Welcome to the OHIO Ecohouse

The OHIO Ecohouse is an off-campus residence at Ohio University that provides students with the opportunity to learn about sustainable lifestyle choices through hands-on, lived experience. The OHIO Ecohouse offers undergraduate and graduate students of all colleges, majors, and disciplines a unique opportunity to lessen their impact on the Earth while living independently in beautiful Athens, Ohio. Any student eligible to live off-campus is welcome to apply to live in the Ecohouse; no previous sustainability experience is required, only a desire to live lighter on the Earth and practice sustainable lifestyle choices. 

Project Mission

The OHIO Ecohouse is designed to demonstrate affordable green technology and sustainable living to students in an effort to engage and inspire both resiudents and visitors. The Ecohouse is not merely a home, but a dynamic education experience promoting critical thinking and tangible actions toward on and off-campus sustainability at Ohio University. 

Each semester, residents register for a one-credit seminar that allows them to engage in discussions about living sustainability, environmental leadership, and conservation practices. A background in sustainability or an environmentally-oriented field is not required; merely a willingness to learn. Each resident is required, through the aforementioned seminar, to complete one or more projects each semester that increases their own connection to sustainable lifestyle choices. In the past, such projects have included the construction of campus-community gardens, preparing and preserving local foods, performing energy audits, and repurposing waste plastic into viable building materials. Ecohouse resident projects can be explored here!

It is Ohio University's intention for the house to serve as a living laboratory for residents, students, faculty, staff, and community members alike.­ We hope this project helps others to see that living sustainably is not a radical effort, nor does it require compromising your desires to have a well-maintained home. Rather, we believe that a sustainable lifestyle should be attainable for any individual. Through this project, we are committed to increasing awareness of how to reduce one's impact on the environment through daily lifestyle changes.

Unique Opportunity

The OHIO Ecohouse is currently the only residence at Ohio University that offers students the chance to focus on sustainable behaviors.­ Any student eligible to live off-campus is invited to apply to live in the house to further their knowledge of and investment in sustainable living.­ No experience with sustainability is required; residents merely must have an interest in learning more.­ Residents engage in a variety of exciting activities and workshops to enhance their sustainable living skills.­ Because the OHIO Ecohouse is managed by the Office of Sustainability, rent fees go towards utilities, maintenance of the building, and any additional overhead costs.