University of Cincinnati
11/05/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/05/2025 12:59
UC students create sustainability map of Clifton west campus
UC students create sustainability map of Clifton west campus
Website gives a tour, raises awareness of environmentally friendly sites
4 minute read November 5, 2025 Share on facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print StoryLike
Students enrolled in an environmental inquiry course at the University of Cincinnati set out to make the campus more environmentally friendly.
For years, the number of environmental features of campus has steadily increased, but many of these features have gone unnoticed.
"We noticed that less was known about sustainability features on campus, including the things that the sustainability office was doing," said Laura Zanotti, professor and director of UC's School of Environment and Sustainability. "A lot of this information was not readily available."
Case in point: the new hammock hangout on campus was recently relocated from its spot adjacent to Sigma Sigma Commons because of damage to the trees, leaving many students confused.
Laura Zanotti, director of UC's School of Environment and Sustainability. Photo/Provided.
"They knew that the hammock hangout was relocated from shaded red oak trees to another landscape space and they weren't sure why. And it was to protect the trees," said Zanotti. "Less was understood about sustainability features on campus."
Many features were put in place with intention- but without a way for students to know their purpose. The map provides an interactive, educational tour of campus pointing out sustainable features that may have previously been unknown - made by students for students.
Having different sustainability pathways on an urban campus is something we can be proud of.
Laura Zanotti, Director, School of Environment and Sustainability
UC's Sustainability Garden provides free, fresh produce to students. Photo/Provided
The map calls out sites such as the one-acre Sustainability Garden maintained to provide free, fresh produce to UC's Bearcats Pantry; four EV charging stations on campus to help cut back UC's carbon footprint; and the UC Surplus Store, which helps responsibly recycle and dispose of electronics. Explore the Sustainability Map here.
"Before helping create the Sustainability Map, I was aware of some but not all of the sustainability features and initiatives on campus," said Sarah Austgen, one of the students involved with the creation of the map.
In class, students were challenged to create a UC eco-friendly map, with each group focusing on a different sustainability topic. With the help of Zanotti and other SEaS professors, the Geographic Information librarian, and graduate students within the library, the students put together the map and pitched it to Alex Roman Gonzalez, director of the UC Office of Sustainability.
After creating the map, the students added some tools to their toolbox. They worked as a team in an interdisciplinary environment, analyzing and translating environment-related data sets and figures, as well as applying that information to make an action plan that would help UC continue to meet its sustainability goals.
"There are so many contributions to sustainability made by students, staff, and faculty at UC that go unnoticed," said Austgen. "It is a tool to actively engage students to not only use the features available to them, but to be a part of building a more sustainable future."
The hope is that students knowing about the sustainability resources on campus will lead to them being utilized more, not only improving the environment around them, but also having that trickle out to greater Cincinnati as well. Research, teaching and service being more accessible than ever to students is only the beginning of a greener city.
"There is a large role that we can play, not just on campus, but in the region," said Zanotti. "Having different sustainability pathways on an urban campus is something I think we can be proud of."
Featured image at top: Seedling emerges from soil in sunlight. Photo/Nature_Design for Pixabay.
By Emily Widman
Student Journalist, College of Arts and Sciences Marketing and Communication
Tags
- Center for Field Studies
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Environmental Studies
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