Northern Arizona University
IN-40: Sustainability Projects Fund
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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0.50 / 0.50 |
Name of the institution’s sustainability projects fund:
Which of the following best describes the primary source of funding for the sustainability projects fund?:
Year the institution’s sustainability projects fund was established:
A brief description of the institution’s sustainability projects fund:
The NAU Green Fund (GF) promotes student participation in and provides funding for projects that reduce NAU’s negative impact on the environment and create a culture of sustainability on campus.The Green Fund was started with student support in 2010 and collects a $15 fee from every student, every session/semester they are enrolled in. The committee has approved over 105 projects with a total of $2,529,033 funds allocated as of the 2022 fiscal year.
Additionally, in accordance with the Green Fund's mission to reduce NAU's negative impact on the environment and contribute to a culture of sustainability on campus, the Green Fund Research grant was created during the Fall 2019 term with the vision to incentivize solution-oriented research on sustainable initiatives local to Flagstaff and NAU. All full-time NAU students, undergraduates, and graduates could apply for funding. In the fall of FY 2022, research grants were divided and awarded to the following student projects:
-Quantifying Financed Emissions at NAU: A Novel, Data-based Approach to the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement
-Improving Agricultural Sustainability through Ecosystem Services at Local and Global Scales
-Eco-Emotion Resilience as a Key Factor To Climate Change Action
The Green fund Research Grant is now an annual application that will accept research proposals from October to December of each year.
A brief description of the multi-stakeholder decision-making process used to determine which projects receive funding through the sustainability projects fund:
The Green Fund Committee consists of 7 undergraduate student members, 1 graduate student representative and 2 faculty/staff members. The Green Fund operates on a reimbursement basis and works with the departments that most fit the project to be implemented to provide the upfront funding. The committee has complete authority over GF spending. It is the duty of the voting committee members to:
-Review project applications and determine allocation of funds, the GF has the discretion to partially fund projects
-Vote on the passing of projects and allocation of funds
-Determine which projects should receive funding
Cocosus is a group of high-level administrators that helps to represent and communicate sustainability across all departments on campus. This group votes on passing Green Fund project proposals once they have first been approved by the Green Fund committee.
The Office of Sustainability is also a stakeholder as it includes the Green Fund and is highly involved and collaborative with its operations.
Facility services is another department that is heavily involved in Green Fund decisions as it implements many of the projects and provides institutional knowledge that helps guide project decisions. Staff members from Facility services often sit in on Green Fund meetings and provide guidance.
Staff and faculty are stakeholders as they too can submit a Green Fund project proposal.
Website URL where information about the sustainability projects fund is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.