Student sustainability fee has funded hundreds of campus projects since 2009, university coordinator says

Summary

Taylee Hilliard, University of Montana sustainability engagement coordinator, said more than $1.7 million has been distributed through the student sustainability fund since 2009. Funded projects include water bottle refill stations, roughly 200 kilowatts of solar, metering infrastructure and composting and bear‑safe cans across campus.

Taylee Hilliard, the University of Montana sustainability engagement coordinator, said the student sustainability fee has enabled more than $1.7 million in student‑directed investments since 2009.

Hilliard outlined projects funded by the fee: installation of water bottle fill stations, roughly 200 kilowatts of solar across campus, $140,000 invested in metering infrastructure and software, reusable to‑go box pilots and the expansion of composting to at least seven campus buildings. She said the fee began as a voluntary opt‑out and evolved to a mandatory per‑semester charge and that individual student proposals — from tiny solar arrays to composting programs — have been central to the fund's use.

Hilliard also said students funded Bear Safe garbage cans and signage to reduce wildlife interactions and that the fund supports both infrastructure and pilot projects led by students. She urged students to consider the legacy they can leave through proposals to the fund. Hilliard did not cite specific upcoming proposals or a current balance of the fund during the presentation.