Energy Conservation/Dashboard outline
- Introduce ourselves & office
- SPROUT = Sustainability Peer Resource OUTreach
- Introduce Name, major, why you personally care
- Icebreaker: A lot of people find a connection to sustainability based on a positive experience with nature. What experiences do you have? Introduce yourselves with Year and major. Pay attention to what they say about their majors!
- brainstorm, what falls under that umbrella
- Meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of the future generation.
- Students in res halls already sustainable: walk everywhere, small shared space.
- What do you already do to be sustainable?
III. Why we should care.
- Social justice
- Economics and business
- local benefits
- stronger community
- (Relate it back to their major.)
- What is Dashboard
- Bring a laptop w/ page already pulled up to show them
- What is the competition all about (see below)
- kill-a-watts, simple to unplug something, CFLs, turning off electronics/lights
- group plan (foster community pride), establish norms & rules
Energy Conservation Tips:
Start Small:
- Turn off lights when you leave the room (don’t forget the bathroom, the shower, common rooms when possible, and classrooms)
- Unplug your appliances when you’re not using them. (as much as 10% of energy use for appliances is consumed in these “energy leaks” or “vampire” energy charges when appliances are off)
- Open your shades for natural light when you are indoors (particularly in your room)
- Set up your computer to go into standby or to hibernate when not in immediate use. Turn off your computer at night.
- Turn the heat down and throw on a sweatshirt
- Using drying racks instead of a dryer when you do laundry (Check with the front desk of your residence hall to see if they have drying racks you can borrow)
Make it fun!
- Study with friends to reduce the number of rooms with lights on.
- Skip the TV show and play frisbee or ride your bike outside
- Eat less red meat.
- Donate your old unwanted clothes, and buy second hand.
- Combine errands and drive together.
- Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth.
- Report leaks and drips in sinks, showers, and toilets (contact your facilities supervisor)
- Build community – make it social (board games, errands together, study together), reduces energy to use the same space
- kill-a-watts
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talk about our experiences with nature
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what do you do that’s sustainable.
Previous Competition Information:
Spring 2010 Energy Conservation Competition Basics
Dates: April 5th through May 2nd
Participating Halls: Schurz, Hatch, and College Avenue
Prize: Each student of the winning hall will receive a discount card to Columbia businesses
How does this competition thing work?
Each hall is different, different amounts of people, different technologies, and different ages of those technologies. This means that the energy use of each building cannot be directly compared. We take a baseline of use for each building beginning March 1st until March 25th, then students will compete against that baseline. You are essentially competing against yourself from a few weeks ago. If you reduce your energy use below that baseline you will see a reduction on the dashboard site. We will then compare those percentages and whichever hall has the highest percent reduction will win!
Why should I compete?
The students in the winning hall will be given a discount card for businesses in Columbia. We are currently working on the exact discounts that will be given.
Strategies for Success
It is up to residents to figure out the best strategies for reducing electricity consumption. Be sure to check out the tips provided on this site. It’s easy to control your own energy use but a hall will really be able to reduce their energy use by working together. Talk to your roommates and neighbors, plan out your reductions. Whose job is it to turn the hall lights off? Who checks the tvs every night? A plan is the best way to win this competition.
Why isn’t my hall connected?
The simple answer is that we ran out of money. Though student support is a big help in getting more funding. If you would like your hall or building connected let us know!
