A new green energy campaign launched by The University of Alabama Environmental Council pushes to establish a 50 cents per credit hour, per semester student fee on campus to fund sustainability projects.
An official student chapter of the Alabama Environmental Council, UA ECo, was established to address environmental concerns while also planning projects that will create green operations on campus.
“Our mission is to work with UA in order to promote environmental stewardship and issues of environmental justice,” UA ECo president Anna Turkett said. “We focus on any environmental issue we can.”
Of the 50 cents per credit hour, per semester student fee, one half will contribute to a Student Green Fund, which will serve as a mini-grant program. The money will be made available to UA students, faculty and staff for projects that will be proposed and submitted to a sustainability fund committee. The committee will then review the application and vote on the amount of money to be issued for the proposed project.
“The intent of this fund is to provide money for projects that improve The University of Alabama’s sustainability, decrease its ecological footprint and educate the University and local communities about sustainable practices and environmental issues,” Caitlin McClusky, UA ECo social coordinator, said.
The other half of the fee will go into a Green Revolving Loan Fund, through which the University administration can invest a substantial amount of money into sustainable projects concerning energy efficiency with clear and strong returns on investment expected within one to two years, McClusky said.
“As the GLRF grows over time, its funds are constantly ‘revolving’ – being used, earned back and reinvested – thus sustaining the fund over time and providing ever-greater funding resources for sustainable, energy-conserving projects across campus,” McClusky said. “By reducing the institution’s energy consumption, the fund will also help to protect UA from energy cost spikes in the future.”
The money accumulated from these funds will create a funding mechanism that allows the University to honor its commitment to environmental sustainability by creating a greener campus. Emphasizing water efficiency, renewable energy, public transit, sustainable food and green building and design will reduce the institutions energy consumption and protect it from spikes in energy costs.
Other schools around the nation and throughout the Southeast have already established sustainability funds. Universities such as Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss have student sustainability fees and The University of Montevallo was the first in Alabama to incorporate an environmental fund two years ago.
