Groups receive funding for sustainability projects

The money for the fund comes from the $1 Student Sustainability Fee students pay every semester.

By Megan Swieca

Published Oct. 26, 2010

Various university and student organizations are aiming to promote sustainability on campus and in the community, and, whether for a large project or a small replacement, funding is necessary in order take a step toward green.

The fall 2010 recipients of money from the Student Sustainable Initiative Fund include the Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team, Tigers for Community Agriculture, Eco-International Welcome Party, Sustainahouse and University Student Apartments.

About $5,000 will be given to selected recipients this semester, and $3,000 in the spring. The funds come from the Student Sustainability Fee of $1 per student per semester.

The projects are selected based on having a student-oriented impact that promotes sustainability.

“I’m always amazed at the variety and creativity of the submissions that we get,” Student Life Student Service Adviser Ben Datema said.

Tigers for Community Agriculture has received the most funding out of all the projects for the fall 2010 semester.

The group's project is a student garden at Bradford Research Farm that sells produce to Campus Dining Services. The group's funding will go toward extending the garden’s growing season into the spring and fall using metal tubing and a bender for the tubing to cover crop rows with plastic. Using the tubing will decrease the effects of weather on the crops.

Tigers for Community Agriculture will also use a transplanter to increase its produce production.

The organization also sells produce to Sustain Mizzou for its food drive and donates food to the Central Missouri Food Bank.

The project that received the greatest sum of money last school year was a research project for wind turbine engineering. The project received $1,950 out of the $7,539 given for the year.

“Funding was instrumental,” wind turbine project leader Simbarashe Nyika said. “Without the funding it may not have happened, because funding is kind of tight these days.”

Additional funding was eventually given by the Engineering Department to help create the system, which is now on the roof of the Engineering North building.

The Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team received funding from the Student Sustainable Initiative Fund this and last year.

“We like working with sustainability because we share similar goals such as increasing efficiency and not being as wasteful,” Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team Treasurer Patrick Anderson said.

This year, the team hopes to build a whole new car that looks more like an everyday car, Anderson said.

“We hope to increase efficiency through MPG and a better overall design,” Anderson said.

It is projected that the new car will cost about $30,000.

Sustainahouse will provide housing for six to 10 students who are selected through an application process. These residents will be living their lives in a sustainable manner every day through different household duties and conducting research. They will also reach out to the community to educate others about sustainability issues.

The Eco-International Welcome Party and University Student Apartments are both trying to increase sustainability within their individual greater purposes.

“That’s one of our main goals -- anyone can apply to just make regular events on campus more environmentally sustainable,” said Lauren Hasler, Missouri Students Association Sustainability Committee chairwoman.

The International Welcome Party is held each semester to welcome international students. Their funding will go toward using recycled paper and compostable or recyclable eating utensils at future parties.

University Student Apartments, with the help of Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, is placing composting bins at three different locations.

The apartments also have gardens they wish to utilize, and they plan to buy seed and gardening materials to do so.

“It doesn’t have to be some huge environmental project to change the world,” Hasler said.