A meeting between students and administrators is causing MSU to examine its impact on the environment.
MSU President M. Peter McPherson and Fred Poston, vice president for finance and operations, are expected to send an e-mail to college deans and department heads strongly supporting the use of 100 percent recycled paper.
Administrators met with the student group ECO on Monday to discuss the recycled paper issue and MSU’s emissions of global warming gases.
“Obviously, everything didn’t go exactly how we wanted but I’m an optimist,” said Ashley Sprouse, ECO member and education sophomore.
The group brought the recycled paper issue to the administrators before, prompting the utilization of recycled paper in several departments.
But the meeting was the first time the students presented their global warming proposal.
The proposal is based on the Kyoto Treaty and demands a 7 percent reduction in greenhouse gas production from 1997, and centers on solar and wind power.
“It’s pretty incredible to see that over 50 countries have already signed on (with the Kyoto Treaty),” Sprouse said. “It would be less complicated to get the university to comply.”
Part of the proposal included a $5 per semester tax to support solar and wind-generated energy, but officials need to examine whether the group is allowed to propose the necessary referendum.
The university is looking into wind energy with a study of wind strength near campus as well as an option of placing windmills on university-owned land.
Office of Campus Sustainability Director Terry Link said the proposal, even if not allowed by regulations, is ambitious.
“I generally kind of like the idea of people taxing themselves for a public good,” he said. “It’s a creative way of addressing an issue.”
ECO will meet with administrators again during the last week of classes, said Kathy Lindahl, assistant vice president for finance and operations.
“What I wanted to do is get back to them on some more information for them that they generally did not have a good understanding of,” said Lindahl, who attended the meeting. “Both had some follow-up to do and we agreed to come back and discuss it again.”
