New York Times’ Green Inc. reported that college students across the country are taking action to green their campuses…even if it costs a little extra. “Green” tuition fees can range from $5/semester to $40/ semester and in many cases the students choose where the money goes. If you think about it, raising tuition fees by $5 per student, per semester on a campus of 30,000 students = an extra $300,000/year that goes towards greening your campus. That’s not too shabby.

The student body at Northland College in Wisconsin felt extra generous and voted to raise green fees from $20 to $40 per semester. This year’s student run Renewable Energy Fund will go towards replacing Northland’s vending machines with machines filled with beverages from either local businesses or ones that are environmental and social responsibility. The fund also provides students who choose to grow their own food with garden plots. I would have loved to grow fruits and vegetables in college. That definitely would have helped prevent the freshman fifteen. Sigh…

Several other universities are hopping on board. Portland State University would like students to pay green fees to create small scale sustainable capital projects, such as bike parking stations, bikes for the new bike loan program and water bottle refilling stations. Unlike private schools, state schools have a more difficult time putting green fees in place because fee increases need to be approved by the state legislature. Student run organizations like ReEnergize Texas are helping green fee bills pass in their state legislature.

If you would like your school to institute green tuition fees, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education is a helpful resource. If you’re not exactly sold on raising tuition there are many other ways to green your campus. A helpful resource is The College Sustainability Report Card, they grade each college on how green they are and lists many ways you can get involved to green your school.

(photo c/o LWY’s flickr photostream - creative commons)