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On February 11, 2003, a renewable energy referendum passed
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, bringing
around $200,000 for renewable energy projects every year beginning
2004-2005 pending approval by the UNC Board of Trustees and
the UNC system Board of Governors.
Look at photos
from the campaign.
How it was done
At UNC-CH all student fee increases must be voted on by the
student body and receive a simple majority to go into effect.
In order to get on the ballot our referendum to increase student
fees by $4 per semester for renewable energy projects on campus,
we needed to have 10% of the student body sign petitions or
get Student Congress to place the referendum on the ballot.
Luckily, Student Congress placed the referendum on the ballot.
In doing so, Student Congress was able to control the initiative.
They decided to pass a bill which dictated that if the referendum
passed, a committee of students and faculty would be created
that would be appointed to decide how the money would be allocated.
For more information on this committee, contact Robin
Sinhababu , currently (fall 2004, spring 2005) the chair
of the committee, or check out the Renewable
Energy Special Projects Committee website. It's still
under construction, so bear with us.
Why the Referendum Was a Success:
A Few Thoughts from A Campaign Member
I (Nic Grueff)
think that the campaign worked so well here at UNC-CH because
it had a definite goal. Either an increase in student fees
for renewable energy would pass or it would not. I would recommend
getting the referendum on the ballot as soon as possible,
because once it is on the ballot, the deadline is set. The
referendum will be voted on Election Day and students can
work to pass. Students are able to see a concrete goal that
is within reach and that can provide them with satisfaction.
Furthermore, once the referendum is on the ballot, students
and staff will take you seriously, because they know it is
a concrete possibility. We found here, that a large amount
of work, perhaps even the majority of work for the campaign
was done by students that were not previously in student environmental
organizations. The campaign generated an excitement in students
that just grabbed on to people. I would recommend making it
clear to yourself what is most important to you. In other
words, is it more important that the Treehuggers Club get
all the credit for passing the referendum, or is it more important
that it passes. We made it possible for students to work on
the renewable energy campaign without becoming a member of
our club. We said to everyone, "Hey, we think this is a great
idea and we want to share it with you all. Anyone who wants
to work on the campaign owns it as much as we do."
The success of the first green energy campaign at Carolina
was brought to you by:
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