation-minded landowners to preserve Kenyon's rural feel, conserving 66 properties around Kenyon, totaling almost 5,700 acres. MORE >>