by Alex Cheatham of North Texas Daily

Ideas could include a student-run sustainable garden, an arboretum, or improved recycling equipment.

Photo by Martina Trevino

Jordan Cundiff, a philosophy junior, prefers a reusable water bottle rather than the disposable type. He said that he’d rather pay the five dollars toward sustainability than toward the new football stadium.

The North Texas Energy and Environment Club is offering students the chance to vote April 19 to 23 for the Texas Green Fund Campaign, a statewide effort to encourage college campuses to go green.

The campaign was implemented on campuses around the state, including the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, where student groups have agreed to pay a $5 fee each semester to support environmental improvements and sustainability on their campuses.

That would mean close to $360,000 a year for UNT.

“I believe that as an institute of higher education, [UNT] should set an example for students,” said Nicole Cocco, a studio arts senior and vice president of the club. “The money generated from the fee will empower students to take issues into their own hands.”

Cocco is also outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.

The club is a student-led organization whose purpose is to increase education in sustainability on campus and the North Texas community.

UNT doesn’t have the money to make a change now because administration funding has been cut back, Cocco said.

UNT’s involvement with the Green Fund Campaign began last spring with ReEnergize Texas, a coalition of students who lobbied the Texas Legislature to pass the Green Fee Bill. The bill allows every university in Texas to have the option of creating money for sustainability.

Photo by Martina Trevino

Recycling containers for bottles have recently been placed around campus to make recycling more convenient for students and staff.

Since then, the club and ReEnergize Texas have been working with other universities to share ideas for implementing the fee on campus.

After the proposal of the Green Fee was given a unanimous “yes” vote by the Student Government Association, the club was able to obtain a special ballot. The initiative will allow students to vote on the fee.

If it passes, UNT can fund innovative and sustainable projects that will increase student involvement and participation in sustainability projects, said Cameron Tharp, club president and international studies junior.

A student majority committee, with UNT faculty and staff to advise, will oversee the money provided by the Green Fee.

Tharp said the money would create opportunities for students to get involved by allowing them to propose and follow through with their own ideas.

Ideas could include a student-run sustainable garden, an arboretum, or improved recycling equipment.

The environmental service fees are geared toward environmental projects such as energy consumption, water use, waste disposal and recycling in hopes of lowering UNT’s carbon footprint.

A limit of $5 per student per semester was set for the initial fee.

“Every penny counts, and it’s only five bucks. If it will help [UNT] and our community, then I’m for it,” said Jeff Jackson, a business sophomore, said.

Cocco said she’s heard many opinions from students at both the club and the Office of Sustainability, and the majority wants to see more sustainability on campus. In fact, she said, they’re demanding it.

“The Green Fee will empower the current students at UNT and leave a lasting example for future students,” she said.

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