SG’s Student Sustainability Fund approves first round of proposals

By Taylor Delpidio | @TD_Reveille

January 25, 2017

Sustainability BoB

In fall 2016, a new fee was added to the fee bill. This Student Sustainability Fee, paid into the Student Government-managed Student Sustainability Fund, is being used to fund submitted proposals.
The Student Sustainability Fee, which is a $2 charge in the fall and spring semesters and $1 in the summer, is run by SG’s Student Sustainability Fund Oversight Committee. Chaired by SG member Brendan Copley, the committee is set to announce it has approved four proposals for this semester.
These proposals include an update to the Museum of Natural Science located in Foster Hall, a proposal to establish a student-run farm on campus, a proposal to help decrease rental costs for the future bike sharing program in development with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and a proposal to send a group of College of Agriculture students to a conference.
“We’re really excited about the things we have approved. I think it’s a great opportunity,” Sustainability Manager Sarah Temple said.
The Foster Hall museum update includes six iPads meant to enhance dioramas illustrating the impact that environmental degradation has on wildlife populations in the area. The project is intended to modernize the dioramas to better educate students on sustainability issues, Temple said. The iPads will be available to all of the museum’s visitors.
College of Agriculture students had their proposal to create a student-run farm on campus approved.
“The goal is to ultimately establish a student-run farm that will be here for years to come and enable real-world experience for students interested in agriculture and sustainable food systems on the LSU campus,” Temple said. “The vision is for the farm to be able to provide students with fresh produce grown on campus by the spring semester.”
The funding would go to things like farm equipment and other tools needed to bring the farm to an operational state, Temple said.
The other project approved for funding is a proposal to reduce the rental costs for the bike sharing program spearheaded by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. This program is designed to place bike rental kiosks around Baton Rouge, including on campus. The funding would also be used to open a design contest for a “unicorn” bike, which would serve as a sort of mascot for the program.
The final proposal approved by the committee will send 10 College of Agriculture students to the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. This conference, held Jan. 25-28 in Lexington, Kentucky, offers pre-conference courses and field trips, conference sessions, networking and trade shows.
“We are thrilled to announce the funded proposals for the 2016 Student Sustainability Fee Committee,” SG president Zack Faircloth said in a statement. “Reviewing and approving a wide variety of campus-driven sustainability proposals, this committee will deliver long-term, eco-friendly, innovative solutions for LSU, instead of just quick fixes. I am particularly excited to see students submitting proposals for projects. These new initiatives were a great starting point for the Student Sustainability Fee Committee, and we want to see the projects and proposals grow for semesters to come.”
There will be a second call for proposals this semester, Temple said. The documents can be found on the LSU Campus Sustainability website at lsu.edu/sustainability or proposals can be emailed to [email protected].
Editor’s Note: The article previously stated that College of Agriculture students were re-establishing the student-run farm at the Hill Farm Community Garden on campus, but it has been corrected to state that students are establishing a new student-run farm on campus. The Daily Reveille regrets this error.