Sustainability Fee Initiative

The UNCW Sustainability Committee is proposing a student sustainability fee. Sustainability fees have been initiated at many universities to fund projects and education efforts. Establishing a sustainability fee would enable UNCW to better accomplish its strategic goals of providing a campus that is attractive, functional and safe, while enriching the intellectual climate and student experience.

"Sustainability" is not just a buzz-word for environmental issues, but addresses the complexity and interrelationship of environmental, economic and social justice issues. Establishment of a student sustainability fee will empower students, faculty and staff to actively participate in building a more endurable community, securing a funding mechanism by which UNCW can meet its strategic goals and even exceed expectations, becoming a leader among our peers and in our community.

The Sustainability Fee Initiative proposes a $5 per student per semester fee to commence during the 2010-11 academic year. This amount is in line with sustainability fees at other universities. Estimated based on 2008 full-time student enrollment, with projected annual enrollment increases, this fee will generate approximately $115,000 annually for the Sustainability Fund. This fund is managed by the UNCW Sustainability Committee, a committee appointed by the chancellor and composed of faculty, staff and students.

Funds will be allocated to support education and student outreach projects, coordination initiatives, student mini-grant projects and long-range planning/capital improvements. To receive funding, projects must demonstrate the strongest support for university goals, greatest return both in terms of cost savings and cost avoidance, and greatest impact on student learning.

Short-term funding goals include education and outreach, increased sustainability signage, the mini-grant program, and assessing the current status of sustainability at UNCW using the Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS). Mid-range goals include determining the feasibility of large-scale modifications to operational projects by using performance contracting to analyze possible strategies for increased building efficiency.

Long-term goals include implementing energy efficiency recommendations, renewable energy and water conservation strategies, and contracting and partnering with regional and government agencies to provide sustainability opportunities and operations for the UNCW campus.

One benefit to students of establishing a consistent funding mechanism for sustainability initiatives is the opportunity to enrich the intellectual climate and the student experience at UNCW. The sustainability fee would fund educational programs and outreach opportunities. This would increase student awareness and participation, improving student-faculty/staff interaction in academic experiences through sustainability-based internship opportunities, and undergraduate research and peer-to-peer education.

The sustainability fee would also empower students to develop leadership, project planning and management skills. The mini-grant program would allow students to develop their own innovative, sustainability-related projects and apply for funding to help with project costs. Sustainability-related projects can come from any student, in any major, as long as the project addresses some aspect of sustainability, whether environmental, social or economic. Examples of projects could include an accounting major working with a local non-profit organization to establish better financial strategies, a marketing or communications major working on a publicity project for an at-risk-youth program, an education major working with children emphasizing social equality, or a marine biology major working on an estuarine conservation project.

The establishment of the Sustainability Fee Initiative will increase student awareness toward the complex environmental, economic and social justice issues that face not only UNCW, but the global community as a whole. Knowledge of sustainability and personal involvement in creating innovative solutions to campus, local, national and global issues promotes the goal of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. That is the definition of sustainability.