Earth House

The Earth House on 29 Buswell Street

The Earth House is one of 34 specialty community residences on Boston University’s campus. Since its establishment, the house has attracted a unique group of students who share a passion for the environment and an interest in exploring areas such as climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy, and environmental policy.

Applications to live in the Earth House for the 2012-2013 academic year are now closed.

Check back for information about the 2013-2014 application deadline.

Download the application (here) and turn it in at a ResLife Office near you.

Members of the Earth House community take many actions to promote sustainably at BU. For instance, residents participate in several specialty related events such as Earth Hour and Recyclemania.

Other Earth House activities include residential energy audits using Kill-a-Watt Meters, as well as viewing documentaries such as Food Inc., an Oscar nominated film that exposes the environmental impacts of our current food system.

Many projects have taken place in the Earth House to promote more sustainable living on campus. For example, in the 2009-2010 academic year, existing shower heads were replaced with ones that were low-flow, thanks to a collaboration between RA Kimberly Burke and Facilities Management & Planning.

“After they were installed we spent the next month and a half, as a house, logging shower times to track our individual and house water use,” said Abhishek Seth (COM), who intends to pursue a career in the PR Industry with a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility .

“We also have guest speakers from different groups around campus talk to us, such as sustainability@BU and members of the Environmental Student Organization,” says Elizabeth Treiber (TBA). “This is helpful because it lets us know what’s going on around campus so that we can participate in and support those events.”

Anna Kalil (CAS) says she feels a tremendous sense of community not only in South Campus, but especially in the Earth House itself. “One thing that helped in bonding as a house was hanging out on the stoop in the fall, where we would chat about all sorts of topics, ranging from politics to climate change to animals,” says Kalil. “There really is a
fabulous camaraderie.”