Pointlife
Funding opens “Green” opportunity
The Pointer
kshan945@uwsp.edu
Have you ever felt that University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point was not “green” enough to your liking? By following a few simple steps your dreams could come to fruition. The Student Government Association Sustainability Reserve allows students on the UWSP campus to take their ideas and make it into something real to help the campus become more sustainable or ecologically friendly.
Many individuals or student organizations never think to use the SGA Sustainability Reserve because they don’t know exactly what it is.
“SGA Senate created it to make the campus more ‘green’ and promote sustainability projects on campus. It was created as a reserve, and a reasonable amount is set every year about how much will be in the reserve. Student segregated fees help fund this,” said Emily Backes, SGA environmental and sustainabilty issues director.
UWSP provides many opportunities to students and organizations, especially those involved with this area of expertise. The natural resources area of study is highly regarded across the nation as being full of experience, so the students are ready for their field when leaving the campus grounds. This project is just one of the many that students can get involved in and make a huge impact.
“We have, after all, the largest and arguably most prestigious undergraduate natural resource program in the nation. It only makes sense,” said Andrew VanNatta, SGA senator.
Some of the past projects that the SGA Sustainability Reserve has been involved in and has passed are widely variable and make huge impacts on the campus and student’s carbon footprint. The LED lighting on the Health Enhancement Center marquee and the water softener in the equipment room were some major projects funded this way as well as the construction of rain gardens outside Old Main. Trees were also planted around campus which is always a good standby for a project. Funding from this reserve also put solar panels on top of the HEC and Pray-Sims Residence Hall. All of these projects were given a chance to reach out to the campus and students and open the eyes of many.
Though many students just want to jump in headfirst to start on the project, you firstly must get your project idea approved first in order to have the funds start. In order to get these funds, you need to pick up and fill out a Sustainability Reserve request form by the SGA office, which are available in the DUC Room 052. After filling the form out, your proposal must be presented to the Environmental and Sustainability Issues Committee for approval. If it is approved, a representative of the project comes to present it the Finance Committee for approval, then it is sent to SGA Senate for final approval.
Though you may not think that planting a small seed into the ground can make a big difference, it can. Little steps forward into making our campus flourish with ecologically friendly and a “green” way of life impacts all of us in a way that is beneficial all around.
“The reserve is a great way for small individuals to make a big difference right now. It’s empowering to know that you made a difference, no matter how small. Environmental sustainability may not be flashy - often those most closely linked to it are working behind the scenes - but each individual effort makes a difference in a big way. Sustainability, in my opinion, is part of our collective conscious and engrained into our beliefs. It’s living against the land that requires the extra effort, and it’s this type of living that stands out the most,” states VanNatta.
