As Grinnell College works toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2040, sustainability efforts are unfolding both on and off campus.
Environmental and Safety Manager Chris Bair said that a four-megawatt solar project north of campus and a two-megawatt share in a larger five-megawatt installation on the west edge of town will soon allow the College to source roughly 75 percent of its electricity from renewable energy, once fully operational.
“If you had told me that we could reach such sustainability levels 10 years ago, I’d have thought you’re crazy,” Bair said.
Bair said that student behavior has less impact on electricity consumption than many assume.
When most students left campus during the pandemic, the overall electric consumption went down by about 15 percent.
“Focusing on behaviors with regards to electricity isn’t what’s going to reduce electricity consumption,” he said.
According to Bair, where student action does matter significantly is recycling and water use.
“The first goal is to stop contamination of the recycling,” Bair said.
Certain types of glass and plastics are no longer accepted by the Grinnell recycling facility due to market limitations.
When non-accepted materials are placed in recycling bins, entire loads can be discarded. Sometimes the issue stems from good intentions.
“Sometimes wishful recyclers cause as much contamination as anything,” Bair said. “We pay more to recycle than we do to throw something away.”
To address the issue, sustainability student coordinators are redesigning recycling signage to improve clarity.
Other student-driven initiatives include a digital campus tree map, prairie expansions near residence halls and an organic lawn pilot on MacEachron (Mac) Field.
Broader campus sustainability goals align with efforts from Burling Library.
The library is pursuing certification through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI).
SLI is a national organization partnered with the American Library Association, which evaluates libraries based on environmental practices and organizational commitments.
If successful, Burling would become the first academic library in Iowa to earn the distinction.
Discovery, Systems and Digital Strategy Librarian Kayla Reed said the certificate is a review of the library’s sustainability practices across areas such as energy use, programming and community engagement.
“The certificate itself is more, the way I see it, a celebration of what we’re going to accomplish,” Reed said.
While the library already incorporates sustainability into its daily operations — from energy-efficient infrastructure to inclusive collection practices — the formal process provides an opportunity to evaluate and strengthen those efforts. Reed first encountered the program three years ago at a library conference.
“I fell in love immediately. I was like, oh, that’s so Grinnell. That is for us,” she said.
The certification process includes reviewing documentation related to social well-being, environmental practices and organizational commitment.
Reed said that many sustainability measures are already embedded in campus policy. Grinnell signed the President’s Climate Leadership Commitment nearly a decade ago, demonstrating long-standing institutional investment in climate action.
The cost of certification is relatively modest — less than $1,000 for the one-time fee and under $200 annually for membership in the SLI program.
Reed noted that the greater challenge is time and coordination, particularly for academic libraries balancing tight budgets and staffing constraints. Still, she said she hopes the campus will engage enthusiastically with the certification process.
“I just hope that the campus gets as excited as I am,” she said.
If launched in fall 2026, the initiative would unfold as a year-long celebration of sustainability, including programming, partnerships and workshops.
“We’ve set our own time because we’d like for it to be about a year long,” Reed said. “We want this to be a nice year-long celebration and then we will continue our membership.”
