Live Green: SU Solar Benches

3 hours ago

Amber Conley,

SALISBURY, Md – Salisbury University added four new solar benches across campus, and it is their latest green initiative, bringing students outside.

The benches were installed in the summer, and the features include solar panels, being fully powered by the sun, three-prong outlets and a wireless charging station. The benches themselves are through a vendor called, Enerfusion Inc. that are based in the U.S., using recycled material.

“The seats and the tables are made out of 100% recycled plastic material, so we don’t have to harvest, like, new metal to have those things,” Director of Campus Sustainability, Chris Homeister said.

They were a project that came to life through the Green Fund Committee, which is a program dedicated to improve campus sustainability. Homeister told me a student had reached out with an interest to add more solar benches to the campus grounds.

“Every semester students, when they pay their tuition dollars, $12 of their tuition goes towards the Green Fund,” He continued. “If you have any idea, you can submit it to the Green Fund Committee, and if they approve it, then we award those funds to students to make their sustainable project actually come to life.”

Different ideas that were brought to life through the Green Fund also include, bike fix-it stations, water bottle refill stations, LED Lighting, recycling and even a garden. With the solar benches, these encourage students to get out and spend more time in nature.

“We are a certified arboretum. We have over 3,000 trees here on campus, and this is just one way that you can be outside,” Homeister explained, “We are a Bird Campus USA certified. We’re trying to, have just, you know, the best habitat for the local wildlife here on campus. We are a bee campus USA certified. We’re trying to help out the local habitat as best we can to attract all those pollinators here, because that’s kind of the basis of the food chain.”

Homeister told me this is a way to give back to students and he encourages all students to apply to the Green Fund.

“I want to work with you and make your project ideas come to life so you can actually have, an impact here on campus. And you can leave your mark after you graduate, which is really cool,” He expressed.

To learn more about the Green Fund, visit the University’s website.