Green Fee Referendum

What is the Green Fee Referendum?

Brought to you by the Green Initiative Committee

From April 24 to 26, students will have the opportunity to vote to adopt a Green Fee at UTD. If approved, this fee will be $5 per fall and spring semester and $2.50 per summer semester (six weeks or less). Money collected from this fee will be used to provide environmental improvements at UTD through services related to recycling, energy efficiency and renewable energy, transportation, research, product purchasing, irrigation, and more.   

Student Government is leading this initiative because we believe in a sustainable future. Voting “Yes” will not only have a transformative impact on UTD’s capacity for sustainable initiatives but also create opportunities for students to get involved. If passed, students would be able to submit project proposals, serve on the Green Fund Committee that oversees the funding, participate in research, and more! 

Prospective projects that may get funded through the Green Fund:   

• New apiaries and bee hives on campus. 
• Mobile bike repair station. 
• Funding for sustainability research & student researchers. 
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations. 
• Pollinator gardens across campus. 
• Recycling Signage. 
• Rainwater catchment system at the Eco Hub. 
• Additional water bottle filling stations across campus. 

Please note that the projects listed above are examples of what we imagine may be funded. For any project to be funded through the fee, the student-majority Green Fund Committee would need to approve a submitted proposal.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Why can’t UTD use the tuition money I already pay to fund this initiative? Why not use the money to fund parking facilities, academic advisors, or library services?  

• The fees associated with the construction of parking facilities, hiring academic advisors or enhancing library services come from different funding sources. For example, Parking and Transportation is an auxiliary service. The services they provide can solely be funded from the sale of parking permits and ticket citations. To build parking garages, parking permit fees must be raised. Funding for hiring advisors and enhancing library services come from state funding and tuition, not from student fees. UTD has very limited allocated funding for campus-sustainability. By voting “YES” you have the opportunity to transform our capacity for sustainability.  
• You can check out Student Government’s UT Dallas Budget Breakdown to learn more about where your tuition dollars go!   

Is this a new student fee?

• In 2009, the Texas Legislation passed Education Code Section 54.5041, allowing for the implementation of an Environmental Service Fee. This is the first time UTD students have been able to vote on implementing it. 

Will Student Government decide what projects are funded? 

• No, a student-majority committee outside of Student Government will be created to manage the fund.  

If it passes, when will the fee go into effect? 

• Because the fee will have to get approved by the UT System Board of Regents, we anticipate a fall 2025 start. 

Are you an officer for a student organization on campus? Endorse the green fee here!  

Want to know more about what the Green Initiative does? Click here!

If you have any questions, email the Green Initiative Chair, Alisa Model, at alisa.model@utdallas.edu