After three weeks of promoting water and energy conservation, Delta Gamma and Read Center were the winners of the IU Spring Energy Challenge. They reduced their water and energy consumption by more than 12 percent each compared to last year.
This spring IU recorded a total savings of 12,759 kilowatt hours of energy and 714,928 gallons of water university-wide. Since the Energy Challenge’s implementation in 2008, IU has saved 16.3 million gallons and 4.9 million kilowatt hours overall.
When people see the numbers, they can get a real grasp of the magnitude of their usage, IU Office of Sustainability Intern Jayson Arend said.
“Energy may seem invisible, but it really has a large impact on the environment,” Arend said.
The challenge took place from March 27 to April 17 and included buildings on campus from residence halls to athletic buildings and greek houses. The challenge aims to demonstrate that living a more sustainable lifestyle is possible with small behavior changes.
“I think that’s the goal of the challenge is to make people aware of how much energy a house can use, how much energy just keeping a light on for a while can use,” Arend said.
The tips on the Energy Challenge’s website are small changes to everyday tasks, such as taking the stairs, using cold water when doing laundry and turning off the water when brushing teeth.
“It really doesn’t take much,” Arend said.
When the challenge started in 2008, only a few buildings participated. This spring more than 70 buildings across campus joined in.
“We really see people in the buildings get excited about the challenge,” Arend said. “We see them have less usage even after the challenge. That really keeps us going every semester.”
The IU Office of Sustainability promotes Green Teams, which are informal groups of faculty, staff and students who work to promote environmentally friendly practices. These teams make sure all the lights, faucets and other electric applications within a building are turned off at the end of the day.
Each week during the Energy Challenge, the Energy Challenge website also showcases an energy champion who is dedicated to practicing and teaching others sustainability practices at IU. Shane Wilkinson of University Gym was the most recent highlight for his efforts in recyclable and energy conservation.
There are a lot of myths about conservation, Arend said. One is that when it comes to laundry, warm water helps get stains out. Cold water does just as well to remove stains and makes clothes last longer.
It’s these kinds of myths about the energy your refrigerator uses and how much energy a light bulb uses that the challenge really helps people think about, Arend said.
Arend offered other tips, such as to turn off lights when leaving any room, including classrooms or bathrooms. He also advised buying a reusable water bottle and call a building manager if there is a leak in a bathroom or water station.
With Earth Day this past Saturday, Arend said how important the Energy Challenge was for its emphasis on teamwork and community involvement in changing environmental behaviors.
“It comes down to awareness,” Arend said.
