On Thursday our class went to the compost facility and Ecohouse where we met Annie, who took us through the sites. She works for the Ohio University Office of Sustainability. OU uses an in-vessel composter system that is funded mostly by a $350,000 grant from the Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. They also received $35,105 from the Department of Developments' Energy Loan Fund for the solar array. The remaining funding is from the OU departments Facilities Management and Auxillaries. Food waste from central foods and shively dining hall is taken to the compost facility in large trash cans without plastic bags. The bins are washed out after each use. The compost facility is currently under construction to expand the area. The compost is used for intramural athletic fields, gardens for plant biology students, and the ecohouse community garden currently.
Annie then took us to the ecohouse where she showed us the outside of the house. There are community gardens, a compost area, water collection jugs, solar panels for electricity, clothes drying lines, and panels for generating heat. These are just some of the sustainable living features. Three students pass an application process every year to live in the house. It is a great opportunity to create a sustainable project or live in a sustainable environment.
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