With the end of the fall semester quickly approaching, many students are wondering why the money appropriated for “green projects” last year remains untouched.
The first public consultation for the 1% Campaign, held Oct. 3 and designed to generate and approve ideas from students, was attended by only 14 students.
Project coordinator Mohamed Shuriye, said it’s hard to generate interest from Concordia’s students. “I’m trying my best to spread the word as much as I can.”
The project, approved by students last April, draws a levy of 25 cents per credit from Concordia students to be used for green projects on both campuses.
The next public consultation on the project, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7, is a chance for students to listen to project proposals and give feedback.
Some of the proposed projects include: the upkeep of the Hall Building greenhouse, construction of a composting project on the Loyola campus and production and circulation of the Concordia Student Union’s (CSU) Sustainability Guide.
This guide was created by the CSU’s VP Loyola and Sustainability, Mathieu Murphy-Perron, and provides practical tips on eco-friendly living in each room of a house.
These projects are only proposals and still need to be evaluated and approved by board members in order for funding for the proposed projects to begin, which could be weeks from now. The money levied from students this semester, totaling over $100,000, for the campaign is still untouched.
The delay is hampering not only the 1% campaign projects, but the CSU’s sustainable projects as well. According to Murphy-Perron, Loyola’s bike racks, a planned Sustainability Street Team and a “black list” of local companies not up to eco-friendly standards are some of the projects still in the works. Murphy-Perron expects they will be delayed until next semester.
“Right now, a good chunk of my week is being dedicated to the Loyola Luncheon. Hopefully the fee levy passes so I can tackle other projects,” said Murphy-Perron.
The CSU council had voted in October to put a referendum question on the Nov. 27-29 by-election ballots asking students for an additional 25 cents per credit to fund projects proposed by the CSU, such as a regular free lunch on the Loyola campus.
For now, students will have to wait and see which green projects will survive and which will not.
The next public consultation for the 1% Campaign will be this Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in BE-364.
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