GREEN FEES: College Students Demand To Pay Their Own Way To Renewables

Green Inc. reports that college students are asking for tuition increases and less beer. OK, maybe just tuition increases, but it still seems unlikely, right? From the Green Inc. piece on green fees:

But rising numbers of students seem willing to self-impose a "green" fee, to help the environment and purchase renewable energy. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education posts a list of universities that have such fees, which generally hover around $3 to $5 a semester but have increased to $40 a term in the case of Northland College in Wisconsin.

Many schools have tried this approach -- or greening their endowment investments -- as a way to improve their sustainable profiles and earn better grades on the Green Report Card.

Here's a list of schools that currently have mandatory student fees for the explicit purpose of green projects, courtesy of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education:

ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS PROJECTS

• The Evergreen State College
• Middle Tennessee State University
• Tennessee Technological University
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Auraria Campuses: University of Colorado at Denver, Metro State University and Community College of Denver
• University of Oregon
• University of Wisconsin, La Crosse

ON-CAMPUS PROJECTS ONLY

• The College Of William and Mary
• Northeastern Illinois University
• Northland College
• Appalachian State University
• Bemidji State University
• University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

For example, here are some excerpts from summaries of the Auraria Campuses' (Denver) green fees:

Mayor John Hickenlooper is all about the green: He has an initiative to plant a million trees by 2025, a leafy jacket and his Greenprint Denver plan to prove it. But students on the Auraria campus are trying to one-up him by building the largest solar-energy project on a college campus outside of California, and the fifth-largest in the country. By placing photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the Central Classroom and library buildings, they plan to generate 750 kilowatts of solar power, which would offset about 3 percent of the energy used on campus -- on top of the 45 percent that already comes from wind.

...Auraria students are continuing their commitment to sustainability. On April 25 and 26, they voted to renew their current Clean Energy Fee of $1 per student per semester, and approved an increase every year up to $5 per semester in 2010-11.

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Comments

[orangepetal]

Fabulous. Various public green funds could get us all energy wiser much sooner, without waiting for industry, goverment, etc., and even sweeter, without increasing the national debt. It would be real nice to see comunities start proposing and discussing some green energy possibilities and optional ways to pay for them, within their own communities. Let the people see if they want to support alternatives, they might, especially if it is quite small money.

[pltmcs]

Kids of college age are old enough to understand cause and effect, smart enough to understand the facts, and young enough to realize that they will bare the brunt of the problem.

I agree with a post on www.ProudlyMadeInAmerica.com in that even if you don't believe in global warming you should support being green. Being green helps our economy and that alone should be enough to make anyone greener.

[plantguy]

Lets put the parents further in debt for tuition or maybe the government can pay for all children attending college. Do you think other countries charge high tuition fees for the next generation to learn higher skills for a better country?

[EndangeredJackalope]

Hey Pizza/Plant Guy,
here's form their website:
"The "Green Box" serves as an effective way to differentiate your product at NO ADDITIONAL COST. Made from a standard pizza box blank, the box requires no additional material or major redesign to manufacture. Essentially, you would be delivering a better, environmentally friendly, more functional packaging to your customer at absolutely NO ADDITIONAL COST."

http://www.ecoincorporated.com/ecoincorporated.com/Info___Sample_Request.html

[bragladish]

LOL every face in that picture is white... they must come from well to do families who think everyone can just keep giving more. The students shouldn't pay for anything! They already pay too much for their educations!

[David Epley]

As a student who worked on a campaign for 2 really long years, I feel that I have a more clout than any of the comments on this thread.

Framing a green fee as a major tuition increase is an uniformed stance. At my university, the "big fee" increase was merely $5/semester. $10/year.... I'd feel bad for the parent who couldn't foot that bill. If you want to attack fee structures, look at student/athletic fees, facilities fees, room and board fees, and etc. - The mismanagement and shortsightedness of university administration is the culprit for tuition hikes.

The campaign we led at our university is now raising almost 1/2 million/year that goes to projects that are voted on by students and faculty. We have funded solar projects, building retrofits, electric cars, and student renewable energy conferences where people like Van Jones came and inspired us with their vision. The university administration, after seeing the importance of the fee and student's commitment to it, began channeling more funding into the green projects and have made a commitment to climate neutrality. Other student groups became involved dedicating their time and programs to green events. The green fee was the catalyst that ignited discussion and action on my conservative East Tennessee campus that is run by wealthy business owners and politicians. Without our efforts, it never would have happened.

