The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

Campus Conservation Nationals

 

St. John’s ranked 4th out of 36 participating schools in the Campus Conservation national competition last month according to the final results released from the organization’s website last week.

 

Campus Conservation Nationals 2010 is a 3-week competition that spans the country. CCN’s website lists some of the major goals of the program as saving money on utility bills as well as to “foster a culture of conservation within your campus community.” 

 

In the regional rankings, St. John’s came out on top with 12.2 percent energy reduction campus-wide. Other regional winners included the California State Polytechnic  University with a 4.8 percent reduction and Bowling Green State University in Ohio with 11.4 percent reduction, according to the Campus Conservation’s website.

 

Some buildings at St. John’s posted energy reductions as high as 25 percent, more than twice the reductions of both NYU and Columbia, the website reported.

 

The competition is the first real-time, nationwide electricity and water use reduction competition. The competition ran from Nov. 1-19 and included schools from both the U.S. and Canada. 

 

Over the course of the competition, energy consumption was reduced by 508,000 kilowatt-hours, saving $50,200 and averting 816,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to the Campus Conservation Nationals website.

 

Donovan Hall won the competititon between residence halls of St. John’s Queen’s campus. All the residents of Donovan will receive hooded sweatshirts purchased from the prize money they won. The prize money is distributed to more than 500 hundred residents of Donovan, equaling about 8 dollars per student.

 

Scott Paton, residence director of Donovan Hall said he was impressed with the student’s efforts throughout the month.

 

“The residents were really proactive,” he said. “They worked so hard to win.”

 

The competition between residence buildings was close; Dasilva finished 0.1 percent behind Donovan, according to Paton.

 

“All the residents were really into it and it became a really good community builder,” Paton said. 

 

Students were encouraged to reduce their energy use by unplugging their chargers, laptops, and cell phones as well as to attempt to take shorter showers and exchange light-bulbs for more energy efficient models provided by the University. The elevators in Donovan were also covered with paper so that students would use the stairs more often.

 

Students were able to track their progress throughout the month by using the Building Dashboard website. The site provided daily updates on water and energy conservation for each residence hall. 

 

The Dashboard also encouraged students to “commit” to energy conservation by showing their support online. 

 

According to CCN’s website, research has shown that the competition promoting energy reduction provide the best platforms for engaging and motivating students to conserve.  More information about CCN’s effort to promote energy conservation can be found on their website.

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