Elon University kicks off its 4th annual POWERless energy competition this week for residence halls across campus to reduce their electricity use in a contest that awards buildings for conservation efforts. The contest aims to improve energy habits while making a positive impact on the planet.
More than 40 residence halls will take part in the three-week competition. Energy reductions will be determined by comparing usage during the competition to baseline consumption. “The POWERless competition raises awareness of energy consumption and encourages conservation,” said Elaine Durr, Elon’s sustainability coordinator. “We all need to do our part to reduce our use of resources.”
This year’s competition is easier than ever for students to track their hall’s progress. Elon’s new Building Dashboard has an interactive interface that allows students to compare their building’s energy reduction to other residence halls and to communicate with other residents in their building through Discussion Boards.
The residence hall with the greatest energy reduction at the end of the first week will receive a pizza party. The residence hall with the greatest reduction at the end of the entire competition will receive a hall party. Additionally, the Building Dashboard has a “commit to reduce” feature, and students who make sustainability commitments will be entered to win prizes at the end of the competition.
For additional information and competition updates, visit the Elon Sustainability Facebook page. College Coffee on Nove. 2 will serve as the kick-off event for the competition. Come out to learn energy saving tips and the opportunity to win a sustainability-themed prize by answering a trivia question.
Unlike last year’s competition, which divided residence halls into two divisions, all residence halls this fall will be competing in a single division. Last year’s winners were the Honors Pavilion (36.9% reduction), and Oak’s Building A (34.4% reduction).
In addition to competing amongst residence halls on campus, Elon will also be participating in Campus Conservation Nationals, a nationwide energy conservation competition. Other North Carolina schools participating include Guilford College and Appalachian State.
Students on the winning campus and those students in the residence hall with the greatest reduction will be awarded prizes provided by competition partners and sponsors, including the U.S. Green Building Council, Study Like a Champion and Lights Out Green In. The winning campus (greatest percentage reduction) will be provided a real-time Building Dashboard from Lucid Design Group.
To learn more about the competition and to follow which schools are in the lead this November, visit www.CompeteToReduce.org. Competition standings will also be available on Elon’s Building Dashboard under the ‘Competition’ tab.
– Written by Carolyn Baumgarten ’11, Office of Sustainability