Five dollar fees to help campus green initiative

With protecting the environment moving up on people’s to-do lists, it has been proposed that an additional “Green Fee” be added to the student fees each semester. Not only at GCSU could this be implemented, but at colleges and universities across the nation.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, also known as AASHE, was founded in 2005 and is helping raise awareness of strengthening campus sustainability efforts at colleges and universities across the United States. With students paying an additional $1 to $20 a semester, the Green Fee would go towards purchasing or generating alternative energy and energy efficient devices, as well as recycling, conservation, and sustainability programming.

AASHE is made up of colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada who seek to create an environmentally sustainable future, starting with the schools in higher education.

The GCSU Environmental Science Club and the GCSU Green Initiative have proposed an additional $5 a semester to cover energy related improvements on campus. According to the Georgia College Green Fee FY10 Fee Request, the Green Fee would create opportunities to improve energy efficiency, institute campus recycling, promote water conservation, provide for alternative transportation, develop sustainable design, and encourage environmental education.

Bobby Jones is an avid member of the Environmental Science Club here at GCSU and is spreading the word about the positive benefits of installing the Green Fee and what they hope to achieve.

“In the proposal for the first year of green fee programs, we have money set aside for the creation and operation of a campus-wide recycling program, environmental education campaigns, sustainability research, water conservation efforts, and the purchase of power meters and monitoring equipment,” said Jones. “In the future, I would love to see the green fee provide a safe bike path to West Campus, improvements to campus transportation and as some other universities are doing, converting our campus shuttles to run on student-produced biofuels.”

Although an extra $5 a semester may not sound like a lot, with all the students at GCSU paying this fee, it would equal out to about $60,000 a year. Specifically, this Green Fee would fund energy sufficient and environmentally friendly additions to campus such as recycling on campus, more bike racks, more energy sufficient buildings, environmental education, better transportation, and carbon offsets which would reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the air.

On the other hand, some students feel that the Green Fee should not become a required student fee, especially in this time of economic hardships. They feel as though they are paying more than is necessary to a cause that may be pointless.

Tyler Bryant is a senior Mass Communication major does not think the Green Fee should be required for students to pay.
“This is ridiculous. Why pay more per semester for something we’re not even sure helps the environment,” said Bryant. “Also, it’s further proof that no one wants to ‘Go Green’ because it costs so much more. Why pay more into a theory?”

There will always be people with opposing opinions, but the Green Fee is being pushed hard by its supporters and they are putting everything into making GCSU more energy efficient.

“The current proposal for the green fee would be implemented in fall 2009, I believe. But, we have a long road ahead of us,” said Jones. “The proposal must still be signed by President Leland and passed by the Board of Regents in Atlanta, which will be challenging.”

The supporters of the Green Fee know it won’t be easy getting it passed, but they are doing everything they can to have the Green Fee initiated for the upcoming fall semester.

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