Members of the Green Fee Committee have approved the release of the spending of $25,000. This money is coming from a fee on the tuition bill set up last year to use for cleaner energy and decreasing our carbon footprint in the world.
The money will be used to install 50 new covered bike racks in the area of the Classroom Building and Building B, as well as nine more uncovered spaces near Building B. The money will also be used to buy two electric powered cars for the engineers’ use for purposes of hauling material around campus.
“This will be the first important step in utilizing the funds,” Committee member Paul Harris said. He also mentioned that June 10 would be a day that the campus will be introduced to one of those proposed vehicles. “The June 13 energy audit will lay the groundwork for the students getting the most out of their contribution,” Harris said.
The car that was on display on June 10 is the ZX40ST Work Truck from Miles Electric Vehicle. This car runs for two hours and has the max speed of 25 mph. The other vehicle is the GEM eL XD from Global Electric Motorcars.
There have been some concerns about the best stewardship form how the use of the money would benefit the students. Specifically that the money spent on a vehicle for the engineers aren’t for the benefit of students. Harris said that is the first use of the money and that this fee will continue to benefit the NEIU community and that the concerns have ceased after the approval for the release of the funds.