Student fee helps campus go green
By: Lindsay Ruebens, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: University
Students are the inspirational and financial driving forces behind UNC's campus effort to go green - all made possible through the renewable energy fee.
The UNC Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, which has collected $8 annually from student fees since fall 2004, helps determine how the fee revenues are spent.
As both a student government committee and a student advocacy group, the committee consists of five undergraduates, two graduate students and another nonvoting graduate student.
Cindy Shea, director of the Sustainability Office, has been a formal adviser of the committee since it formed in 2003.
The committee receives about $190,000 per year, and it's making strides toward a more sustainable UNC campus.
"The students determine how to allocate the green energy fee," Shea said. "As advisers, we assist students to assess the feasibility and desirability of the various projects."
The renovation of Morrison Residence Hall was the impetus for the committee's creation.
Instead of razing the dormitory, students proposed that Morrison be made environmentally friendly.
"It's not something the University was able to fund upfront, and that's how the student initiative came about," said Alana Wilson, committee co-chairwoman.
Thanks to these fees, Morrison has solar panels on its roof and there are plans to install an energy-consumption monitoring system, Wilson said. Installation is slated for the end of this semester.
Wilson said the committee spent about 40 percent of the $190,000 collected for the 2005-06 school year.
The leftover funds were used to pay for biodiesel fuel in the P2P buses for one year.
For the 2006-07 school year, the committee helped fund the construction of the N.C. Botanical Garden Visitor Education Center. Wilson said the building will incorporate many sustainable features. These efforts have earned the building the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.
"We used to have to search for projects and knock on doors, and it took a lot of effort to get things going, and now we have people come to us," Wilson said. "It's almost to the point where we'll have to start turning projects down because we can't fund everything."
Wilson said that this year the committee allocated $150,000 to install solar thermal panels on the roof of Fetzer Gym.
She added that there also have been discussions about sustainability efforts in the new Genomic Sciences Building and the proposed Bell Tower parking deck.
"We take the vote on how funds are allocated and work closely with our advisers," said Elinor Benami, committee co-chairwoman.
"While we do make the final decision, a lot of reviewing and questioning goes on beforehand."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The UNC Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, which has collected $8 annually from student fees since fall 2004, helps determine how the fee revenues are spent.
As both a student government committee and a student advocacy group, the committee consists of five undergraduates, two graduate students and another nonvoting graduate student.
Cindy Shea, director of the Sustainability Office, has been a formal adviser of the committee since it formed in 2003.
The committee receives about $190,000 per year, and it's making strides toward a more sustainable UNC campus.
"The students determine how to allocate the green energy fee," Shea said. "As advisers, we assist students to assess the feasibility and desirability of the various projects."
The renovation of Morrison Residence Hall was the impetus for the committee's creation.
Instead of razing the dormitory, students proposed that Morrison be made environmentally friendly.
"It's not something the University was able to fund upfront, and that's how the student initiative came about," said Alana Wilson, committee co-chairwoman.
Thanks to these fees, Morrison has solar panels on its roof and there are plans to install an energy-consumption monitoring system, Wilson said. Installation is slated for the end of this semester.
Wilson said the committee spent about 40 percent of the $190,000 collected for the 2005-06 school year.
The leftover funds were used to pay for biodiesel fuel in the P2P buses for one year.
For the 2006-07 school year, the committee helped fund the construction of the N.C. Botanical Garden Visitor Education Center. Wilson said the building will incorporate many sustainable features. These efforts have earned the building the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.
"We used to have to search for projects and knock on doors, and it took a lot of effort to get things going, and now we have people come to us," Wilson said. "It's almost to the point where we'll have to start turning projects down because we can't fund everything."
Wilson said that this year the committee allocated $150,000 to install solar thermal panels on the roof of Fetzer Gym.
She added that there also have been discussions about sustainability efforts in the new Genomic Sciences Building and the proposed Bell Tower parking deck.
"We take the vote on how funds are allocated and work closely with our advisers," said Elinor Benami, committee co-chairwoman.
"While we do make the final decision, a lot of reviewing and questioning goes on beforehand."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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