UT has dawned the green color glasses as it starts working towards big environmental improvements on campus. The university is hoping to cut a lot of expenses out of its budget while reducing its carbon footprint through new campaigns and policies.

The latest change is sending billing statements via VolXpress rather than mailing them to students every semester. Mailing the statements requires lots of printing, return postage and re-mailing statement costs that will be saved by simply e-mailing statements. In fact, through this new policy, the administration expects to save more than $85,000 annually.

This small fee, which we pushed for, made UT Knoxville the first school in Tennessee to get the green fee.-Sam Jordan and Laura England, leaders of SPEAK

The university started the Switch Your Thinking Energy Saving Campaign to reduce campus energy consumption by 10 percent this year. This campaign will save UT more than $1 million dollars. The campaign, which is part of the Make Orange Green program, got its start with a ceremonial flipping of a light switch to turn off the Stokely Management Center for the first time in 30 years.

However, UT did not just decide to become environmentally conscious recently. Several organizations and projects have been implemented for the last few years. In September of 2006, the Make Orange Green program began with the revealing of the biodiesel initiative to fuel all service vehicles with University Dining's used vegetable oil. Former senior in mechanical engineering, Scott Curran started the project.

Before the UT goes Green program got started, SPEAK, students promoting environmental awareness in Knoxville, had been around since 2001 actively participating in greening up the campus and Knoxville community.

SPEAK helped coordinate the recycling program for all the bins on campus and pick up to recycling centers. Currently, SPEAK is working toward preparing for the annual Powershift Conference at the end of this month.

Since 2005, the campus has spent more than $1 million on several energy-saving projects, money that comes from part of UT's student environmental facilities fee. Some students have no problem with the fee; others, however, find it a little controversial.

"I'm okay with the fact that they delegate some of my tuition for causes like that. However, knowing they're going to raise my tuition as well is kind of irritating," said Amanda Gutman, sophomore in electrical engineering.

Both leaders of SPEAK, Sam Jordan and Laura England agreed, "This small fee, which we pushed for, made UT Knoxville the first school in Tennessee to get the green fee."

UT has been and continues to be at the forefront for Tennessee schools going green.