Residential Life wants students off the juice.
ResLife kicked off its award-winning UNPLUG campaign Monday, and it will last through the end of March.
UNPLUG aims at teaching environmental stewardship to students who live on campus, according to Jay High, ResLife communications manager.
UNPLUG has been organized by High and Catherine David, ResLife communications coordinator, as well as other ResLife staff members and students.
UNPLUG began as a student initiative, but ResLife has also played a major role, High said.
“UNPLUG seeks to promote an understanding throughout the LSU on-campus community of what energy conservation entails, by empowering students to take action in their daily lives,” said a University news release.
UNPLUG has been awarded an Environmental Leadership Program Award in Pollution and Prevention from the Louisiana State Department of Environmental Quality, according to the release. The program also received a Lantern Award from the Southern Public Relations Federation.
This year’s UNPLUG campaign centers around the slogan “DOT,” which stands for “Do One Thing,” High said.
DOT is a nationwide movement in which participants pledge to do one thing to reduce their carbon footprints or their impacts on the environment, according to the release.
While UNPLUG is primarily an educational program, it also has financial incentives for ResLife, which saved an estimated $10,368 and reduced energy usage by 14 percent in UNPLUG 2010. ResLife saved an estimated $13,763 and reduced energy usage by 18 percent in UNPLUG 2009, according to the release.
“This is a great, practical way for everyone to learn to be great stewards of their energy resources,” High said.
Several students have already pledged their DOTs for this year’s campaign.
“[Last year] we turned the thermostat higher and always turned off the light and unplugged chargers,” said Jennifer Tonge, marketing intern for ResLife and marketing senior. “I participated for the past two years in East Campus Apartments.”
Joey Wilson, advertising junior, said he will try to be more conservative as well. His DOT is to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
UNPLUG is also a competition between different residence halls and on-campus apartments to see which can conserve the most energy, High said.
Ahmed Mohamed, economics senior, said his DOT is to take shorter showers.
“Some people like to eat chocolate,” Mohamed said. “I like long showers.”
Mohamed is also involved with the organization Students In Free Enterprise, which has been involved with UNPLUG since its creation.
“UNPLUG is a great project because it gives the residents of LSU an opportunity to make a difference,” Mohamed said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “Planning for the competition is long and tedious, but it in the end it is worth it, especially when you have residents taking it seriously and doing everything to reduce their consumption to win.”
UNPLUG lasts for all of March, High said.
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Contact Parker Cramer at [email protected]
UNPLUG energy-saving campaign kicks off in residence halls
February 28, 2011