» Patrick pierce – [email protected]

It’s become evident the APSU campus is becoming more “green.” Over the course of the last few years, fixtures have been added to several bathrooms across campus to reduce the amount of water used.

In fact, a number of ongoing projects have been put together by students and faculty and are ready to be put into action.

But who is responsible for all these “green” additions on campus?

Each semester, students pay $10 to the Sustainable Campus Fee. That’s $20 yearly of student tuition going toward a fee very few people actually know exists, let alone what it does.

According to APSU’s Governance page for the Sustainable Campus Fee Committee, “the committee has the responsibility for advising the president relative to the development of on-campus sustainability initiatives in accordance with the Tennessee Board of Regents Sustainable Campus Fee Program Guidelines.”

The idea is to report proposals fit for campus to President Tim Hall so students’ money is put to good use while making campus greener.

I happen to be a voting member on the Sustainable Campus Fee Committee. I’ve seen and voted on proposals that would be ideal for this campus. Proposals for the committee can be sent in by anyone with access to a computer.

It’s as easy as checking D2L to see how you did on your last quiz. As a student at APSU, you are encouraged to send in proposals because this campus belongs to you just as much as it does the faculty and staff who work here.

What needs to be understood is the fact there are more than 10,000 students attending APSU, and at $20 a year, that’s well over $200,000 the Sustainable Campus Fee Committee has to make proposals a reality.

That’s a lot of money which can be used for the betterment of campus, and with your help, it could make more of a difference.

To give you an idea of some proposals already on the voting list this year, there was a bike share program created to eliminate the amount of carbon in the air and my personal proposal for the removal of paper towels in the bathrooms by replacing them with Dyson Airblade hand dryers.

A couple years ago, it was the bathroom fixtures to reduce water consumption. Next year, it could be your idea.

I urge you to take the initiative to help make campus greener. Every individual on campus has a different mindset on how things can be done, but if all these ideas are brought together, so much more can be accomplished.

It literally takes a few minutes to develop an idea, write it up in the proposal format and submit it.

You can make a difference, not only to APSU, but to the environment as a whole.
For additional information about the Sustainable Campus Fee Committee or to get a proposal form, visit www.apsu.edu/governance/committees/sustainablefee and click on the link. TAS