A Glimpse into Campus Projects
Over the years, Rice University has supported a wide range of projects that use the campus as a space for exploration, learning, and innovation. These efforts span disciplines and approaches, offering creative solutions to real-world challenges while enriching the university community. The examples featured here represent just a small selection of the many projects that have taken place—each one helping to illustrate the diverse possibilities for engaging with the campus in meaningful ways.
Project: Give a Hoot! Donate Your Loot! Move-out Campaign
Project Type: Course Project (ENST 302/SOCI 304)
Description: Give a Hoot! Donate Your Loot! is Rice University’s signature move-out waste diversion campaign, empowering students, faculty, and staff to donate gently used items instead of discarding them. Launched in 2023 as a student-led initiative, the program has rapidly grown into a campus-wide movement that promotes sustainability, equity, and community engagement. Collection bins are placed throughout campus at the end of each semester and collected by Green City Recycler.
Results: The program has been an immense success, Since its launch in 2023, Give a Hoot! Donate Your Loot! has earned prestigious recognition for its leadership in sustainability and community engagement. The campaign received the Mayor's Proud Parnter Award from Keep Houston Beautiful in 2023 and was named the 2025 Outstanding Program of the Year by Keep Texas Beautiful. As of July 2025, the initiative has successfully diverted over 32,000 pounds of durable goods from landfills.
Project: Green Roof Review on Stormwater Runoff and Flood Mitigation
Project Type: Research Project (SSPEED Center)
Description: The SSPEED Center collaborated with the City of Houston to develop design guidelines in support of the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Incentive Program. This multidisciplinary, short-term research initiative aimed to enhance Houston’s urban flood resilience amid ongoing urban growth. The project leveraged data from previous Green Infrastructure projects on the Rice University campus, where systems were actively monitored. Additionally, existing Green Infrastructure installations at Rice were used to collect data on variables such as green roof runoff attenuation, runoff losses, and water quality.
Results: The collaborative effort between the SSPEED Center and the City of Houston resulted in the development of data-driven recommendations for more accessible and effective design parameters. These findings were intended to inform and incentivize the construction of additional green and sustainable infrastructure throughout the city.
Project: Prairie Plots
Project Type: Research Project (Maggie Tsang)
Description: Prairie Plots is a collaboration between Rice Architecture and Grounds within Facilities & Capital Planning. Initiated in 2022, the project is a living installation that explores the social, environmental, and cultural dimensions of alternative landscape maintenance and land care practices. The installation replaces a 10,000 square foot area of mowed turf lawn with a prairie landscape, reducing the environmental impact of mowing and irrigation and growing biodiversity and soil health.
Results: Since its installation, the project has diverted maintenance-intensive turf into a biodiverse habitat, improving soil health, increasing pollinator activity, and reducing irrigation needs. It has also fostered strong community engagement through seasonal land care events, student-led monitoring of ecological health, and public education via exhibitions and publications. Recognized with a 2022 award from the Architectural League of New York and the 2025 Texas ASLA Award of Excellence for Research, Prairie Plots stands as a model for sustainable campus design and climate-resilient urban landscapes.
