It’s Getting Hot In Here

Busta Rhymes laid it out when he rapped, “It’s all about the money, baby”. Whether it’s clean energy purchasing, an awesome bike-share program, comprehensive composting, water conservation, student sustainability internships and more, these projects all need seed funding to get going. That’s where Campus InPower comes in.

Campus InPower is a national training program that gives student organizers the tools to create revolving loan funds, green fee campaigns, and other funding mechanisms to pay for large-scale sustainability projects on their campuses. Check out the website at www.campusinpower.org. I’m Rachel Barge – I created the program, and here’s what Campus InPower has to offer:

1. “Raise The Funds” Action Toolkit – brand-spanking-new funding guide for student organizers, co-published with AASHE. In its glorious 54 pages, it features SEVEN funding mechanisms to pay for wide-scale sustainability projects or create large, dedicated sustainability funds on campus. It is free to download at www.campusinpower.org

2. Trainings, Workshops, Speaking – as Director of Campus InPower, I am traveling the country, speaking at sustainability conferences and visiting schools. I have a travel budget, so I can visit any interested school and offer a unique training to their environmental group, student body, staff committee, etc on how they can leverage funds on their campus.

3. Strategy Consulting – I am available as a consultant, advocate and supporter to any group of students or staff who are working to establish a sustainability fund on their campus. That includes campaigns that are already underway, or plans that are still on the drawing board. I arrange conference calls, help perform research, and make personal visits to help advise campaigns.

It’s Getting Hot In Here community: I need YOUR help! I want campuses across the country to know that this resource exists for them to tap into. Please pass this info along to your campus community, alma matter, or friends at other schools who might be interested. Send them to www.campusinpower.org or have them email me at rachel@campusinpower.org With your support, we can help make the existing awesome organizing on campuses even more financiall powerful!

A lil background to the program: As a student organizer at UC Berkeley, I realized fast that funding was the biggest obstacle to the transformative change I wanted to see happen on my campus. That’s why I worked to pass The Green Initiative Fund in 2007, a $5/student green fee that now brings in $200,000 per year for sustainability projects on the UCB campus.

I got so much interest from schools around the country who wanted to replicate the green fee model that I created Campus InPower after graduating this May. The goal is to bring together the best campus funding practices available and get those resources to as many students as possible. So far, about 50 campuses have passed such fees nationwide, but we can do better! Campus InPower is supported by AASHE, Big Ideas at Berkeley, Breakthrough Generation and Wild Gift. Thanks for your help!