The Green Action Fund (GAF) held their final meeting of the semester on Dec. 3 to review five project proposals and budget updates.
GAF is a student-run organization that awards research, seed, and project grants to students, faculty and staff to increase sustainability on the UCCS campus.
The Green Action Fee is a permanent tuition fee that costs $6.37 in the fall and spring semesters and $3.20 in the summer. Proposals are reviewed according to GAF’s three pillars of sustainability: environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability.
Group therapy at the Wellness Center
Wellness Promotion Coordinator Allison Hine requested $5,120 to fund group therapy sessions to increase student participation and reduce financial barriers.
The funding includes five free group therapy programs per semester, rather than charging $5 per session. Funding also includes two rotating shuttle-stop kiosk signs, wellness wagon promotions, snacks and Wellness Center merch.
According to Hine, participation in therapy groups has significantly decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to schedule sessions. The minimum group size for a session is three students.
However, she noted that there are 50 students on the waitlist for individual therapy sessions, which are free for the first three sessions.
In alignment with the three pillars of sustainability, the goal of this project is to reduce consumption, consolidate resources and reduce the cost of crisis care while fostering community, engagement and accessibility.
“It might not seem like the most obvious environmental sustainability project, but group therapy really reduces our resource consumption because of it’s a shared model. It’s more efficient in using our space, our energy and materials than individual therapy,” Hine said.
Green data privacy and security
Lamr Richardson, a cybersecurity management graduate student, proposed a project to raise awareness about the environmental impact of digital practices, such as excessive data storage and cookie acceptance.
The proposal requests $9,590 to fund data collection, development costs, travel expenses, attending conferences and marketing incentives for student and faculty engagement.
This research will help create a digital dashboard that displays the carbon footprint generated from online activities by collecting data from campus networks and analyzing energy consumption. The dashboard would also teach students how to reduce wasteful digital habits.
According to Richardson, the project aligns with the three pillars of sustainability by reducing UCCS’ carbon footprint, raising awareness about smart consumption and providing long-term cost savings.
Biochar Production
Feyza Kazanc Ozerinc, an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, and two engineering students requested $15,000 to design and build a small-scale biomass pyrolysis system. The funding request includes the reactor design, lab resources and outsourced soil testing at CSU labs.
The system will thermally decompose organic materials, like wood or crops, in the absence of oxygen and then produce biochar, a charcoal-like matter, for the UCCS Farm.
The project encourages a circular economy by reducing waste disposal costs, reusing campus organic waste for crop and plant growth, sustaining long-term funding and meeting economic sustainability.
According to Ozerinc, this is carbon-neutral process, meaning no carbon dioxide emissions will be produced. In fact, the process will improve soil health by increasing water and nutrient retention, which aligns with the environmental pillar of sustainability.
The proposal also meets the social sustainability by including capstone students from the mechanical and electrical engineering departments and providing hands-on experience in sustainability engineering, interdisciplinary collaboration and potential future research opportunities.
When in Rome: A Slice of Sustainability
Communication professors Lindsey McCormick and Liesl Eberhardt requested $11,250 to cover transportation, lodging for one night per student during post-trip events, grocery costs for cooking demonstrations, marketing and event materials for the summer 2026 study abroad trip to Italy.
The professors explained that students will engage with sustainability projects during the trip.
According to McCormick, students will learn about food waste reduction, tourism ethics, smart city technologies, urban farming and regenerative systems, and energy and technology integration in food systems.
This proposal engages with the pillars of sustainability by applying practices to reduce food waste, providing cost-effective food options, sourcing local ingredients and building community through shared meals and cultural exchange.
Students will continue to act sustainably post-trip by hosting cooking classes featuring Italian-inspired, locally sourced meals for other students, producing sustainability-focused media and addressing food insecurity on campus by teaching affordable, healthy meal preparation.
“We had already planned to be so connected to sustainability in a million ways, but what is the thing that’s going to bring students together? [These resources] could be such a benefit to campus, so we’re thinking about those types of longer lasting things,” McCormick said.
Budget status
There is $264,000 available for sustainability projects in the reserve fund from student fees. There is approximately $114,000 available for other expenses, such as marketing, outreach and administrative costs.
According to spending trends, GAF approved about $70,000 in projects this semester. This aligns with the committee’s target spending which ensures GAF’s long-term sustainability.
Last month’s project proposals
Two projects were presented at the Nov. 12 meeting. Zachary Leach requested $4,961 to fund a year-long pilot program for a UCCS specific version of the Recycle Coach app. This project was approved by 91 percent.
The president and vice president of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (NHHS) requested $5,000 to partially fund the club’s study abroad trip to Peru. The proposal was rejected because their proposal was too broad and lacked an itemized budget.
According to GAF Grant Coordinator Jenna McCallum, rejected proposals can be resubmitted after revision.
Other news:
- In the fall 2021 semester, GAF funded a zero-emission microgrid development project for $5,000. Today, they approved an additional $5,000 for a research assistant and AI integration, making the project’s total cost $10,000.
Graphic via The Scribe archive.