Students Challenge Each Other to Unplug and Save

(Go Green Article March 2009)
For three weeks in February, students battled it out during UR Unplugged to determine which residence building would post the largest drop in energy consumption. They turned off lights, shut down monitors, and unplugged cell phone chargers. Those small changes resulted in dramatic reductions in the amount of energy consumed when compared to the same period last year.

The results were tallied based on a formula developed by Morris Pierce, the energy manager for Facilities and Services, that adjusted for variations in building occupancy. In all, 75 percent of the participating buildings showed some reduction in energy consumption.

“Congratulations to all! This is just another example of what we can achieve by ‘going green’ and knowing that small, individual changes can make a big difference,” says Lisa Glover-Henderson, assistant director of central utilities and project manager of the energy conservation campaign.

The Winners

This year’s UR Unplugged winners are Tiernan Hall and Delta Upsilon. The students at Tiernan used 18 percent less energy than residents did in 2008 and the men of Delta Upsilon reduced their consumption by 12 percent.

Fraternity Competition