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2012 Campus Conservation Nationals: Green Campus Students Win Big by Saving Energy

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Date: Apr 27, 2012

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Above Photo: UC Merced students making smoothies using the Green Campus interns’ energy-generating bicycle display. 

CCN Results

Electricity Savings

  • 1,739,046 kWh of electricity saved
  • 2.6M lbs of CO2 saved
  • $157,925 saved
  • Equivalent to taking 151 U.S. homes off the grid for a year

Water Savings

  • 10,365 shower hours
  • Equivalent to 10M 20-ounce water bottles
  • $4,617 saved

The hundreds of college dorms that competed to save energy in the nation’s second “Campus Conservation Nationals” (CCN) decreased energy use by a whopping 1.7 million kWh of electricity and nearly $160,000. Launched by  the Alliance to Save Energy in partnership with Lucid Design Group, the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Wildlife Federation, the CCN competition brought together nearly 250,000 students from 150 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada to save both energy and water in their residence halls. 

Six of the Alliance to Save Energy’s 16 California Green Campus Program schools participated in CCN:  Humboldt State, UC Berkeley, UC Merced, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, CSU Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona.  These campuses competed against each other within their own CCN league.

Building on existing campus energy-saving efforts, the friendly rivalry was fierce among the Green Campus teams during the three-week CCN competition.  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo gave residents in top-performing buildings spots as backup dancers in environmental rapper Mr. Eco’s new music video, CSU Fullerton offered weekly prizes for saving energy, and UC Berkeley rolled out its “Blackout Battles” competition with ice cream parties.  But the CCN Green Campus League award for most effective outreach and biggest energy savings went to UC Santa Barbara and UC Merced.

UC Santa Barbara Wins Best Green Campus Outreach with Energy-Saving Pledges

The UC Santa Barbara Green Campus “Do it in the Dark” competition saved $1,597 by encouraging new habits like turning off lights and using power strips to stop vampire energy waste. A flurry of outreach efforts – including posters, going door-to-door and hosting energy-themed games like trivia and water pong – convinced 1,554 students to sign pledges of support for energy and water efficiency. These pledges helped UC Santa Barbara dorms save 9,196 kWh; 89,386 gallons of water; and 5,006 lbs of CO2. 

“Here at UC Santa Barbara, we have a very conscientious student community, consisting of residents who are generally committed to living sustainably,” said Lauren Barnum, an intern project coordinator with the Green Campus team at UC Santa Barbara. “We really tried to drive the message home with all of our advertising techniques.”

Photo: UC Santa Barbara students prepare to fly kites (after receiving tips on how to save energy) in support of the Green Campus Do it in the Dark competition.

UC Merced Wins Most Green Campus Energy Savings Through Digital Media

The UC Merced Green Campus team stood out for their big energy savings, using social networking and digital media to help decrease building energy usage by a 3.7% in student dorms. 

 “At first we thought students wouldn’t be interested or would not participate in this competition as they had already participated in a similar one last semester,” said Martin Figueroa, Green Campus intern team manager.  “But with the help of the Green Campus Program and Housing and Residence Life, we were able to reach the residents in really cool ways.”

A few of these “cool ways” included campaigns on the Green Campus team’s Facebook Page, campus TV ads, and sharing energy efficiency tips in targeted conversations. The one-on-one talks were particularly successful in convincing students to make the simple changes to use less energy.       

Toting a blender hooked up to an energy-generating bicycle, the team also encouraged students to pedal for smoothies while learning how to save energy. A link to energy-saving rankings kept students engaged. Convinced by the team’s efforts, 600 students signed pledges to even greater steps to save energy!

Photo: UC Merced’s golden bobcat mascot tries out the Green Campus interns’ energy-generating bicycle display during an event advertising the team’s participation in Campus Conservation Nationals.

More on Green Campus and CCN

The Green Campus program is funded by the investor-owned utilities of Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas, and San Diego Gas & Electric).