College life is expensive. Many fees add up quickly (tuition, housing, dining, etc.), and it’s easy to lose track of where exactly all the money is going. One of these seemingly invisible fees is the Green Fee.
The Green Fee is an additional tuition cost for students at the University of Tennessee. It was established in 2005 by the Student Government Association. Every student pays the Green Fee each semester. In-state students pay $10 per semester and out-of-state students pay $35 per semester. While $35 may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to tuition alone, the Green Fee adds up quickly.
According to the UTK Office of Sustainability website, the Green Fee collects around $870,000 annually. The last published budget for the fund totaled $1.2 million. So where does all this money go?
The Green Fee was created to fund projects called Make Orange Green initiatives or student-led directives to create a more sustainable and environmentally conscious campus. I bet you have seen the little Make Orange Green sticker all over campus.
The most prevalent completed project was installing water bottle refill stations throughout campus — each funded by the Green Fee. And it doesn’t stop there. Hand dryers in bathrooms, energy-efficient lighting and dining hall to-go containers are just a few of the Make Orange Green projects that have come about across campus.
However, the Green Fee funds more than meets the eye. The fee also goes towards funding sustainable research initiatives, eco-conscious design projects, conferences and pretty much anything else you can think of that has to do with sustainability and the University of Tennessee in some way, shape or form.
The guidelines for the Green Fee spending state that on-campus projects that positively contribute to the university’s sustainability goals will be considered, allowing anyone’s creative submissions to receive funding. Students, staff and faculty should apply to receive funding if they have an idea.
The process to submit a project is simple. All you need is an idea, which could range from adding a new water bottle refill station to changing the way water is irrigated on campus. Just head to the Office of Sustainability’s website, click “funding opportunities” and fill out your request.
From there, the Student Environmental Initiatives Committee (SEIC) will vote on the request. The SEIC meets about once a month and consists of a majority of students with some faculty and staff. At their meetings, they converse about the best way to spend their funds and which projects should move forward. From there, the projects and initiatives are carried out with the funds generated from the Green Fee.
Although many students may not know about the Green Fee, all students are impacted by its effects every day. The SEIC is always looking for innovative and creative ways to make the university more sustainable.
So if you’ve got an idea, send it in! Help your campus grow more sustainable. Because at the end of the day, that’s what the Green Fee is all about. The University of Tennessee uses student ideas and money to make the university a better, more environmentally friendly place.
Audrey Nash is a freshman at UT this year studying sustainability. She can be reached at [email protected].
