Hannah Stone, a senior in integrated studies with concentrations in environmental science, environmental studies and creative writing, and Catherine Meeks Quinlan, associate lecturer of English and co-director of Environmental Studies. Photo by Angela Foster.
Students and staff at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga are helping shape the upcoming Oak Street Residence Hall in a unique way by incorporating recycled glass into the building’s lobby floor.
UTC’s campus is participating in a glass drive through Friday, March 13, where students, faculty and community members can donate used glass for the project. The glass drive is a partnership between UTC’s Environmental Studies program, the Student Environmental Action and Sustainability Committee, Tinker Ma Architects, and local glass recycling company Overlooked Materials.
Overlooked Materials will process the collected glass locally before integrating it into the building materials.
Hannah Stone, a senior majoring in integrated studies with concentrations in environmental science, environmental studies and creative writing, has been leading the initiative.
“I feel like I’m kind of what I would call a communication liaison,” said Stone, who hails from Franklin, Tennessee. “Because I have my feet in all of these different pools, I’m able to help bridge those communication gaps and help this movement push forward.”
Associate Lecturer of English and Co-Director of Environmental Studies Catherine Meeks Quinlan said the project originated last spring from conversations between students and architects.
“We invited Lauren Dunn, one of the architects who’s the lead on this project for Tinker Ma, to come to campus to talk to the Student Sustainability Society about the new dorm and get input from students,” Meeks Quinlan said. “The idea for this specifically kind of came out of various conversations around that meeting.”
A broader effort to increase sustainability visibility on campus has been reflected in the project. Meeks Quinlan noted that many sustainability initiatives already exist at UTC, but students often aren’t aware of them.
“There are things already in place on campus that we can elevate and make more visible to students,” she said. “Most students that I’ve talked to about it are always very excited by and interested in seeing those kinds of things around campus.”
According to Stone, glass is not included in Chattanooga’s single-stream recycling program, which results in low regional recovery rates.
“Glass is a highly underused resource in Chattanooga,” Stone said. “Partnering with Overlooked Materials is a great way to start finding a way to redirect that glass and create things like lobby floors when there aren’t a lot of great resources available at the city level.”
After processing, the collected glass will be added to concrete to create a mosaic-style, glittering floor.
“It will basically look like sparkly concrete,” Stone said. “We’re trying to make this a UTC-themed floor, so bring your blue glass.”
Bins for glass collection are located at the Stacy Town Center and the University Center roundabout. The bins are available 24 hours a day until the start of spring break.
Meeks Quinlan added that initiatives like these help foster confidence-building among students.
“It’s ultimately a small, modest project,” she said, “but those are the kinds of things that actually create a sense of empowerment.”
The Oak Street Residence Hall is expected to open in fall 2027.
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UTC breaks ground on Oak Street Residence Hall
Glass Drive for New Oak Street Residence Hall
Catherine Meeks Quinlan and Hannah Stone hold glass bottles collected for UTC’s initiative to incorporate recycled glass into the Oak Street Residence Hall lobby floor.
