OSU Sustainability Walking Tour

Union Express

To the right is the Union Express store. Can you guess what the floor is made out of? I will give you a hint- it’s not just plastic! It is made out of hemp linoleum (image 2)!

The counter is made from recycled #2 plastic, i.e. detergent jugs and shampoo bottles, which gave single-use plastic items that would have likely ended up in the landfill a second life (image 3).

Keep an eye out for the University Dining Service reusable shopping bags, which help to reduce plastic waste.

OSU Recycling

As you walk through this tour, notice the many recycle bins located throughout the Student Union.

The  OSU Recycles  program accepts paper & cardboard in one bin and plastic bottles and aluminum cans in another. While the ResLife Recycles Program is a single-stream system, allowing for all recyclables to be put into one bin.

There are many outdoor recycling bins located throughout campus. Later, notice that there are no paper bins outside. This is because most outdoor paper is food wrapping and therefore non-recyclable, and not having bins outside prevents further contamination.

You might be wondering,  where does OSU's recycling go?  Paper and cardboard collected through the OSU Recycles program gets processed at the OSU Recycle Center, where it is bundled and sold. The bottles and cans are sent to a facility in Oklahoma City to be processed. Recycled materials collected thorough the ResLife Recycles Program are sent to a facility in Perkins, OK to be processed.

From the Union Express Store, exit to the right, then walk straight all the way down and take another right at Bread & Beyond. Continue to Chick-fil-a and take a left. The double doors at the end of this hall will open to the next stop.

Price Family Garden/Mothers Garden

The next stop on the tour is the Price Family Garden/Mothers Garden (in Latin “We honor our mothers”).

Located outside  The Ranchers Club , on the west side of the Union, the  Price Family Garden  (click to view a plant identification list) is home to beautiful flowers as well as herbs and vegetables, which are harvested by chefs for use in the Ranchers Club restaurant. In winter, it’s planted in ryegrass to maintain soil health.

Rainwater Collection

Featured in the Price Family Garden is a rainwater collection system that allows OSU to save potable water by reusing rainwater when possible. There is a larger system on the roof.

Tree Campus USA

OSU has been a  Tree Campus USA  since 2012. Each year Landscape Services must qualify by using native species (less water & fewer resources needed), drip irrigation, Arbor Day tree planting, a tree inventory, compost/mulch). Located at the base of some of the trees and shrubs are QR codes that access information about vegetation on campus.

Composting

OSU Landscape Services turns about 100 tons of organic material, like tree limbs, fallen branches, and other woody material, into compost each year and then uses that compost on campus as soil amendment.

Re-enter the student union through the same doors you exited at the garden. Walk forward, until you reach Chick-fil-a.

Floors made from tires?

As you walk past Chick-fil-a, notice the flooring which was made from recycled tires.

Walk straight past Chick-fil-a, turn right at the Student Union information screen toward the Red Earth Kitchen.

Sunflower seed shell counter top!

As you walk toward the Red Earth Kitchen, notice the bar-height counter made of sunflower seed shells.

Red Earth Kitchen

Red Earth Kitchen specializes in locally-sourced food. About 40% of all food service by University Dining Services (UDS) is sourced from Oklahoma. For instance, most meat products come from Ralph's Packing Co. in Perkins. MIO (Made in Oklahoma) food events are usually found here.

UDS kitchens keep carts of fruit & veggie scraps for local farmers to compost.

Cooking oil from UDS kitchens is recycled (rendered) into other oils and greases.

Make your way back outside using the doors near the information desk and the Bookstore (where the tour began).

Sustainability Outdoors!

As you make your way outside of the Student Union, notice the pavers that line the Student Union Plaza, Legacy Walk, and Monroe Street. Options like concrete or asphalt, while the common choice, offer little in terms of permeability, making flooding and run off a major concern. Pavers were chosen due to their permeable surface, helping to reduce any future risk of flooding.

Also, notice the use of LED lights around campus, which uses less energy and lasts longer.