[David Epley]

[Continued...] Once I left my university, the fee I passed continues to fuel a thriving student community. Our voice is powerful and respected at our university because we worked tirelessly to challenge our university and administration and now we money to back it. Dozens of us have gone on to have green careers, myself included, and thousands have been educated about green issues when normally it would never entered their college routine.

I am proud of the work we did. We wanted change and instead of sitting in or dorm rooms lamenting the polluted, sprawled, coal-entrenched, dilapidated, wasteful state of our university and city, we took action. So, to all the cynics on this blog, re-educate your stance on the this issue, stop sitting around waiting for someone to spoon-feed you a sustainable future, and get out and fight more important causes than $5 dollar student green fees.

[truth969]

This is part of the STATIST teachings that have been invoked by the terrorist Bill Ayers,and whack job Ward Churchhill.A under ground movement supporting Government Control(Ty­ranny),and producing a GODLESS NATION.Global Warming is just a concept not proven to be right or wrong.The STATIST will use any Crisis to create panic and the poisoning of the next generation mindset.This country has been in a free fall since 1933,when THE NEW DEAL started the slippery slope.Every year there is more government,and less FREEDOM.The Tea Parties were just the start of the next movement to regain control to the people.I hope both parties listen,before this country ends up in CIVEL WAR

[niko73]

These kids are taking the wrong approach. They're actually playing into the hands of critics by stating "green = expensive." This is not true in many cases. Universities could easily improve energy efficiency and SAVE money on monthly energy bills.

These kids should be holding up signs that say "Protecting our environment through energy efficiency initiatives would decrease your tuition!"

[zbronto]

Awful idea. College is already expensive. If students want to voluntarily add a small amount to their tuition as a "green fee", then that is all well and good. It should not, however, be made mandatory for all students.

[Myshkin57]

Funny how they don't demand higher tuition to get a better education. Universities across the country are in dire straits and either laying off faculty currently or making plans to do so.

I'm all for more money put towards saving the environment, but I do get bothered by college students being more concerned with something because it's trendy and not being concerned with something that, in the long run (e.g. a better education that might lead to people solving the big problems) could serve their purposes better. As a whole students tend to be more concerned with the campus gyms being kept open extended hours than with having smaller classes. Tell them that the fees they pay for on-campus service will be diverted to helping the environment and see how much support it gets. Their priorities are all screwy.

[power1]

It's really easy to demand higher tuition when you have someone else (parents) making your payments.

[scottyknows]

Some people see a need and they give their own money to an individual or church or charity.

Others see a need but only want to give the money from others.

One is respect-worthy. The other political.

[DSOTM]

This movement looks as grass roots as the Teabaggers.

[Rhetticent]

Yeah, it looks like all 15 of them want their fees increased. And I'll bet you not a single one of them are footing the bill for their own education.

[billw8017]

Various strategies are in play. Some students marry so one works and the other goes to school. Huge debts are taken on. And, finally, so far as the parent's money goes to greening the schools, the students have less in hand for personal pleasures. It's good for kids to have ideals, and we should only hope they keep their better ideals when their generation runs the world.

The world is a complicated place. Show me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a messy home. Still, pets are nice. Why do you think it is worthwhile to take the trouble of disparaging the students?

[mikefina]

Pets are nice. So are pet causes. Pets' messes, not so much.

How about the students advocate putting down their electronic devices--cell phones, i-pods, lap-tops etc. and USE LESS ELECTRICITY.

Maybe then we can believe that they are interested in personal sacrifice and living up to their ideals.

Greener is good. I accept the premise. Now, live the promise, students.

Oh, and since students have no inhibitions regarding the disparagement of any political philosophy that divulges from their own, calling them out for theirs seems fair play.

[Rhetticent]

Bill, I have to admit I am a bit chastised at being so jaded as to shoot at praiseworthy ideals from the hip.... it's a sign of being a cranky old man. Your point is well taken.

[econ1]

It is good to be a college student. Someone else (mom and dad or the taxpayers) is paying most of the freight. Soon they will graduate, get married, have children and ask to have their child care paid for.