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The Associated Students of the University New Mexico moves one step closer to establishing a fund to fuel sustainability initiatives on campus.
In a meeting held Friday, representatives from ASUNM, UNM’s Office of Sustainability, Lobo Energy, Residence Life and Student Housing, and the Sustainability Studies Program discussed the proposed establishment of a Green Fund at UNM.
ASUNM Sen. Earl Shank, who is also the sustainability coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, said the key to the success of a Green Fund is the ability for all of the fund’s organizers involved to work together.
“The mission statement (in the charter) revolves around the fact that we want this to be largely student operated,” Shank said. “But it is also a collaborative effort focused on partnerships within the University system.”
Shank said that increasing student interest in making UNM a more sustainable campus has provided the motivation to get a plan in place.
“I have been contacted by a large number of students who are saying they have heard about a proposed green fund on campus, and are asking how they can become a part of it,” Shank said. “We don’t want to lose this buzz, and our goal is to fully incorporate students into the process.”
Attendees reviewed and provided feedback on a proposed charter for the fund, which details how it would work for UNM. The session covered key points of how the fund would be financed, who would govern the fund and what projects could be initiated under the program.
For most green funds, the addition of a nominal sustainability fee paid by students has provided the bulk of the revenue necessary to begin projects, according to the draft charter. According the charter, these fees would be put into a special account designated specifically to the Green Fund. Money will then be allocated at the precise moment they are needed for the implementation of projects.
Shank said one of the central questions the charter should answer concerns what kinds of projects the Green Fund will cover. Shank said his office welcomes ideas from the campus community.
“We don’t have set projects in mind,” Shank said. “We can continue to fall back on solar (energy) and recycling, but we also need to include in the discussion, for example, community gardens, educational programs and food systems on campus. This is about looking at a huge array of different options and thinking outside of the box.”
A Green Fund Committee (GFC) would manage the Green Fund and be made up of six student and two faculty voting members, according to the charter. The position of chair would be held by a student, and the position of vice chair would be a faculty or staff member.
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This would allow students to have the majority of votes in determining what sustainability projects the fund would be used for.
Nikki Wee-Moretto, a community director with UNM Residence Life and Student Housing, said the structure of the draft charter makes sense.
“I can see the benefit of the current proposal,” Wee-Moretto said. “If it is going to be a student-driven fund, and the chair of the committee is the face of the fund, having a student in that role makes sense. Whereas with the vice chair being a faculty member, they can provide a mentorship and advisory role to the chair.”
In an effort to encourage even more student involvement, the charter also proposes an all-student advisory council meant to aid the GFC in its decision making.
“While we will have six to eight students making decisions as part of the GFC, it is not the larger population on campus,” Shank said. “There are a lot of students who are focused on how they can be a part of it, and the student advisory council will allow students to be able to stand up, represent their ideas and be fully heard at meetings.”
