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Tours

  1. Campus Sustainability

    Take a trip around campus and check out the sustainable features of our buildings, grounds and programs.

    Stops

    1. Buster's Kitchen

      • Campus dining services employ many sustainable strategies, including sourcing food from local farmers and donating surplus food to the Boise Rescue Center. 
      • Buster's Kitchen is a leader in reducing waste with the adoption of a reusable to go box. These reusable containers keep disposable to-go boxes out of the landfill. In 2017 alone, the to go program saved over 50,000 single-use to go boxes.
      • The facility is also  tray-less, which helps to reduce food waste and water usage. 

    2. SUB Bee Keep

      • The bee keep is managed by the Bee Club, who work to create a safe environment for bees during an era in which bee populations are declining significantly - no bees = no food. 
      • Also provides a local source of honey.  

    3. Bronco Shop Recycling and Water Filling Station

      The Bronco Shop participates in campus sustainability by offering:

      • Battery recycling
      • Maintenance services on electronics to help them last longer - less e-waste

      Water Bottle Refill Station

      • This is one of many refill stations around campus designed to encourage reusable water bottles 
      • The number at the station represents how many bottles have been reused instead of purchased new.
      • Every time you refill a bottle you prevent the purchase of a new plastic bottle. Not-so-fun-fact: Approximately 86% of plastic water bottles used in the US become garbage or litter 

    4. Eco-Turf landscaping

      Behind the new Materials Science Research Building, Landscaping Services is piloting a new type of grass on campus called eco-turf.  The seed is a mix of clover and fescue grasses that requires less watering, mowing and fertilization. Not only does this save water and minimize the need for fertilizers, this makes the turf highly resilient to changing weather conditions.

    5. Boise State Rec Center

      The Rec Center's pool is heated by solar power with 24 solar panels installed in 2010 during construction of the aquatics complex. The sole purpose of the panels is to heat the pools.

    6. Cycle Learning Center

      The Cycle Learning Center is Boise State’s bike shop and maintenance center. You can buy new and used bikes for great prices, get a tune up, or take free lunchtime workshops to learn how to fix your own bike.

      The CLC:

      • Promotes biking as a sustainable, cost effective form of transportation. Not only do you save money but you emit zero carbon emissions!
      • Offers affordable bike rentals to students that do not have a car on campus, can rent for the entire academic year for only $180 - includes helmet, maintenance, lights and storage 
      • In 2023, Boise State was recognized as a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists.

    7. Boise State Shuttle Stop

      • Valley Ride, the main provider of mass transit in Boise, stops on campus to help students get around the city without a car. 
      • Bronco Shuttles are free to the public – not just students and staff! 
      • The Orange shuttle goes downtown to the transit center.  Take this shuttle to go downtown instead of driving, save on emissions and the cost/stress of parking!
      • Using public transportation reduces Single Occupancy Vehicles on the road. Fewer cars on the road leads to less greenhouse gas emissions and less air pollution
      • The Boise State Shuttle service started in 2016 with nearly 36,000 passenger trips. Over the next three years, passenger trips increased by more than 500%, totaling nearly 219,000 by mid 2019. 

    8. Paired Recycling and Landfill Containers

      • In order to encourage recycling, Boise State conveniently pairs a recycling collection container with every landfill container on campus. 
      • Boise has commingled recycling, meaning that we can recycle: aluminum and steel/tin, corrugated cardboard, paper, and sturdy #1 and #2 plastics. 
      • It is also important not to put glass, paper dish ware, or food in the recycling.
      • If you want to recycle your glass, please take it to the glass recycling dumpster on campus that is next to Selway Suites.

    9. Outdoor lighting

      • All of campus’s outdoor lighting is in the process of being switched to LEDs and the project is nearly completed. 
      • LEDs last up to six times longer and use half as much energy as the fluorescent bulbs they are replacing.

    10. Solar Powered Parking Meters

      The Department of Transportation is dedicated to making sustainable upgrades wherever possible, and one upgrade they have made is solar powered parking pay stations like this one.

    11. Geothermal on Campus

      Boise has the largest geothermal energy system in the country, and the university uses this system to heat ten buildings on campus.

      The following buildings on campus use geothermal energy: 

      • Math Building
      • Interactive Learning Center
      • Multipurpose Building
      • Morrison Center 
      • Environmental Research Building
      • Center for the Visual Arts
      • Administration Building
      • Student Union Building
      • Micron Business and Economics Building
      • Alumni and Friends Center

      Additional facts:

      • The water comes from springs near the Military Reserve
      • We use it and send it back to replenish the springs
      • Heat supply goes through the pipes to heat the building
      • For this process to be economically feasible we need to extract at least 50 degrees
      • If we extract these 50 degrees, our building is heated for around 15% cheaper than natural gas (though price of natural gas fluctuates) 
      • Reduces the natural gas we use, as well as the snowmelt as the pipes run under the sidewalk and melt the ice in the winter

    12. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

      Boise State is working to replace older fleet vehicles with electric vehicles, so there are different charging stations scattered around campus.
       
      There are currently eight charging stations in total, and each one can charge up to two vehicles at once. Four of these charging stations are located in the Brady garage 

    13. Micron Business and Economics Building

      The Micron Business and Economics Building (MBEB) is one of the ten geothermal heated buildings on campus. Another unique feature of this building is the patio is also heated using geothermal energy which helps to:

      • Reduce ice during the winter, creating a safer environment
      • Reduce the need to salt or apply sand to the concrete, which lessens the amount of runoff and the related harm to wildlife 

      Additional details:

      • MBEB has a solar array that currently produces 25 kilowatts of power each day, the equivalent of the energy used by about five average households.
      • There is a green roof system covering over 5,000 square feet on the wings of the building where native ground cover grows in trays. This helps to reduce the load of storm water into the drainage system and reduces the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling. It also takes very little water and is mowed only once a year.
      • The College of Business and Economics is home to the Responsible Business Initiative, in which students conduct sustainability assessments with local businesses. 
      • The students at COBE also create a COBE Sustainability Report each year which outlines areas where improvements can be made in sustainable practices.
      • The Atkins Law Career Closet is located on the first floor. Students need to make an appointment and can take four items each semester.

    14. Cesar Chavez Blvd

      • The sidewalk along the green belt is designed to be pedestrian friendly, so the green lane along Cesar Chavez is specifically for bikes heading towards Capitol Blvd. Bikes heading towards Park Center are allowed to use the full lane. 
      • Shuttle stops are also available all along Cesar Chavez Lane, making it easy to get around using public transportation or by biking 

    15. MakerLab

      Albertsons Library, First Floor

      • The MakerLab is an inclusive, interdisciplinary space that facilitates invention and experimentation while maintaining social responsibility and sustainable practices
      • It hosted Earth Day events in 2019 that included turning used bottle caps, cups and old t-shirts into art pieces.
      • To help mitigate the environmental impacts of 3D printing, the MakerLab sources the plastic filament they need from a local company in Garden City, which helps reduce packaging waste and transportation externalities. 

    16. Solar Charging Station

      • An idea crafted by Boise State employees, this charging station has four 160 watt solar panels on the roof with batteries for power storage and screens for promotional messaging, as well as 15 charging outlets.
      • This station was made partially from recycled materials, as the wood table tops were originally beams in the former Applied Technology Building and were recovered before the building was demolished.