Editor’s note: This article was written in response to Jay Ballard’s article “Student group proposes Green Fund” in the Feb. 10 issue of The Reflector.
I can’t believe there is not a fund already in place for this,” mentioned a bewildered student signing the petition I gave him. “Can you imagine how much money MSU spends on electricity per day?”
You may have seen people equipped with clipboards working like ants scattered across campus. Students for a Sustainable Campus are attempting to align Mississsippi State University with others in the SEC by implementing a green fee to fund renewable energy sources and projects on campus.
Although the bill to place the fee on the executive student ballot was one vote away from passing by the Student Association Senate last month, the group is working to implement the fee without ceasing.
IHL policies regarding fees and SA hesitation appear to be obstacles, but the group views them as opportunities to inform and render powerful support. For now, they have blown the dust off the barely-touched student petition policies and are gathering 2,000+ signatures just to get the option on a ballot. All this work for a $10 fee?
The work is a drop in the bucket compared to the outputs the group foresees. If voted upon favorably and put in place, funds are to be allocated to purche renewable energy through the Tennessee Valley Association as well as to aid green energy projects and research proposals across campus.
The vision is to support a self-sustaining institution that not only generates its own power, but also practices lean usage, cutting down on waste.
Uninterested in environmental health? Going green, despite the tree-hugging first impression the catch phrase carries, is about investment and marketability in addition to planet restoration.
A percentage of returns from green projects are intended to be recycled through the allocation process, an attractive concept in light of restrictive funding state institutions are experiencing. As for marketability, the innovative edge MSU has will dwindle if it does not do more than keep up with the worldwide wave of sustainable energy research and development.
Academia wants its green projects at green institutions. If unavailable here, they will go elsewhere.
When I first got involved with the group, I thought, “What good are surveys or petitions for a little fee?”
Doubts about the students’ capabilities should be dismissed — the group’s core, with intelligent representatives from diverse disciplines, is dedicated to implementing its plans with care and legitimacy. It has already begun gathering support from other students, faculty, staff, administration, community and state. This is only one of their projects.
I employ students to sign this petition, available at the Colvard Student Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this week, if not for a passion for saving the planet, then at least for support of the student democratic process.
You’re not signing to vote “yes,” you’re signing for the ability to vote on it. Baby steps.