Campus Conservation Nationals: UP edition

By Philip Ellefson, Staff Writer -- ellefson15@up.edu

UP students living on campus will go green starting Feb. 15 as part of a three-week national energy reduction competition.

Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) is a nationwide competition aimed at reducing the use of electricity and water on college and university campuses. Out of over 150 participating campuses in the U.S., the campus that reduces energy and water consumption by the greatest percentage wins hardware to help monitor how much energy is used, while the top 10 campuses win a year of renewable energy credits.

In addition to the national competition, the dorms will compete with one another to reduce consumption. The Office of Residence Life will grant $500 to the dorm that cuts its electricity use by the greatest percentage, regardless of whether UP wins the national competition.

"It's very good to get the dorms involved in environment preservation. Right now, all we really have in the dorms is recycling," Service and Justice Coordinator (SJC) and junior Austin Veiga said. "This will bridge the gap to try and make the dorms more eco-friendly."

The SJCs will lead their dorms in the effort to reduce electricity.

The coordinator for environmental justice and sustainability for the Moreau Center, Meredith Dickinson, who organized UP's participation in CCN, said seemingly insignificant actions can use a surprising amount of energy. She hopes students will begin to notice the effects of their actions during the competition, which ends March 7.

UP will not participate in the water reduction portion of the competition because the campus does not have access to water meters. However, students will be encouraged to cut water consumption along with electricity use.

"People are willing to go without showers for weeks," Veiga said, who introduced Villa's hall council to CCN and said they are enthusiastic about it.

Veiga said CCN is about making small changes to everyday habits.

"It's just easy stuff like turning off the lights," Veiga said.

Sophomore Kylie Pybus, Mehling Hall's SJC, said even these small decisions make an impact.

"Students should know that each little effort you contribute will go towards a great change on campus," Pybus said.

Dickinson will also work with religious groups on campus like FISH, the League of Extraordinary Gentleman and UP Catholics in order to bring a new dimension to CCN.

"Those students will be able to bring a faith-based approach to a national competition," Dickinson said, who believes the competition fits with UP's mission of teaching, faith and service.

Dickinson sees UP's participation in CCN as a primarily student-led activity, open to improvement and innovation by anyone who wants to be involved.

"My hope is that I am building a foundation," Dickinson said. "There's a lot of room for creativity, a lot of room for fun to build on this foundation."

 

Ways to reduce electricity consumption:

Turn off lights as you leave rooms, even in communal spaces like bathrooms.

Wash clothes only if they are actually dirty – most clothes can be worn more than once.

Turn on only half of the lights in dorm rooms and study spaces.

Avoid "phantom electricity" by unplugging appliances and chargers when they are turned off.

Use the communal fridge instead of a mini-fridge.

Unplug computers and cell phones as soon as they are charged.

Use a power strip for your appliances and turn it off at night.

Use CCN's widget at buildingdashboard.net/up to commit to making changes and track UP's progress in the competition.