Few students realize how much energy Northeastern consumes and what type of an impact it has on the environment. One megawatt derived from non-renewable sources puts about 1,370 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. (You can calculate your personal carbon footprint at www.mycarbonfootprint.eu.) Our impact on the environment is huge, but it doesn’t have to be.

The Husky Energy Action Team (HEAT) and the Student Government Association are working together to start a renewable energy student generated fund. The fund would be used to purchase solar panels to generate clean energy, buy wind power from local sources or to purchase geothermal, micro-hydro or bio-fuels derived from waste materials. Every megawatt we generate or purchase from renewable energy sources reduces the amount of greenhouse gases we are responsible for putting into the atmosphere. The fund would be generated through an opt-out annual fee and HEAT is suggesting $30 per year. This would generate enough money to make a small, but substantial investment in renewable energy.

This amount is not much compared to your tuition bill. A renewable energy fund would create learning and research opportunities at Northeastern, position the university as a climate change leader and make a powerful statement to the administration. Many universities, like Duke, match the student contributions to the fund or allow alumni to make contributions.

This is a matter of investing in your future and the future of our environment. At some point every student needs to ask themselves if they are part of the solution or part of the problem.

My biggest fear is that the next generation will turn to us one day and ask why we didn’t do anything? Other schools like Duke, Harvard and UNC, just to mention a few, implemented student fees to pay for renewable energy. Northeastern is conducting a survey on the myNEU portal starting next week to see if students want to join the growing number of progressive schools. In order to position our school as a leader in innovation we have to be at the forefront of climate change solutions. I encourage all students to log on to the myNEU portal and take part in the survey.

– Mandy O’Brien is a middler finance major and co-director of HEAT.