As a part of an initiative this month at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities called Conservation Madness, eight residence halls will compete against one another to see who can save the most on energy and waste.
Some students even camped out on Monday, Feb. 7, in front of the school's Coffman Union building to make a point of going "off the electrical grid."
The contest is a joint effort of the facilities management and residential life housing departments plus several student groups, according to Jim Green, who is the assistant director for energy management at the university.
Whichever residence hall scores the most points earns a college basketball national championship party in April, according to contest information.
In some ways the contest mirrors an earlier city-led neighborhood-by-neighborhood competition, he says.
While the effort will help the university cut costs, "The real payoff is the awareness of the things that people can do to save energy on campus and elsewhere," says Green.
One student who is helping to organize the activities is Chelsey Shoup, a sophomore who lives in Comstock Hall on the East Bank.
She's majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in management. In her spare time, she's active with a couple of clubs on campus, the Active Energy Club and the Energy Efficiency Student Alliance (which is a coalition involving the school's Active Energy Club, Minnesota Public Research Interest Group, Eco Watch, and Green Biz).
Echoing Green, she says the contest is a good chance to educate her peers.
By their actions and promotional activities, including approaching students on campus they're "just hoping to raise awareness of the small, everyday choices that students can make to save energy," she says, adding, "small changes to their lifestyle that will make a big difference."
Source: Jim Green, assistant director for energy management at the University of Minnesota, Chelsey Shoup, University of Minnesota and its Active Energy Club and Energy Efficiency Student Alliance
Writer: Anna Pratt