IU finishes among top 5 in conservation competition

From February 4 through April 26, around 300,000 students at 120 universities across the nation participated in the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Conservation Nationals competition in an attempt to reduce water and electricity consumption on their individual campuses, according to a press release issued by the National Wildlife Federation.

IU was one of the overall winners this year, ranking in the top five schools with the greatest average percent reduction in water usage, according to the release.

The Campus Conservation Nationals competition is the largest national electricity and water reduction contest focused on college campuses, according to the press release.

Participants in the event organized events in order to motivate their peers to take part in the competition, encouraging energy-saving habits such as switching off unused electronics, taking shorter showers and turning off lights in common areas, according to the press release.

“The National Wildlife Federation is committed to protecting America’s wildlife for our children’s future, and the efforts of the 300,000 students that competed in Campus Conservation nationals this spring gives us hope for the future,” Patrick Fitzgerald, senior director of education management at the National Wildlife Federation, said in the release.

This year, all the universities involved in the competition saved 2,114,844 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 1,681,241 gallons of water, according to the release.

-Makenzie Holland