Storrs and the Laurel courtyard area are expected to get an eco-friendly facelift this semester. The Charlotte Green Initiative Committee, a student–led initiative dedicated to creating a more environmentally friendly campus, will be funding the building of a solar photovoltaic power station and a green screen. Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin sometime before December.
The funding for the two projects was announced on the Committee’s website late last April. The first of two projects, the solar photovoltaic power station, will be constructed on the side of the Storrs building, home to the College of Architecture.
The power station will be joined directly to the area power grid and utilize photovoltaic units that are already available on campus. The project is also expected to be designed solely by students.
The green screen that will be constructed in the Laurel courtyard area is the second project to receive Green Initiative funding. The green screen will have a lattice to support plant growth in hopes of creating interaction between pedestrians and the green screen.
According to the Green Initiative’s website, green screens are highly pedestrian-interactive. The committee expects the two projects will be stepping stones to increase energy efficiency, generate revenue for the university, and create a more environmentally friendly atmosphere on campus.
Funding for the Green Initiative projects comes from the “Green Fee”, a mandatory one-dollar fee from every student enrolled full-time at UNC Charlotte. The budget money, which totaled $39,990.19 for the 2008-2009 funding cycle, was announced on the Green Initiative website last April; the budget for the 2009-2010 cycle has not yet been posted.
Input from the student body is strongly encouraged by the Green Initiative Committee and all of the meetings are open to the public. If you would like to learn more, go to their official website: http://cgi.uncc.edu/.
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