I hope that by now you’ve know that February is Do It in the Dark month here at UVM. The Eco-Reps are using this month to educate their fellow students about the many ways that they can help conserve energy and reduce our impact on the environment.
This past week, the Eco-Reps visited Mason-Simpson-Hamilton and passed out free energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs in exchange for the inefficient bulbs many students had in their desk light and floor lamps.
This was the third and final bulb exchange on campus for this year. More than 500 bulbs have been exchanged saving more than 29,000 MWh of electricity annually, and offsetting approximately 8 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
UVM is not the only college campus promoting energy conservation with a “doing it in the dark” program. There are many similar programs around the country doing the same thing. For example, Tufts University, where the program began, has had great success.
There, they use a specific month to measure the amount of energy saved by various residence halls. After this month, the dormitory that saved the most energy is rewarded with a pizza party. The participants in Tufts’ Environmental Consciousness Outreach program reports that the event does in fact save energy and definitely gets people thinking about their energy consumption habits.
The University of Buffalo also has a similar program. They pick the first Tuesday of each month and call it “Do it in the Dark Tuesdays.” They measure energy use in different dorms on these Tuesdays and then give a prize for the dorm using the least electricity. Their prize is an ipod mini!
Unfortunately here at UVM, our electrical system doesn’t allow us to measure the energy each building is using. However, the new dorms currently being built are being equipped with monitoring systems that will allow for such a competition in the future.
In the meantime, UVM Eco-Reps will be promoting a couple other competitions on campus. This spring, we will sponsor a competition to find the most eco-friendly resident on campus. Stay tuned for more information about how to nominate someone for this. We encourage both students and faculty to nominate anyone they feel deserves the award (let’s be creative!)
The second competition this semester is called Recyclemania. More than 50 colleges and Universities across the country are competing to prove that they are the best recyclers. UVM’s Recycling Office has been hard at work developing new ways to encourage students to reduce trash by recycling, composting and, of course, buying less disposable stuff. But to win this competition, everyone needs to do their part.
We have an exciting semester ahead of us, with many opportunities to get involved and learn more about how each member of our community can help make a difference. So, I would like to remind everyone to turn off appliances, shut the windows, recycle your cans, bottles and paper, and whatever you do, “do it in the dark!”
ECO-MIND is a weekly column on environmental issues at UVM organized by the UVM Environmental Council. If you are interested in suggesting a topic or contributing a column, contact [email protected]
