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Student Green Fund

Frequently Asked Questions

Mission Statement

The mission of the Student Green Fund is to make The University of Toledo a more sustainable institution and to enhance its mission of improving the human condition by supporting Green ideas and initiatives proposed, decided upon, implemented by, and ultimately funded directly by students. The Student Green Fund will bring to campus an increased level of competence in the areas of renewable energy and environmental sustainability, an increased level of student engagement in these areas, and a heightened student sense of ownership of the University’s responsibility as an Ohio Center of Excellence in Advanced Renewable Energy and the Environment.

What is the Student Green Fund?

The UT Student Green Fund (SGF) will serve to finance student proposed and executed projects that promote sustainability, renewable energy, efficiency, waste reduction, and educational initiatives such as conferences, workshops, public classes, and internships. The UT Student Green Fund is a student conceived, student created, and student led program. To put it simply, it is a self-replenishing pool of money collected from students that is used to finance student-backed projects that serve to support the SGF’s mission to make The University of Toledo a greener, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly campus.

Why is the Student Green Fund on my bill?

The "Student Green Fund Fee" will only show up on your bill after you have logged into your myUT portal and accepted the fee by opting in.  If you have changed your mind and opted-out, the line may remain but show a balance of zero dollars.  We hope that you opt-in!

How much does it cost?

The fund will be supported by a voluntary, opt-in fee of $5 available to students each semester. Faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and community members who wish to donate to the SGF may contact the Student Green Fund Committee at UTGreenFund@utoledo.edu.

Why should I pay?

  • $5 is less than the cost of a Chipotle burrito! You can skip your foil-wrapped lunch one day and help save the world.
  • Each person on campus is responsible for an average of 3.4 metric tons of equivalent CO2 waste emissions. That’s about 7500 pounds! The weight of a loaded H2 Hummer, or 50 times the weight of the average person! Lowering our carbon footprint is good for everyone
  • By reducing waste, increasing efficiency, and increasing sustainability, you can make UT a better place for all students.
  • Lowering the cost of dealing with our energy use and waste could possibly lower the cost of your education by much more than the $5 you spent!
  • Be a part of a student run and funded group focusing on progress and sustainable ideas.
  • Makes more resources available to you to do something meaningful on campus and the community.
  • Great opportunity to build leadership skills and project management, which are very useful life and career skills.
  • You will be able to see your small contribution used to complete real, tangible projects on campus and the community.
  • You will help make UT and Toledo more sustainable!

Why do we have one?

On October 28th, 2009, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland named UT as “A Center of Excellence for Advanced Renewable Energy and the Environment”. UT President Lloyd Jacobs has also signed The American College & University President’s Climate Commitment, pledging that UT will strive to be carbon neutral as soon as possible. While the administration of UT as a whole has made great strides to uphold these commitments, to date there has been little in the way of student involvement. The SGF seeks to change this and empower students to actively transform their campus into a greener, more sustainable, and ultimately more modern institution by providing grant money to students with actionable ideas.   By providing funding to student-proposed sustainability initiatives, the SGF will also provide real-world experience for students across all majors. Funded projects will serve to improve the image of UT, and will benefit all students, faculty, and staff both directly and indirectly.

How did the Student Green Fund get started?

During the fall semester of 2011, several students met to outline their collective goal to implement a voluntary, $5 per semester fee that would dramatically increase the speed at which students and student organizations could receive funding to make impactful, eco-friendly changes to our campus. The inspiration for this idea came after students attended the 3rd annual “Sustainable U” conference at Bowling Green State University. This conference will be hosted by UT for the first time in the 2012-2013 academic year. For details about this conference and to learn about more sustainability issues in higher education, please visit http://www.utoledo.edu/dl/sustainableu/index.html.

Where will the money for the Student Green Fund come from?

The fund will be supported by a voluntary, opt-in fee of $5 available to students each semester. Faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and community members who wish to donate to the SGF may contact the Student Green Fund Committee at UTGreenFund@utoledo.edu. Students that would like to pledge more than $5 may also contact the SGFC as well.

How much money will be available for projects?

