news
page 3 tuesday 10.11.2011
thebattalion
Aggies
green
Student fees support nine sustainability projects Luz Moreno-Lozano The Battalion Students contribute to the Aggie Green Fund through a $3 per semester fee in an effort to create visible and sustainable impacts on campus. The Aggie Green fund contributes to environmental enhancements around campus. “We are trying to provide a way to recycle conveniently,” said Kelly Wellman, sustainability officer and advisor to the Aggie Green Fund. “There are more recycling resources and the new big belly trash compactors allow students to recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum.” The Aggie Green Fund was established after the Spring of 2010 when 57 percent of the student body voted in favor of adding the fee. The fund charges students $3
per semester for the fall he and spring and $1.50 in the tal, summer semester. In total, ribthe student body contributes $300,000 per year for sustainability initiatives. After five years, the fund will expire and students will have thee option of renewing the fund. nd is run by The Aggie Green Fund ry board of a nine member advisory students. “Our program structure is different from other universities,” Wellman said. “Ours is completely student led and is student driven. Students are the ones making the decisions.” At the end of last year, the advisory board announced the chosen projects: Water Bottle Filling Stations, Aggie E-Corps Program, Student
Farm, Outdoor Recycling for Main Campus, Jack E. Brown Made Green, Office of Sustainability Internship, Winnie Carter Wildlife Center, Bike Friendly University and the TAMU Zimride Rideshare. “The Bike Friendly University grant is small but has a big impact,” said Matt Cope, senior renewable natural resources major and chair for
the Aggie Green Fund. “The Rec center is offering a bike repair shop where students can go and fix their bikes free of charge. Hopefully we can get some of the vehicles off the road and help the environment that way.” Big Belly trash compactors are the biggest green effort on campus. Providing 19 three-stream trash compactors around the academic plaza area, the brown recycling bins give students the option to recycle paper, plastic and aluminum. Because of the compacting feature, the bins can hold as much as five times the trash found in a normal bin, saving money and time for the University. “There has been an increase in recycling quite a bit,” Cope said. “We like to see visible impact and students using these services. We try to make sure we are using the money wisely.” A change has been made to the
Big Belly trash compactor grant. Originally, the project called for 26 big belly trash compactors. After revision, 19 have been ordered. Thirteen of the trash compactors have been installed in high-traffic areas around the academic plaza area. Next week, the BigBelly Solar Company will place the final six. The bins include wireless technology that sends a signal when the bins are full for all three streams. “These new compactors have no structural difference from the ones that are already on campus,” said Rob Dalton, director of education market segment at BigBelly Solar. “They are still solar powered just with a slightly smaller panel. It is providing energy to sense fullness.” Any student, faculty and staff member can apply for a grant geared toward going green. Applications will be available for submission at the end of this semester or the beginning of the spring semester. “For the future we want to students to start thinking and figuring out what they want to do,” Ellis said. “We encourage them to send emails to the Aggie Green Fund. It is never too soon to plan what they want to propose.”
Social network coordinates carpooling to campus Megan Nolan Special to The Battalion Students can pay to park or try to catch the bus for a ride to campus. However, the Environmental Issues Committee has provided an alternative to conventional modes of transportation: carpooling. The Aggie Zimride project is a growing social network where students can coordinate ridesharing with other Aggies. “People who use Zimride can benefit by saving money if they choose to charge for their rides and by having a more enjoyable trip for those who like company when traveling,” said Environmental Issues Committee Co-Chair Jakob Rosenberg. “Possibly the largest beneficiaries are those students without cars who need rides to and from home, class, away games or anywhere else they need to go.” Aggie Zimride was initiated by an Aggie Green Fund grant proposed by Lindsey Adams, and is being pro-
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Share rides ◗ Students can set up a profile at zimride.com/tamu by loging in with a NetID and password. moted by the Environmental Issues Committee of the Student Government Association. “Zimride has already been highly successful in a number of universities on the east and west coast, but Texas A&M is actually the first university in Texas to use Zimride,” Rosenberg said. The organizers of Aggie Zimride said the system is secure because it is set-up within the Texas A&M community. “You have the option of posting rides to the entire Zimride community, as well, and even link it to your Facebook account,” Environmental Issues Committee Co-Chair Amanda Cernovich said. Zimride is one of the nine projects supported by the Aggie Green
Fund, which was created to increase sustainability efforts on campus. “Sharing rides helps sustain the environment we live in by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions we generate,” Rosenberg said. “By carpooling we can lower the amount of cars out on the road thereby reducing our dependence on gasoline as well.” Rosenberg said the Zimride system is very simple to use. Drivers are able to charge for rides, and the system also allows users to post specific details about their rides, including music and seating information. Students who started using Aggie Zimeride said they have enjoyed the opportunity to help other Aggies and also be environmentally conscious. “I’m constantly on the watch for new opportunities as an Aggie to be more environmentally friendly. As soon as I heard about Zimride, I signed up,” said Carly Thompson, class of 2010 English major and research assistant. “My schedule as
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Students can link their Zimride profile to Facebook, expanding their carpooling network. a research assistant is flexible, so I thought I’d offer to carpool Aggies on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” The Environmental Issues Committee said they have high hopes for the program. “We hope it will be very success-
ful granting Aggies the opportunity to travel more easily than ever before, whether it be through more convenient transportation home, to class, work, sporting events or simply for leisure,” Rosenberg said.
10/11/11 12:54 AM