![Compost facility image](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20180619compost_facility_bws00003.jpg?itok=F0MjEC8P)
Sustainability tours highlight local assets and partnerships for students and community members
The Office of Sustainability at 91探花 has been working hard to create community outreach programs for OHIO community members and for the Athens community. According to Sam Crowl, the Associate Director of the Office of Sustainability, 鈥91探花 defines sustainability as the capacity to simultaneously benefit people, the planet and prosperity now and in the future. The Office of Sustainability facilitates the implementation of the 91探花 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan and ensures fulfillment of institutional commitments to environmental, social, and economic well-being.鈥
Crowl also emphasizes that the office offers numerous services not only to faculty, staff, and students, but also to local organizations and individuals working to make our communities more socially just, ecologically balanced, and prosperous. Services offered by the Office of Sustainability, many in partnership with the Voinovich School of Public Service, include providing information, reports, tours, and presentations; supporting sustainable events and programs; providing curricular and co-curricular assistance for academic courses and research. Additionally, the university collaborates with the City of Athens and local organizations on advancing sustainability and offering opportunities for volunteers to assist in sustainability initiatives.
Interested in signing up for a Tour? Tours and programs offered by the Office of Sustainability include:
The Compost Facility Tour, which has been requested for OHIO, Hocking College and local elementary school courses as well as other universities interested in developing their own systems, such as Marshall University and the University of Kentucky.
![Compost facility image](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20180619compost_facility_bws00003.jpg?itok=F0MjEC8P)
The OHIO Ecohouse Tour, which can be combined with the Compost Facility Tour.
![Ecohouse students demonstrate the energy-efficient appliances.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20060925-NB0Q1720.jpg?itok=r9e0l_Tx)
A Stormwater Infrastructure Tour focuses on the history of flooding challenges on campus and locally, and highlights some of the best management practices currently being followed to create a more resilient landscape.
![Students and employees sit by the green roof on Patton Hall.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20180402bioswale_bws00004.jpg?itok=kITOOI_r)
The mAppAthens Project, an initiative curated by Dr. Nancy Stevens, includes many other sustainability-related tours and resources highlighting our local assets as well, including:
The Energy & Biofuel Tour:
![Runners run past a biofuel tour at the Ridges Land Lab.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/biofuel.jpg?itok=6jV-IxFv)
The Campus Green Tree Tour:
![A tour guide teaches a tour group about trees on campus.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20150619tree_tour_bws00002.jpg?itok=_u6HkmUF)
The Ridges Tree Tour Loop:
![Ohio students lead a tour with a local school group.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20171013cdc_scavenger_hunt_sustainability00005.jpg?itok=Jl-_KRNy)
The Green Infrastructure Tour:
![Gardens on the Schoonover Green Roof](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20200824green_roof_bws0006.jpg?itok=4aPCLfzw)
The Grand Bug Tour:
![A bug on a tour guide's hand.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20180428bioblitz_bws00004.jpg?itok=JE3le-_0)
The Birders Trail:
![The Hocking River and White's Mill.](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20190318whitesmill_bird%20tour0001.jpg?itok=LjVaevZ8)
The Hocking Adena River and Bikeway:
![The cherry blossoms along the Bikeway](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20120320cherry_blossoms%20%281%29_1.jpg?itok=H1U1507q)
Sustainability Walking Map:
![Students looking at maps of the Ridges](/university-college/sites/ohio.edu.university-college/files/styles/max_2600x2600/public/2021-11/20171013cdc_scavenger_hunt_sustainability00007.jpg?itok=8bGqcelm)
And Guest Lectures are also available!