Sustainability Initiatives
Jane’s Closet
Jane’s Closet provides students with free, commonly used items. We aim to offer additional support to students experiencing financial hardship, divert waste away from landfills, and promote the adoption of a sharing economy on campus. All members of the campus community are welcome to use Jane’s Closet.
We accept the following new or gently-used items:
- Books
- Clothing – Excluding underwear, bras, socks, pajamas, or torn and soiled clothing.
- Shoes
- School Supplies – Excluding Consumables, such as glue, paint, rolls of film, and similar items, must be unopened and unused.
- Small appliances
Accepted items are not limited to this list. Please review the residence hall policies if you are unsure whether to accept an item.
You may drop donations off in donation bin in Fisher Chapel in the Jane Addams Center office.
RU Green?
RU Green is our Earth Day celebration. Earth Day is recognized on April 21 each year, but we expand the activities into a full week.
For Earth Day week 2024, we collaborated with organizations in the Rockford community, including Severson Dells Nature Center and Rotary Club of Cherry Valley, to challenge students to make sustainable choices and get into Nature.
To kick off the week, the RU football participated in a State Street cleanup. Other days, students tried plant- based meals in the RU Dining Hall, participated in iNaturalist activities through Severson Dells, and were encouraged to make choices like walking instead of driving through participation in the RU Green? campus challenge.
Community and Butterfly Gardens
The Butterfly Garden was dedicated in Spring 2024 in remembrance of student Dejan Kuljanin, who was a student in the Education Pathways program at RU. The memorial garden is located out the back entrance of Fisher Chapel. Plants in the garden were carefully chosen to attract pollinators, including butterflies and bees, and to help sustain insects and birds living in our stressed natural environment. The garden is maintained by students in the Education Pathways program.
Our Community Garden was established on campus in 2022 to help educate students about sustainability issues, encourage gardening as a way to manage stress, and improve awareness of fresh foods for a healthy lifestyle. Located between the softball field and the RU Maintenance Building, the Community Garden offers a chance for students, faculty, and staff to work together on a sustained project that helps benefit out environment.
To promote the garden, JACCE has sponsored cook-offs featuring dishes created by RU faculty and staff. Students get the opportunity to vote for their favorite dish.
If you are interested in participating in the Jane Addams Community Garden, please email us at jacce@rockford.edu
