Student Greening Fund goes big

by Todd Martin
During the fall 2009 semester, Green Mountain College students voted and approved to fund all fifteen proposed Student Campus Greening Fund projects, the first time in SCGF history. In addition, students Steve Carpenter ’11 and Cody Currier ’11 became the new co-presidents of the fund. SCGF is a student-run and funded program designed to help put greening initiatives on campus into action that increase awareness and decrease the school’s ecological impact.

Each semester, GMC students are charged $15 as part of tuition in order to fund the SCGF. Green Mountain College’s Student Campus Greening Fund is a one of a kind program that has been responsible for a number of environmental projects on campus over the years.

Each fall semester, students submit proposals to the SCGF for review. After first draft proposal were submitted on October 31st, 2009, SCGF members reviewed each application and offered constructive feedback to each applicant in order to strengthen their project. Applicants then submitted a final proposal to the SCGF by November 30th, 2009. “We review the proposals and help the students get feedback and advice from local community partners,” said Steve Carpenter ‘11, a co-director of the fund and one of six students on the committee.

“We also coordinate with the administration, including the facilities department and the land use committee, to be sure the proposals can be put into action. We want to be sure the final product is something that can be maintained by students in the future,” Carpenter said. The voting took place between December 7-11, 2009. Students were encouraged to read applications and vote for the projects they believed would most benefit the college.

The 15 projects that were approved for $49, 653.91 include:

• Outdoor Classroom Near the Library. Goal. Create an amphitheater-style outdoor classroom on the GMC campus. The classroom will be constructed out of local slate, marble and natural vegetation during Earth Week 2010 with help from student and community volunteers.
• Mobile Solar Electrical Generation System. Goal: Construction of a mobile solar trailer that includes four 120-watt solar panels. The trailer would serve as an educational resource and allow for the completion of campus projects without the use of grid-tied energy systems.
• Compost Buckets for Dorm Hubs. Goal: Install compost buckets in the hub of each dormitory building on the Green Mountain College campus. The project includes a trial phase and an implementation phase.
• Earth Tub Compost System Repair/Upgrade. Goal: Repair and restore two Earth Tub composters already owned by the College, and improve the functionality of GMC’s composting program for the future.
• Green Bikes Shelter. Goal: Construct an outdoor bike shelter for the SCGF’s fleet of Green Bikes.
• On-Campus Native Gardens Replanting. Goal: Plant a variety of native grasses, shrubs and wildflowers in existing native garden beds. Sites include the medicinal garden near Ackley Hall, the garden outside Waldron Athletic Center and a garden on the western side of Pollock Hall.
• Recycling Bins for Dorm Hubs. Goal: Purchase 20 more recycling bins for locations across campus.
• Building Dashboard to Display Campus Energy Consumption. Goal: Install live energy streaming modules on the new biomass facility and two residence halls. The proposal also includes installation of an interactive display kiosk. Building dashboard technology allows GMC community members to access data regarding energy consumption on campus, providing a “strong incentive to reduce usage.”
• Mycelium Buffer Mats on the Farm. Goal: Create mycelium mats near the pig pasture on Cerridwen Farm. Mushrooms filter the possible high levels of E. coli, mercury and other pathogens that pollute water and soil.
• Thermal Efficiency Audit of Campus. Goal: Hire an energy services firm to conduct a thermal efficiency audit of the campus. This would “result in a prioritized list of future weatherization projects to increase our buildings’ thermal efficiency.”
• Dorm Watt Meters. Goal: Order at least ten watt meters for use by members of the GMC community. These devices would allow students to study individual energy use on campus.
• Wind Turbine Repair. Goal: Hire a contractor to install a grounding system, rectifier, and perform an annual inspection on GMC’s wind turbine.
• Light bulb Swap in Dorms. Goal: Conduct a bulb swap where students can trade in their incandescent light bulbs for a new CFL/fluorescent light bulb for their dorm rooms.
• Work Study Position: Green Bikes. Goal: Fund one work-study position for the next two years to make sure GMC’s green bicycles are properly maintained.
• Thermal Imaging Camera. Goal: Purchase a thermal imaging camera to “identify minor variations in temperature, which signal electrical, moisture, and heat-loss problems in a structure.” This camera would be a diagnostic tool for weatherization projects on campus and in the community.

(Source: http://www.greenmtn.edu/about/environment/greening_fund.aspx)

As part of their Grant Writing class last semester, students Amanda Elder and Garnett Morgan created a new SCGF handbook and constitution as well as revamped the application and reporting process. In the spring of 2010, a new rolling grant proposal is available for students who would like to undertake projects that cost under $1,000. These rolling grant projects are meant to be completed in one semester and can receive up to $1,000 in SCGF funds to complete.

SCGF is a nationally recognized program. In 2009, Green Mountain College was one of only three schools in North America to receive a Sustainability Innovator Award in part because of the Student Campus Greening Fund. The SCGF was recognized by The Sustainable Endowments Institute as an exemplary student-run program designed to put into action greening initiatives that reduce the school’s environmental impact.

Short URL: http://www.themountaineer.org/?p=1246

Posted by editor_green on Feb 4, 2010 Filed under Featured, Green @ Green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry