Another Green Scam

Some ideas are so bad that you just know that Western students will vote for them.

Western Michigan University students may pay to go green: Balloting ends today on fee to fund environmental initiatives

KALAMAZOO — Some Western Michigan University students are pushing for a new $8-per-semester fee that would pay for environmental initiatives on campus.

“One of the big issues that gets in the way of making the school more sustainable and having more sustainable projects is a funding issue,” WMU senior Ryan Koziatek said.

Students this week have been voting on the fee that would create a fund to support activities such as waste reduction-projects, “green jobs” for students, and an office of sustainability.

The fee would be a maximum of $24 annually per student — $8 for the fall and spring semesters, and $4 for each of two summer sessions. It would generate an estimated $480,000 a year.

The Student Activities Fee was just increased from $12 to $21 two years ago.

If the fee is approved:
65 percent of the money would be allocated for research initiatives and events related to sustainability.
20 percent would support student positions in an office of sustainability that WMU plans to create.
15 percent would subsidize other student jobs related to environmental improvement.

These 'green jobs' don't produce anything, and in fact destroy real wealth.

The idea for the sustainability fund first surfaced after senior Kaitlyn Shields attended a “Greening of the Campus” conference in Indianapolis in September where she learned that the University of California-Berkeley had a student-supported environmental fund.

Berkeley students, faculty and staff can request grant support from The Green Fund Initiative to do projects.

Students pay a $5-per-semester fee that goes toward the fund, which was created in 2007.

Potential new WMU slogan: Western--Stupider than Berkeley!