Brandeis Magazine

Five student-conceived green initiatives have been awarded financing from the new Brandeis Sustainability Fund. The fund was established last year by a campuswide referendum authorizing a $15-per-year increase in student activity fees to be dedicated to student-proposed ecofriendly projects.

The $47,000 collected is being allocated this semester for:
• installation of smart meters to monitor electricity use at selected campus buildings in real time to promote awareness of energy consumption, proposed by Sam Porter ’14;
• installation of vermiculture bins to turn food waste into compost at a Massell Quad residence hall floor to reduce garbage and pilot a green living hall, proposed by Cecelia Watkins ’11;
• an extension of the DeisBikes program to allow for semesterlong bike rentals and an expansion of the bike repair shop, proposed by Jessie Stettin ’13;
• use of a microturbine as part of an energy-efficient lighting pole system, proposed by Dorian Socnick Williams ’13; and
• construction of cold frames to increase the size and utility of the existing campus garden, proposed by Linda Li ’13.

“The idea was for the projects to address environmental issues on campus in a way that would impact students, because it’s the students’ money,” says campus sustainability coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal.

A board comprising four students and four staff and faculty members evaluated student proposals and awarded grants based on environmental and community impact, relevance and financial feasibility.     

To learn more, please visit http://www.brandeis.edu/campussustainability/fund/.