Energy Efficiency

Green Fee used for Athletic COLDTUB™ – By Tricia Tuntland

State University student senate voted 17 to 1 October 26 2011 to use $5000 of the student Green Fee towards two new COLDTUB™s for the athletic department.

The Green Fee was initiated Fall of 2008 in an effort to empower students to make BSUs campus environmentally friendly. The green fee is a $5 fee paid by all students at the beginning of every semester.

According to the Huffington Post students are more “willing to self-impose a green fee, to help the environment and purchase renewable energy.” There are currently 14 schools with a mandatory green fee. Bemidji State University is the only Minnesota school with the mandatory fee as of 2009.

BSUs sustainability office is always looking for ways to reduce energy and save water.

“This project is amazing”, said Baily-Johnson.

“The water saving is huge!” The current stainless steel COLDTUB™s are using 200 gallons of water daily. With the new energy and water efficient tubs, only 120 gallons of water would be used every four months.

Over the span of four months it would be using only 480 gallons of water, compared to the approximated 24,400 gallons of water the COLDTUB™s currently use in a four month time period.

Athletic Department will be purchasing two new COLDTUB™s with help from the green fee.