Thursday 5/10

Thursday we got to visit OU's compost facility and EcoHouse.
Annie Cadmus gave us a tour of both places, she is the director of sustainability.  The compost facility was much smaller than I imagined, but it was exciting to hear that it is currently under construction and tripling in size and the small facility compostes tons of food waste each year.  The facility is funded by grants and partially through OU.  It was surprising to learn that, at this point in time, there is no financial benefit for composting in Ohio because it's so cheap to send waste to a landfill.  I'm proud to be attending a university that sees the importance of sustainability, even if its not the most cost-effective (yet!).  I was also surprised with the smell of the facility, with all of the food waste I expected it to be pretty stinky.  It didn't smell like flowers, but it wasn't bad at all considering the amount of food waste concentrated in such a small space.
After checking out the compost facility, we drove down to the EcoHouse, a place I didn't know existed until this class.  EcoHouse is home to three students each year, who take care of the house while learning about sustainable living and conducting sustainability projects.  There is also a free community garden open to anyone.  It was neat to see the different solar panels and learn how tenants can get readings on how much energy they are using on a daily basis.  The house also had their own composting area.  It was pretty simple, three small areas separated by wooden pallets, and every couple weeks they turn the waste into the next section.  It looked so simple, it is something I am considering trying once I have the space to try it!  It was really neat getting to learn about EcoHouse, if I would have known about it sooner I would have definitely put in an application to live there.