The smell of fresh plants and bird chirping fills the air. Students settle in for their Zoom meeting and utilize this collaborative space. Welcome to USC’s new Sustainability Hub.
The Hub is a new space that welcomes collaboration and innovation towards sustainable solutions. The grand opening will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6. It is located in Student Union, Suite 101, where the USC Pharmacy was previously.
Outside of a space for cooperation, the Hub also intends to be a resource center where students can find out more about sustainability in general and on campus.
The Hub will include battery recycling and a shelf where students can take unclaimed DPS lost and found items, like sunglasses. Additionally, the space will be available for meetings and events. One of the current goals of the Hub is to grow with students and accommodate their future needs.
Inside is what USC’s Chief Sustainability Officer Mick Dalrymple calls a “hybrid-hoteling office space of the future.” There are pods for Zoom and two person meetings, open space with different sized tables and even a shared kitchen. Before the grand opening, the Hub already saw 30 to 40 students a day, according to Dalrymple.
The Hub was built with sustainable materials and finished with sustainable furniture to lower its carbon footprint. These include photo wall coverings that are made of biodegradable ink and Steelcase i2i Collaborative lounge chairs made from 99% recycled materials.