New York University’s annual residence hall energy-savings challenge, NYUnplugged, is now part of the new Campus Conservation Nationals competition (http://www.competetoreduce.org/) in which 40 schools with 120,000+ participants in residence halls across the country are challenging one another to see who can most reduce their energy consumption over a three-week period, November 1 through November 19, 2010.
New York University, with its 19 participating residence halls, in three weeks, has the chance to make a lasting impact—the race is on!
New York University’s annual residence hall energy-savings challenge, NYUnplugged, is now part of the new Campus Conservation Nationals competition in which 40 schools with 120,000+ participants in residence halls across the country are challenging one another to see who can most reduce their energy consumption over a three-week period, November 1 through November 19, 2010.
“We're glad to be one of the first universities to participate in the new Campus Conservation Nationals competition,” said Jeremy Friedman, NYU’s Manager of Sustainability Initiatives. “NYU works to be a pioneer whenever there's a great new idea or program to bring sustainability into more people's lives. We've advised on the program since the idea was first announced more than a year ago.”
The Campus Conservation Nationals leverages the momentum of popular dorm energy competitions and extends the playing field to include rival institutions from across the country. Winning campuses and residence halls will be awarded a prize package provided by the U.S. Green Building Council and Study Like a Champion.
Using Lucid Design Group’s Building Dashboard®, participating schools will be able to compare performance, share winning strategies and track standings among the leading schools and buildings.
"At the heart of NYUnplugged is the chance to educate students to their collective power and influence as individuals making change,” Friedman said. “The actions of just one person doing tiny things like turning off lights and configuring computers properly, when done collectively, can quickly add up.”
The NYUnplugged Champion will be the NYU residence hall that reduces its electricity consumption by the greatest percentage from the October baseline period. There will also be an award for most improved hall--the one with the greatest difference in its reduction between NYUnplugged 2010 and 2009.
Research has shown that feedback on electricity and water consumption, combined with competitive individual and community spirit and incentives, can result in significant resource reductions in buildings.
“We all take for granted that electricity just somehow arrives at our light switches," said Cecil Scheib, NYU’s Director of Energy and Sustainability. "By encouraging students to consider their daily actions and then look at their building’s energy use, they may understand more about the complex systems needed to allow a CFL to turn on at the flip of a switch."
“NYUnplugged encourages conservation through behavioral change. We have projected that this type of conservation can provide for 3% of NYU¹s total emissions reductions,” said Freidman.
· To follow NYU during the national competition, visit www.buildingdashboard.net/nyu .
· To see how a particular NYU residence Hall is doing, please visti: www.nyu.edu/sustainability/unplugged
· Or, to get involved, RSVP to the Facebook event here: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167825106576903
Reporters only: For more information about the competition, contact Christopher James at 212.998.6876 or christopher.james@nyu.edu.
Established through a Sustainability Task Force Green Grant in 2008, NYUnplugged was conceived by Adam Brock, then a senior at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Brock envisioned a competition between residence halls which lowered energy usage and encouraged students to engage in their residence hall community through some good-natured competition. The use of NYU’s smart energy meters in competing halls allows for up-to-the-minute live streaming energy-use reports on the NYUnpplugged website.
NYU has released its comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CAP), detailing the University’s current greenhouse gas emissions inventory and highlighting a range of tangible projects and fiscally sound strategies to mitigate these emissions while fostering sustainability efforts in teaching, learning, and research. As a private university in the public service, NYU has a responsibility to embed environmental values at the core of its administrative operations and academic mission.
Sustainability means bringing together diverse segments of our community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and neighbors—to improve NYU's environmental performance and foster a "green" campus culture.
About the Campus Conservation Nationals
The Alliance to Save Energy in partnership with Lucid Design Group and the National Wildlife Federation launched the Campus Conservation Nationals 2010, the first real-time, nationwide electricity and water use reduction competition, leveraging the momentum of popular dorm energy competitions and extending the playing field to include rival institutions from across the country. The Alliance to Save Energy was founded by former Sen. Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) and Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) in 1977 to promote energy efficiency throughout the United States.
This first-of-its-kind resource reduction competition offers valuable educational opportunities, such as enabling students to teach themselves conservation behaviors, as well as environmental and economic benefits. Above all, Campus Conservation Nationals is designed to empower the future generation of energy and environmental leaders, and foster a culture of conservation within campus communities.
