Sustainable Ideas...

After over a year of tough campaign work, students at UCLA passed The Green Initiative Fund. This referendum means that over $2 million dollars will be allocated towards student-led sustainbility projects.

The TGIF referendum has already been passed at both UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley, and similar green funds have been established at colleges and other institutions across the nation. The UCLA fund allows students to apply for money to begin projects that will reduce UCLA's ecological footprint. Some potential projects, and examples of past projects include dorm retrofits, water conservation work, sustainble foods, and internships and research. This year at Ithaca College (my alma mater), students worked to get dorm rooms to be 1 degree cooler in the winter and thus saving the school thousands in energy costs. When in effect, that leftover money will be used towards green research and other sustainable initiatives.

According to the 11th Hour Action website, "Getting TGIF passed at UCLA required hard work and dedication from a small group of undergraduate students who worked together to write policy, meet with administrators to get policy on the ballot and legalized, fundraise for the campaign and to finally get the word out to students during the election! However, the large success rate of the referendum (passed by 76%) indicates that students were willing to increase their student fees for the environment. The students that passed the referendum at UCLA hope that students at our schools are inspired to pass similiar referendums at their schools in order to empower the student body to be able to start their own projecst to protect the environment and increase awareness!"

The increase discussed is something like a $5 increase to tuition. Again, Ithaca College is attempting to charge for the use of a shuttle around campus which would reduce our carbon footprint and open up parking. I hope initiatives like this continue in California, upstate New York, and all over the country. I'll keep spreading the word about TGIF and more students will introduce it at their schools too! Way to go UCLA!