Walk on the pavers, past the clock tower, turn North (toward Edmon Low Library). Walk forward and to the right you will see the “Orange Grove”. Walk through the Orange Grove, with artwork and outdoor activities adorning the path.

Orange Grove

As you walk through the Orange Grove, notice the hammock posts- these help to protect trees on campus, and offers students a fun place to hang out! For more "green spaces" to enjoy, click  here .

Continue north, up the stairs, follow this corridor to the bike racks where you will see a bike repair station.

Bike Racks, Repair Stations, and Electric Scooters

There are many bike racks, bike repair stations, and Spin electric scooters throughout campus, providing students two fun and sustainable ways to get around. Here, between Edmon Low Library and Engineering South, you can see many bike racks and a DIY bike repair station with an air pump and tools for filling bicycle tires or making minor repairs.

For an extensive map of campus wide bike racks, repair stations, and Spin scooter parking, click  here .

Take an immediate right after seeing the bike repair station to get to the next stop. Walk toward and on the gravel path.

Oklahoma Native Plant Corridor

Partially funded by a  GSI (Green Student Initiative) ,  Oklahoma Native Plants  were selected for both visual interest and student research by departments such as Botany, Entomology, and Landscape Architecture.

Signage describes the plants and their locations in the corridor.

Native plants are vital to the ecosystem and provide several benefits, such as: Native plant species are more favorable for supporting local wildlife, including insects such as bees and butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

Next, walk east to the Endeavor Lab (located at the corner of Hester St. and Athletic Ave.).

Endeavor Lab

The wind turbine outside produces 1.5KW of power, enough to power 25 60W light bulbs or about half of the average household’s electric bill. It can be connected to provide energy to senior design projects in the building. Its design allows the turbines to freely rotate to be facing the direction the wind is blowing for maximum power output. For comparison, a large wind turbine generates about 1,000 times more power.

On the deck on the northwest side of the building is an array of solar panels (image 2). These are hooked up to rechargeable batteries and power a charging station indoors.

In the 3D printing rooms and labs for engineering students, unwanted or ruined plastic prints and leftover filament are recycled for other projects.

There are three different ground source heat pumps at different depths that heat and cool the GSHP, Ground-Source Heat Pump, demonstration space in the large glass room at the northwest side of the building. The GSHPs serve as educational systems with sensors for data collection used by senior design teams.

The building has automatically tinting windows that can be turned on and off to keep heat out during the summer and let it in during the winter. Also notice the window markings that can help to reduce bird collisions on this building, these can also be seen on glass at the Noble Research Center, and on bus stop glass.

This is the end of the walking portion of the tour. The following points on the tour are for informational purposes but feel free to check them out!

Roots Café

 Roots Café , an eco-friendly eatery on the first floor of the North Classroom Building, features a selection of organic foods, Fair Trade coffee, eco-friendly cups and other products that help students, staff, and visitors dine more sustainably.

Orange Ride Bike Rental

On the west end of the Multimodal Transportation Transfer Terminal, the  Orange Ride  bicycle rental and repair shop serves anyone, including non-students, who wish to rent a bike or have one repaired. Campus parking registration is free for bikes.

Bicycles are a healthy alternative to driving. At $2/day, $8/week, $35/semester, they’re quite cost effective.

Multimodal Transportation Transfer Terminal

OSU’s CNG (compressed natural gas) bus fleet helps students and Stillwater residents get around quietly, while also reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The  Big Orange Bus  (BOB) provides transportation to and from the OSU-Tulsa campus multiple times each week day. One way fare rates are $7.50 for OSU students and $13 for OSU staff, faculty and guests.

Greenhouse Learning Center

The new Greenhouse in the middle of campus, located just North of the University Health Services Building, also features two in-vessel composting systems. The horticulture club uses the greenhouse for the biennial plant sale, if you would be interested in working in the greenhouse or learning more, they’re the people!

OSU Energy Management

Our  energy management policies  have saved the system over $82M since implemented in 2007.