Students learn to conserve during energy challenge

Turning off lights, cutting showers short and unplugging unused appliances are just a few of the small ways students conserved energy and water during the fall 2012 Energy Challenge.

The challenge, which started Oct. 22 and ended Monday, is sponsored by the IU Office of Sustainability and Residential Programs and Services.
 
Students and University employees across the academic buildings, greek houses, residence buildings, campus apartments and academic houses saved more than 6 million gallons of water and more than 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity, according to energychallenge.indiana.edu.

“The goal of Energy Challenge is to raise awareness of energy and water consumption among building occupants,” said Bill Brown, director of sustainability. “Give them techniques to conserve, and teach new conservation behavior that will persist.”

Meters in every building measured the amount of energy used during the challenge, and the meters were checked each week to give a composite score.

 For the first time since the energy challenge started in 2007, every building on campus was invited to participate.

“It has evolved to become one of the largest competitions of its kind on a single campus, with over 82 buildings with approximately 18,000 occupants,” Brown said.
Buildings were split into six categories: large academic buildings, academic houses, greek Panhellenic houses, greek Interfraternity houses, apartment housing and residence halls. The winners were buildings in each category that reduced water and energy usage by the largest percent.

The SRSC Recreational Sports building won among all large academic buildings, and Military Science won in the category of academic houses.

In the greek community, Alpha Chi Omega and Sigma Alpha Mu reduced their water and energy usage by the greatest percentage among Panhellenic and Interfraternity houses, respectively.

Campus View won among on-campus apartment facilities, and Forest Quad was the residence hall that reduced its usage by the greatest
percentage.

Trophies were awarded Wednesday night in the Neal-Marshall Education
Center.