Residents of West Campus Apartments and Residential College One enjoyed free pizza and prizes Tuesday as a reward for winning the third annual UNPLUG contest.
As a result of student conservation, Residential Life observed a 3.7 percent reduction in energy consumption over the course of the competition.
The conserved energy was equivalent to $2,470 in savings, said Catherine David, ResLife communications coordinator.
The UNPLUG contest, hosted by ResLife, Students in Free Enterprise and Campus Sustainability, encouraged students to reduce energy consumption by pledging to “Do One Thing” to change their energy-using habits.
David said the program was successful this year, as proven by the reduction in energy consumption during the month of March.
“It’s a positive program with a positive impact,” David said.
David said the amount of energy saved by residents is comparable to the amount necessary to power 40 homes for a month, according to calculations by the Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
The winners of the residence hall category, residents of the ResCollege One community — the Business and Engineering Residential Colleges — decreased energy
usage by 13 percent. The winners in the apartment category, WCA, reduced usage by 6 percent.
David said the goal of UNPLUG, student education, was achieved through peer-to-peer teaching.
Lane Carrier, chemical engineering senior and ResCollege One resident assistant, said he and other RAs motivated residents by making posters and banners and sending reminder e-mails.
“I unplugged unnecessary electronics like cellphone and computer chargers,” Carrier said. “Getting into the habit [of unplugging] was hard, but I will definitely continue it.”
Carrier said he also made rounds throughout the building to make sure lights in study and trash rooms were turned off.
“This wasn’t just a one month and out program,” David said. “We hope students will learn how to incorporate small changes into their daily routines that they can use now on campus and later when they leave campus.”
David said she hopes students’ “Do One Thing” promise — a pledge to conserve energy in one specific way — will stay with them after the end of the competition.
Trent Bruchhaus, economics freshman and ResCollege One resident, said he plans to continue his DOT.
“I pledged to recycle and use less water,” Bruchhaus said. “It wasn’t really difficult to change. You get used to it.”
 
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Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]