University of Kentucky student who founded The Thrifty Cat will continue sustainability efforts after graduation
From establishing The Thrifty Cat to researching textile applications to thrifting for vintage clothing brands in her free time, Olivia Smith has devoted her time at the University of Kentucky to promoting sustainability.
“I've always really had a passion for coming up with solutions to overconsumption and just making more people aware of the issue,” said Smith, who will graduate in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science (NRES) from the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
In Fall 2025, Smith helped establish The Thrifty Cat, a free store for students on UK’s campus to access clothing, furniture, dorm items, textbooks and more. The idea began during Smith’s time as a sustainability intern with UK Recycling the year prior. As part of her internship, Smith helped plan the Thrift Shop Pop-up, an annual one-day thrifting event for students that started in 2018.
“When I organized the event last year, I really saw growth in it,” Smith said. “We saw a 22% increase in donations collected from the previous year, and I wanted to make it more accessible for more people long-term.”
When Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library, which offers bike rentals and repairs to the UK community, moved to Sports Center Garage in 2025, its previous space in the basement of Blazer Dining became available.
“We took it as the perfect opportunity to bring in another sustainability resource to that area,” Smith said.
The Thrifty Cat is currently open Monday through Thursday and allows students to shop for free, with no limit on number of items. It operates entirely on gently used donations, which can be left in collection bins outside the store.
“I'm seeing The Thrifty Cat as a really beneficial thing economically, especially for incoming students moving in to use that as a place to get their initial needs in setting up their new home here,” Smith said.
In addition to her work with UK Recycling and The Thrifty Cat, Smith also participated in undergraduate research with Tyler Barzee, assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE).
“It really helped me get a foundation in the research aspect of environmental science,” Smith said. "Dr. Barzee has been very helpful in setting me up for success in all of my avenues and all the connections I've made on campus.”
In the Barzee Bioprocessing Laboratory, Smith’s project focused on creating pure mycelium materials, which are made from the roots of mushrooms, for textile applications. Working with the fungus that makes tempeh, an Indonesian fermented soybean dish, the team learned that these organisms can eat inexpensive and widespread agricultural byproducts, like stillage from distilleries and manure, and turn them into a leather-like material.
Using a scaled-up production process that the lab developed, Smith and Keya Rani Roy, a BAE doctoral student and graduate research assistant, created the first prototype products from this material: a wallet and UK patch.
“It was a really successful demonstration of the process and taught us a lot about what was working and what needs to improve,” Barzee said.
Barzee said his whole lab was rooting for Smith when The Thrifty Cat opened.
“This certainly indicates her growth and abilities in project management, collaboration, communication, creativity and dedication,” Barzee said. “It is a special thing to not only have the vision and ambition but also be able to follow it through to completion.”
Smith said it’s been gratifying for her to see how appreciative her fellow students are when they “are finding things that they love” at the pop-up and at The Thrifty Cat.
“I'm looking forward to graduation and continuing my career in sustainability and implementing more long-term resources such as this one,” Smith said.
Barzee said he admires the passion, maturity, awareness and resourcefulness that led to Smith’s success at UK.
"Her work has been an inspiration to me and I'm sure many others on campus who have taken notice of the ways she finds creative and concrete ways to improve things in the world," he said. “I believe that we can expect to continue to see great things from Olivia as she moves into her career.”
Learn more about The Thrifty Cat and about the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program.
Writer: Bailey Vandiver, bailey.vandiver@uky.edu
The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services to individuals and institutions that provide equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.
