Green Fund Grant Program

The SIU Green Fund Project Grant

Every current SIU student, faculty, staff, or campus unit is eligible to apply for a Green Fund project grant. Awards are currently being reviewed once a year by the Green Fund Committee, which is composed of one faculty member, one staff member, and the three student members of the Sustainability Council.

The Green Fund supports advancing sustainability on our campus through initiatives such as energy and waste reduction, efficient design, research, education, outreach, and more.

Do you have a sustainability project idea? Consider applying to the Green Fund! Information on previously funded Green Fund projects can be found on our Green Funded Projects page.

Application & Important Dates

One funding round was be held in the 2018/19 academic year with the deadline March 1, 2019. The Sustainability Council will determine the 2019/2020 funding round in fall 2019.

Click here to download the Green Fund proposal form used in 2018/2019. Note that this form will be updated prior to the opening of the 2019/2020 funding round.
Click here for the rubric the Green Fund Committee follows.
Completed proposals should be emailed to greenfund@siu.edu.

Green Fund workshops are held in the spring and the fall and they are a great way to learn about the green fund proposal process. All workshops have been completed for this funding round and will be offered again in fall 2019.

The workshops overview the Green Fund process, offer advice for strong proposals, and provide the opportunity for feedback on individual ideas. They are highly recommended. To receive Green Fund proposal support from PSO or other facility managers outside of the workshops, see the "Requesting Facility Support or Approval" tab on the FAQ page.

See our FAQ page for more Green Fund information or contact us at greenfund@siu.edu.

PLEASE NOTE:

Awardees will be announced in April, at our annual Sustainability Celebration. In 2019, the Annual Sustainability Celebration was held on April 30 at 11 am at Guyon Auditorium.

At least one representative from each awarded project must attend one of two mandatory workshops. More information can be found on our Green Fund Awardee Resources page.

Project Criteria

The Committee adheres to the following guidelines, set forth in the Sustainability Council's Operating Papers:

Green Fund projects should:

Advance sustainability on the SIU campus.
Enhance environmental and societal sustainability in one or more of the following areas: energy, water, waste, buildings, transportation, purchasing, grounds, food and dining, social equity, social practices, academics and research, and education and outreach.
Show proof of signed approval by relevant campus department(s) prior to receiving funding, and include plans for local, state, or federal permitting if applicable.
Include a plan for long-term maintenance and operations, as appropriate.

Preference will be given to projects that:

Have significant student involvement or leadership role(s).
Have education, outreach, and research components.
Are able to obtain matching funds. (Matching/additional funding refers to projects that have acquired other funds to support the project, in addition to what is being requested from the Green Fund.)
Clearly articulate the greatest benefit to the SIU community for the least cost.
Are collaborative in nature, involving multiple units and departments.
Support existing campus sustainability priorities.

Once applications are received, all Green Fund Committee members evaluate the applications using our approved rubric as a guide. The Committee then meets to discuss specific funding awards. Projects may be funded in full, partially, or not at all by the discretion of the Committee. See our FAQ page for more information on filling out the application, or contact us at greenfund@siu.edu.

Examples and a listing of projects that have been funded in the past can be found on our Green Funded Projects page.

Be in the Know with Climate Change Education in Higher Education.

A recent study by an SIU faculty and student has indicated that the overall knowledge on climate change among college students is low. As one of the Green Fund sponsored research projects, the authors have published their paper on "Assessing climate change education on a Midwestern college campus".

Their findings indicate that "science-focused majors had the most favorable attitudes for climate change acceptance and highest knowledge about climate related issues, while participants majoring in Engineering and Mass Communications had the lowest climate science knowledge".

Abstract
Multiple disciplines address climate change; however, despite statements of consensus from professional societies, it is unclear whether the correct information is being conveyed to students. The purpose of this study was to survey student's (n = 264) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors behind climate science and climate change related principles. Overall, participant knowledge of climate change was low, yet attitudes favored sustainability and climate change acceptance (r = 0.452, p = 0.0001). Science-focused majors had the most favorable attitudes for climate change acceptance and highest knowledge about climate related issues, while participants majoring in Engineering and Mass Communications had the lowest climate science knowledge.

Read the full paper here.

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