7:03 p.m.
The last two projects were not approved. In the end, 11 proposals will be fully financed by the Green Fund and 5 will be partially financed.

6:55 p.m.
With only two proposals left to be considered, the approved to denied ratio is 16 to 16.

6:45 p.m.
The “Sustain Abroad” project sought to encourage students studying abroad to reduce their waste abroad.
One committee member said of the project, “I’m not sure people will recycle abroad if they do not recycle in their home country.”
The proposal, which had requested $20,800, did not pass.

One of last year’s projects, the UA Community Garden, reapplied for funds this year. It requested $27,200, most of which would go to constructing a ramada at the garden, according to the committee.
Harris pointed out that the project experienced management and budgetary issues last year. He moved to amend the proposed budget to $10,700.

“I wouldn’t want that (management issues) to hinder the success of this project,” Harris said.

The amended proposal was approved by the committee.

6:35 p.m.
One of the most expensive projects submitted to the Green Fund was just denied. The project, “Implementation of Environmentally-friendly Technologies and Resource Conservation,” asked for $148,200, which is $10,300 more than last year’s most expensive approved project, “Technologies for Enhancing Food Production, Resource Use Efficiencies and Environmental Friendliness.”

Out of 27 proposals reviewed so far, 14 have been approved.

6:25 p.m.
Some of the Green Fund’s money will travel outside Tucson and up to Phoenix. The “Phoenix Biomedical Campus Compost” project will receive $7,600 over one year.

One committee member praised the project for its statewide appeal.
“I think we can influence Arizona students to be more sustainable, and that includes ASU students,” she said.

6:00 p.m.
So far, the committee has voted on half of the proposals. The approved to denied ratio is 10 to 7.

One proposal, “Greening the Game,” would install recycling bins at UA athletic facilities, providing a way for sports fans to recycle their trash. The proposal, one committee member said, is “long overdue.” The project was funded in full, totaling $6,700.

5:40 p.m.
One member of the audience requested to respond to criticism from the committee, but was told she was not allowed to raise any arguments at this time. The project she was defending is called the “Highland Commons Courtyard.”

In response to her comments, one committee member said “we can’t justify spending that much on a sculpture.” The project was not approved.

Another request, “Sustainability Education through Wildcat Ads,” seeks to raise awareness about sustainability through ads in the Daily Wildcat each semester and during the summer. It was amended to only provide funding, $1,700, for two ads.

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Harris said.

The amended proposal, however, did not pass because some of the committee members found that printing the ads in color to be unsustainable. The vote was 4 to 5.

So far, eight proposals have been approved, with six of them receiving full funding.

5:30 p.m.
The AGTM Green Teaching Lab will be located off campus and therefore it will operate year-round. This “extends the impact” of the project, one committee member said. This project was approved and will receive $11,400.

The current approved to denied ratio is 5:4.

5:25 p.m.
Harris pointed out that all funding for fiscal year 2013 will not be available until mid-July.

5:10 p.m.
The first project, “Using Green Infrastructure to Maximize Ecosystem Functions and Services in Cities” received support from several of the committee members.

“Personally I really like this project,” said Alex Harris, the Green Fund committee chair. “I think it will be very beneficial to the student workers.”

The committee proposed, however, that the Green Fund only finance the first year of the project in hopes that it will receive outside support.

The proposal was funded unanimously, with an amendment to fund it for only the first year.

The second project, “Covered Bike Shelter: A Protype for the University of Arizona” received criticism from one committee member for being too limited in its audience. Another member said the proposal would benefit from collaborating with other entities like Parking and Transportation Services. The committee rejected the proposal.

So far, two projects have been approved at two have been denied.

About 25 people are currently in attendance, including the Director of Sustainability, Joe Abraham, and Natalie Lucas, co-director of Students for Sustainability.

5:03 p.m.
The Green Fund committee has about $400,000 to distribute to projects aimed at making the UA campus more sustainable. Thirty-four proposals have been submitted for consideration, but not all of them can receive funding because the total requested funding exceeds the amount the committee can allocate. Stay tuned to find out which projects will be financed!