Back in 2009, the students of Mount Allison voted to chip in $10 each per year towards a Green Investment Fund (GIF). Since then, students have collectively funded dozens of sustainability projects at the school and throughout the Tantramar region. Over the years the GIF has funded solar panels on the shed at the Tantramar Regional High School, the replacement of halide light bulbs with LED alternatives on the Mount Allison campus, and the purchase of acres of degraded forestland for long-term restoration, among other things.
Issac Acker is a fourth year Biology student, and the Sustainability Coordinator for the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU). With the deadline for this year’s funding applications approaching next week, CHMA spoke with Acker to find out more.
The GIF collects roughly $20,000 each year, depending on student enrolment, and that pot of money can go to a number of small projects, or one large project, says Acker. It all depends on “the quality of the projects that have been submitted, and what the sustainability committee decides,” he says.
And the projects are open to anyone in the community. “That’s what I love about this project,” says Acker. “It’s not so much just based solely on campus, but we can reach out to many different nonprofits and other organizations in the greater area.” Acker says that means drawing expertise for projects like community gardens and electric vehicles chargers. In 2013, GIF funding went towards Sackville’s first electric vehicle charger project installed at the Visitor Information Centre. That same year it also helped fund an outdoor classroom at Salem Elementary. Outdoor education features prominently in the past projects list, as well as energy efficiency, food resiliency, recycling and waste management.
This year’s funding went to a solar education project hosted by EOS Eco-Energy. EOS director Amanda Marlin says that project is still ongoing and includes a solar install at Port Elgin Regional School and some support for EOS’s upcoming Climate and Renewable Energy Week (February 11-17, 2023).
The deadline to apply for the 2023-24 Green Investment Fund is coming up Tuesday, January 31, 2023. The application form, as well as a list of past projects, is available on the MASU website at MASU.ca