Thank goodness it’s friendly to the Earth

Signboard? Check. Web site? Check. T-shirt? Organic check. This campaign has all the flair of student politics but hardly any of its ugly confrontation.

The Green Initiative Fund referendum is part of this year’s election, and it would raise student fees by $4 per quarter to create a fund for student-led projects that reduce UCLA’s negative impact on the environment. TGIF is simple, creative and worthy of support.

A community garden to feed the dorms, a student-run recycling program or an off-campus wind farm to offset UCLA’s energy could soon be part of our university’s repertoire if TGIF gets the support it deserves.

Aside from fattening a steady population of those furry-tailed rats also known as squirrels, our current waste output is troublesome to the environment, and some students want change.

“UCLA has the worst recycling divergence rate of all UCs,” said Alisa Ahmadian, a third-year political science and English student who can break down environmental terms to confused columnists like myself with ease. Ahmadian is co-chair of Ecology, Economy, Equity, a student group dedicated to environmental justice.

“It means that UCLA carries contracts with companies to divert our waste, but at this point they are not nearly enough to offset our damage to the environment,” added Ahmadian, to counteract my dumbfounded gaze.

Since UCLA is not meeting the standards set by the UC Office of the President’s Policy on Sustainable Practices, the administration is currently working on ways to make UCLA more sustainable. TGIF validates that effort and expands it to include a student-initiated component.

“While we are the ones spearheading the referendum, its purpose is to give power to the student body as a whole,” said Rio Scharf, a first-year political science student who has worked in the campaign.

The potential for enhancing student life and sustainability gained TGIF the blessing of everyday Undergraduate Students Association Council politicos.

TGIF’s supporters have been able to find a perfect balance between Bruins United’s push for applied academics and the advocacy focus of Students First!. With the support of both slates pushing for votes, the TGIF crew seems close to reaching its goal.

“I don’t want to be cocky, but we are definitely confident,” said Nathan Tinclair, a fourth-year political science and history student and TGIF volunteer, reflecting on the significance of the slate endorsements.

As USAC elections continue this week, it would be hard to imagine anyone involved having an easier time.

I know firsthand the stress that comes with this time of year. After all, I still make claim to the title of “the Al Gore of USAC” after a narrow defeat during last year’s elections for Financial Supports commissioner.

The real Gore, were he to roll around UCLA again, would be proud of the work the TGIF crew has put forth. His Nobel Prize symbolizes the heightened concern about environmental issues.

But all referenda carry a price, and TGIF is no exception. The annual $12 fee will signify a minuscule increase in the overall cost of attending UCLA, and the TGIF crew cements any financial concerns with a bit of humor.

Enter soon-to-be-millionaire Kevin Love, who thinks the quarterly $4 price tag is not a lot: “Stuff is expensive these days. Four dollars is not a lot to work with,” he said in a video posted on the TGIF campaign Web site.

But while the individual cost of $12 per year could someday soon not be enough to park for a day at UCLA, it will help create a substantial fund from all students for the next 10 years, as well as give those same students the opportunity to roll up their sleeves for the environment.

This notion of student-initiated work is no fluke, as the team of environmentalists behind TGIF takes itself ““ and the student body’s potential ““ very seriously. Not your parents’ tree-hugging friends, these kids are young policy-makers about to become engineers of the first-ever student effort for sustainability at UCLA.

But they don’t judge.

“We love hippies!” said Ahmadian on the notion that they are the technocrats of nature.

The Green Initiative Fund moves UCLA toward the goal of curbing its environmental impact in a way that other schools can imitate. The decision should be easy: TGIF? Check.

Tell Ramos he is more Michael Dukakis than Al Gore at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].