In just the past year, the University of Memphis green fee paid for more than a half million dollars of improvements designed to make the campus a more environmentally friendly place.
All students pay $10 each semester into the Green Fee fund, and in 2014 that money paid for $540,654 in environmental projects that included everything from installing new bike racks to putting in motion censored lights in the McWherter Library.
The funds also pay for a staff member to manage the recycling program the campus offers. The deadline for ideas on how to spend another $350,000 for this semester is March 27.
“We’re excited that so many interesting projects are proposed each year,” Daniel Bureau, student affairs learning and assessment director said. “Each project makes a difference and allows us to meet our obligation to become an increasingly “green” campus.”
The fee went into effect in 2007 when the Student Government Association suggested the idea to campus administrators. Since then, many members of the campus community have suggested proposals and ideas that have been represented in funded projects.
Students and faculty can propose ideas and proposals by submitting them to the Green Fee committee. The committee will review the proposals and make recommendations to the president of the University. A final decision on the proposals that will pass will be made on April 30.
Student Government Association president Ricky Kirby is just one of the committee members who review the proposals and ideas.
“I love getting to work with the campus on these projects and to ensure there is student input on how these monies are spent,” he said.
Kirby was not on the committee last year and plans to be an active member for the current year.
“I am so excited about sitting on the committee again,” he said. “It’s amazing to hear about all of the great projects and ideas.”
Over 15 projects passed to be funded by the Green Fee in this fiscal year. A full list of the projects can be found on the Tiger Blue Goes Green section of the University’s website.
The budget for this past year was $636,000. Since not all of it was used, the remaining funds rolled over to this semester’s allocation cycle. Currently funded projects are able to request additional money based on need and disparity of budget.
“Efforts to make our campus more sustainable go a long way in not just improving our environment but saving money,” Bureau said. “The goal is to make The University of Memphis a leader in sustainability efforts.”
