Click on the image above to see more pictures of Seventh Street Residence Hall.

Located a mere 10 minutes from nea-rly every building on campus, the quiet, 80-student Green House at Seventh Street residence hall is a haven for eco-friendly minds. Offering its residents a stronger community than many other upperclassman dorms, the entire building works to build a sustainable environment through programming events, maintaining a garden and hosting communal dinners.

Students hike, plant trees and visit local gardens to promote sustainability. Residents still have access to more traditional housing events at Alumni residence hall through the 7A partnership, but they also grow a small garden in the lobby with fresh herbs, perfect for residents to use when cooking free communal dinners that take place once every two weeks.

Sorting bins are conveniently located on each floor of the building, making recycling impossible to avoid, and a compost bin is also available for students to dump decomposable scraps of food.

The building itself is composed mostly of apartment-style quads, with two double bedrooms sharing one common room, kitchen and bathroom. The apartments are spacious, but the kitchens lack counter space and cabinetry. The building has neither air conditioning nor an elevator, but it is only four stories tall and after the first few weeks of school pass, having no air conditioner poses no problem.

For anyone who supports sustainability in an urban metropolis or searches for a smaller community, the Green House is an ideal place to live.

– Emily McDermott