Green Cup Saves Energy and Water

From October 17 through November 13, campus residences participated in Green Cup, a friendly competition to reduce energy and water use and engage in events focused on sustainability. The event resulted in significant energy and water savings. Winning residences in four categories claimed the Green Cup trophies, and prize money that can be used for sustainability themed activities or put toward Dance Marathon fundraising.

This year 1856 Orrington won the category for residences without food service, while Lindgren and West Fairchild took second and third place. Foster-Walker won the prize for residences with food service, with 1835 Hinman and Allison as the runners up. Among Greek houses, Sigma Phi Epsilon was the winning fraternity, and Sigma Nu and Evans Scholars took second and third. Zeta Tau Alpha took home the cup for sororities, and Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Gamma earned second and third place honors.

All the efforts to save energy and water made a difference. During the month of the competition, water use in residence halls went down by nearly 250 cubic feet per person compared to the baseline period. This saved more than 850,000 cubic feet of water in total. Energy use also went down. Across all residence halls, electricity use was cut by more than 530 kWh per person, saving a total of more than 1.8 million kWh. Maintaining this level of savings over the course of a year would prevent 4.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

While energy and water savings carried the greatest weight in winning the competition, students also earned points for their residence halls by participating in sustainability focused events. For example, teams earned points for volunteering to collect recycling during a home football game, attending a screening of the film “Before the Flood,” volunteering in the Wild Roots organic garden, and participating in a race to turn off lights on campus.

Students in participating residences shared some of their energy and water saving actions on social media, showing off strategies that ranged from turning off water while brushing their teeth to making smoothies in the dark. A fraternity member shared a Facebook posting showing how far they were willing to go to compete. “Sigmi Pi Epsilon saves energy! Here we find Grant and Billy studying in the dark . . . the The Cup is worth the sacrifice,” the post said.

While some of the more competitive residences might have gone to extremes at times in the quest for the cup, many of the energy and water conservation strategies practiced during the competition can be maintained over time. Throughout the year, students can continue to save energy and water through actions such as taking short showers, turning off lights and electronics when not in use, and seeking out energy efficient products when making purchases for rooms or common areas. Together, these small actions add up to significant savings, helping to reduce the University’s environmental footprint. Congratulations to all of the Green Cup winners and participants, and keep up the good work.