Five extra dollars from each student’s tuition bill helps fund projects to make the UT campus more environmentally friendly.
The Green Fee is a program that collects this extra charge to provide funding for environmentally focused services and ideas from students, faculty and staff, said Jim Walker, UT director of sustainability.
Programs like the Green Fee exist at schools all over the country, and all have the same purpose: to take money from tuition fees and use it to fund sustainable projects on campus. UT’s Green Fee was originally a direct result of Texas House Bill 3353, which enabled the collection of this fee at Texas universities in 2009.
Every year, students and faculty can apply for a grant to fund a project that promotes sustainability on campus. The program typically requires collaboration and encourages partnerships with off-campus entities.
Jill Parrish, Green Fee program coordinator, said that successful projects fall into two categories: those that generate ongoing support every year, such as Longhorn Lights Out, Student Gardens and the Waller Creek Workshop Project, and one-time projects that continuously provide a positive impact to the UT community, such as the refillable bottle fountains, additional bike racks and solar charging stations.
“(Successful projects have) vision, passion, good partnerships, clear goals and financial accountability,” Parrish said.
She added that the Green Fee is unique because it is predominantly student driven. Students advocated for the fee in 2009, she said. The Green Fee committee itself is made up of six students, along with three faculty members.
“Obviously students have an interest in campus sustainability,” Parrish said. “This program allows for students to take what they learn in the classroom, and gives them an opportunity to put it into action, giving them real world experience. They can learn what it takes to see a project to fruition.”
The bill that enabled the Green Fee expired after the fifth school year, and put the program on a one-year hiatus, but continued student interest reinstated the program permanently in 2017, Parrish said
“Students again stepped up and worked with the administration to ensure the Green Fee would continue with essentially the same purpose,” Walker said. “The campus benefits just by having this funding source available to inspire creative ideas, and of course through the many projects and student jobs that Green Fee supports.”
Geosystems engineering freshman Sylvie Higgins is a member of the Climate Change Action Committee, a group of students advocating for action to fight climate change. She said the group is applying for a grant to build more solar panels on campus to counteract the fact that UT is primarily powered by oil.
“I think the Green Fee is important because it sets aside money to help protect our environment,” Higgins said. “Of course, I think that every decision made on campus should be centered around protecting the environment, but in reality it’s just not a priority for some people. I think (the Green Fee) is a great step forward, and I am grateful to have it.”
The deadline to apply for a grant is March 12. The application involves thoroughly explaining one’s project, including a timeline, a budget and a description outlining the benefits and costs.
Parrish wants applicants to know that the more research, leg-work and partnership-building that applicants do before applying leads to a stronger proposal. She added that the sustainability department wants to help students, and that the committee believes in a fair review process in which the most cost-effective projects are chosen.
