Maple Hill South Saves 1,303 Kilowatt-Hours in Conservation Competition

University Housing has wrapped up its participation in Campus Conservation Nationals, a nationwide effort among colleges and universities to conserve electricity and water. From March 31 to April 21, residents in University Housing competed to achieve the greatest reductions in energy usage within their residence halls. Maple Hill South took honors as the hall with the greatest reduction saving a total of 1,303 kilowatt-hours and resulting in the avoidance of 2,413 pounds of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Congratulations also go to residents of Duncan Apartments A/B who saved 224 kWh, Pomfret Hall North with 215.11 kWh, Walton Hall residents who saved 74.17 kWh and Northwest Quad residents who saved 35.7 kWh.

“The savings generated by our residents is certainly a good step in the right direction to reducing our personal impact on the environment,” said Flo Johnson, executive director of University Housing. “We are very proud of their efforts and are committed to supporting their actions to make our facilities and community more sustainable.”

The University of Arkansas joined the ranks of close to 100 institutions nationwide that participated in this exciting building vs. building energy reduction competition program. For this year’s challenge, students organized in their residence halls and online to demonstrate sustainable occupant behavior, proving that the buildings they live in do not need extensive renovation to be greener. Students at the University of Arkansas showcased how we can all do our part to make a difference in the way our buildings consume energy.

Campus Conservation Nationals is hosted by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, Lucid, a California-based software company, the Alliance to Save Energy and the National Wildlife Federation. The University of Arkansas used Lucid’s Building Dashboard to compare performance, share winning strategies, and track standings.

“This tangible mobilization of hundreds of thousands of students reducing energy consumption, promoting sustainability and actively mitigating the effects of climate change, shows that the next generation is ready for change and no longer willing to wait for decision makers to address the issues at hand,” said Hannah Debelius, USGBC Students program manager at the Center for Green Schools at USGBC.

“As CCN continues to grow and expand, we are amazed at the impact students and staff are able to make,” said Chelsea Hodge, director of product engagement at Lucid. “These students are demonstrating that creating a culture of conservation and inspiring individuals to change their behaviors can significantly reduce their campus’ carbon footprint.”

Campus Conservation Nationals offers valuable educational opportunities, such as enabling students to teach themselves conservation behaviors, as well as environmental and economic benefits. Above all, the competition is designed to empower the future generation of energy and environmental leaders and foster a culture of conservation within campus communities. “CCN teaches that small behavior changes can make a big impact on the environment. These behavior changes can easily be replicated at home, at work, and as students move into their careers after graduation” noted Kristy Jones, Campus Ecology senior manager at the National Wildlife Federation.

To learn more about the program, visit www.CompeteToReduce.org or follow CCN on Facebook and Twitter.

About Lucid

Lucid is a privately held software company in Oakland, Calif. The company pioneered the concept of real-time energy and water use feedback and reduction competitions with Building Dashboard and launched BuildingOS, the world’s first online operating system for buildings. BuildingOS quickly aggregates energy data from multiple vendors’ metering and building systems into one unified source, giving building managers easy access to energy information and analytics. The intuitive cloud-based software eliminates vendor lock-in, dramatically reduces system integration costs, and enables building owners to implement and verify behavioral and operational efficiency improvements. Lucid’s software is used by the world’s leading companies and institutions. www.luciddesigngroup.com

About the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council

The Center for Green Schools is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From kindergarten to college and beyond, the center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, visit centerforgreenschools.org or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

About National Wildlife Federation

National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization, working across the U.S. to protect wildlife for our children’s future. The federation’s Campus Ecology Program has been working with colleges and universities for more than 25 years to advance climate action and sustainability on campuses, and to encourage the next generation to seek innovative ways to create a more just and sustainable future for humans and wildlife.

About Alliance to Save Energy

Alliance to Save Energy is a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote energy efficiency to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security. The alliance's K-12 and higher education programs empower students to change the culture of their academic environment to one that embraces energy efficiency. Students lead no-cost behavior changes, building retrofits, events on green careers, and other initiatives that save energy within and beyond their school building.