The amount of money raised by the SGF will be directly dependent on the level of participation by students. Universities with similar voluntary programs, such as Bowling Green State University’s “Student Green Initiative Fund”, have seen participation rates of about 70% of the student population. With a similar level of participation at UT, the SGF has the potential to raise over $80,000 per semester from students alone. This amount could grow even higher with donations from faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and individuals and businesses in the community.

What kind of projects will be funded by the Student Green Fund?

Projects funded by the SGF may range from campus-wide sustainability initiatives such as free high-quality water bottles and filtered water refill stations to cut down on plastic waste, providing capital for senior capstone projects or research and internship stipends, and possibly implementing more renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power, lowering the utility cost and carbon footprint associated with every UT community member. A larger list of possible projects that have been suggested by students will be available soon

Who can apply for funds from the Student Green Fund?

Any currently enrolled student or recognized student organization may apply for funding from the SGF. University faculty, staff, and administrators may also apply for funding, with the requirement that the funds directly involve one or more students for initiatives such as sustainability-focused internships or research projects.

Who will decide how the money raised is allocated?

Monies raised by the SGF will be administered by the Student Green Fund Committee (SGFC), a governing body which will be composed of UT students, staff, and faculty. The SGFC will decide which proposals to support and release funds to those students/organizations. The funding recipients will be required to implement their proposed projects and submit regular follow-up reports to the SGFC regarding each project’s adherence to proposed completion timelines and budgets.

The SGFC will be composed of the following members:

  • 1 undergraduate representative approved by Student Government
  • 1 graduate representative approved by the UT Graduate Student Association
  • 1 faculty member approved by Faculty Senate
  • 1 administrative member approved by the VP of Facilities and Construction
  • 4 at large undergraduates – to be approved via an application process
  • 1 at large graduate student – to be approved via an application process

One or more non-voting oversight members may also be present at SGFC meetings, as well as non-voting “experts” wanting to provide details on projects that have more specific impacts.

How will the application process work?

Each semester, applicants will be encouraged to submit proposals requesting funds from the SGF. Proposals must serve to meet the mission statement of the SGF, must have an appropriate budget, reporting guidelines for implementation and impact, and a sufficient timeline for completion.

Complete proposals will be reviewed by the SGFC twice each semester and actionable proposals will be chosen for funding. Awarded proposals will be required to submit progress reports and photos to the SGFC for publication on the SGFC website. Proposals that are thought to have good potential but insufficient support or documentation will be returned to applicants with comments and suggestions from the SGFC. Incomplete proposals and those that do not have actionable goals or potential will be declined with minimal comment.

Full application guidelines, timelines, forms, and procedures will be available soon.

I’m sold. How do I contribute my part?

Thanks for asking, it’s super easy! If you are a student and you would like to opt-in to contribute your $5 to the SGF, you may do so by logging into your myUT portal and following these directions:

1)      Log in to your myUT portal

2)      Click the “Student Green Fund” link that appears in the first section called “My Registration Steps”

SGF myUT link
 

3)      Click on the Green “I wish to contribute to the Green Fund” button.

4)      Encourage your friends to do their part too!

optin screenshot

I am not a Student, how can I contribute?

Thanks to help from the UT Foundation, we now have an account set up to allow anyone  to donate a sum of their choosing to the Green Fund.  This includes not only Faculty, Staff, Administrators and Alumni, but local community members, family members, and students who wish to go beyond the $5 pledge (or prefer not to have the fee on their bill) who wish to help the Student Green Fund achieve its mission of empowering students to transform our campus.

To donate, please follow these instructions!

Unlimited Donation Amount via the University of Toledo Foundation 

  1. Employees: Visit: https://give2ut.utoledo.edu/FacultyStaff.asp
  2. Everyone Else: Visit https://give2ut.utoledo.edu/Default.asp
  3. Fill out all required information, and any additional fields that you would like in the first three sections.
  4. Under the section “Choose the area(s) your contribution will support:” please enter : 2402087 - UT Student Green Fund
  5. In the box to the right, enter the dollar amount that you would like to give to the fund.
  6. Choose a payment method
  7. Fill out the rest of the form as needed
  8. Submit!

                *Note: Employees may select payroll deductions as a funding option* 

Last Updated: 6/27/22