Dr. Geoffrey Buckley
Ohio University News quotes Dr. Geoff Buckley, Professor of Geography, in an article headlined “OHIO experts explain the benefits of going to school in a vibrant college town.”
A consistent theme on why Athens is the best college town around, according to OHIO faculty experts, centers around the excellent opportunities for ecotourism and actively practicing sustainability here in Athens.
Professor Dr. Geoff Buckley, an environmental historical geographer, said Athens has a plethora of outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities available, including several nearby parks like Lake Hope State Park, Stroud’s Run, Wayne National Forest, Hocking Hills State Park, and the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway that allows students to visit nearby towns via bike trail.
He also commented that, when it comes to urban campuses versus college towns, walkability is a major factor in both efficiency for students and to help reduce pollution from cars. Although urban campuses rely a lot on public transportation, which helps reduce the carbon footprint, students’ campus and uptown Athens is in easy walking distance.
“Colleges tend to be more inherently sustainable lifestyles than if we live in suburban enclaves,” Buckley explained. “Students live in dorms, they’re walking. This is when Americans are the most sustainable, when they’re at the college level. Because of this lifestyle and being in Athens only continues to promote these sustainable initiatives.”
Dr. Buckley also pointed out OHIO not only has a compost facility that allows the University and community members to compost much of their food waste, but it is the largest in-vessel composting system at any college or university in the nation. A compost facility would be much more difficult to have in an urban area since there would be lack of space for it and most people don’t want to see these types of large facilities in their compact neighborhood.
“Most universities don’t have a state-of-the-art compost facility that can handle the quantity of food waste that ours handles,” he added.
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