By Skylar Rispens, UM News Service
MISSOULA – 91次元 student Zoe Belinda is doing her part to guide campus to its goal of carbon neutrality through a grant she wrote, which will install a photovoltaic solar array on top of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education building.
Belinda, a senior from Red Lodge pursuing a degree in environmental studies, wrote the $250,000 grant application for the solar project that was selected by students, staff and faculty who make up UM’s Kless Sustainability Committee.
“As someone who strives to be a changemaker, this project really felt like a step in the right direction,” Belinda said. “Not only did this feel like a win for me, but also for the Office of Sustainability and the Kless committee. Decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels and energy from NorthWestern Energy is a big deal for us, and this project is helping us accomplish that goal.”
Once completed in 2026, the solar panel installation on campus is expected to generate nearly 200,000 kWh of clean energy each year, which is equivalent to about 147 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator.
“It’s the same amount as taking over 34 gas-powered vehicles off the road or the carbon sequestered by 147 acres of U.S. forests per year,” Belinda said. “In addition to emissions reduction, the project contributes to the University’s broader climate and energy goals.”
The project pushes UM to meet the goals described in its 2010 Climate Action Plan, which outlines the University’s path to eventually neutralize its greenhouse gas emissions. It also supports the University goal to “reduce energy costs, peak electric/gas loads and greenhouse gas emissions,” as stated by the UM Energy Management Plan.
“This project can also improve the sustainability literacy of students, staff, faculty and community members,” Belinda said. “Based on my personal capstone research, this will improve individual wellness within our community and ensure that the UM and Missoula communities are more likely to make sustainability-informed decisions in the future.”
Her experience interning with the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., in 2024 as a William A. Demmer scholar and as a sustainability communications assistant with the UM Office of Sustainability prepared Belinda for the long and tedious process behind grant applications.
For this particular project, she worked closely with UM Office of Sustainability staff and Facilities Services while writing the grant to juggle data, cost estimates and architecture plans.
“The biggest learning moment for me was understanding how many people are involved – even in a relatively straightforward project such as this one,” Belinda said. “It really made me realize how interconnected the departments are at UM and how much we rely on each other.”
This particular grant took that interconnectedness a step further. Grant funds awarded by the Kless Sustainability Committee are generated by a $9 fee that students pay each semester. The funds are accessible to students and distributed by a committee of students, staff and faculty in the form of grants and loans for sustainability projects on campus.
The Kless Sustainability Committee has supported large-scale projects like Belinda’s in the past, as well as smaller projects like water bottle refill stations and compost programs.
“This project is a big deal for UM and the Missoula community, and I am proud to know that I was a part of it,” Belinda said. “This project simply reaffirmed that I am in the right career field because I am doing something I really care about. Although I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do after my time at UM, I do know that I want to make a positive difference within the world of sustainability and conservation.”
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.