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Volume CXXXIII, Number 4 |
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Did you know?
KEISHA PAYSON
CONTRIBUTOR
Bowdoin's second annual energy conservation dorm competition starts Friday!
With a little cooperation and conscientiousness your dorm and social house could win up to $200? Additionally, the best residence hall overall could win 100 dollars. Being a viable competitor is easy: winners are determined by the percentage of improvement during the competition and a time frame when they were monitored unknowingly. With the help of the Bowdoin electricity staff, Sustainable Bowdoin recorded each residences' average electricity use, and during the competition, the residence that decreases electrical use the most from their average wins. Last year, participating residences saved 3577.38 kilowatt-hours of electricity. To put this in perspective, consider that this amount could power an average private household for an entire year. Also, the electricity savings reduced CO2 emissions from the campus by 2741.21 pounds. These reductions are the equivalent of planting 200-1,000 trees to take in CO2 and counteract emissions.
Last year's overall winner was MacMillan House, who reduced its energy consumption for the week by 40 percent! Its substantial reductions is impressive, but not as difficult to attain as one may imagine. Simple, little things really add up, especially when everyone in your dorm makes some adjustment. Before you start however, keep some rules in mind.
Students cannot remove any fluorescent bulbs from hallways or bathrooms. While fluorescent light tubes in our dorms save a lot of energy compared to incandescent bulbs, they contain mercury dust and thus are classified as Universal Hazardous Waste once they are spent or broken. The college is required to follow strict protocols when changing, storing and recycling these lights.
All lights in areas of egress must be kept on. According to National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101, Bowdoin must require adequate lighting in areas of egress for emergency/fire purposes; this includes all hallways, stairwells, foyers, etc. Don't tamper with Bowdoin safety lights, including those that have a key access. These lights are left on for a reason, allowing people to exit a building quickly and safely in the case of an emergency. If you have a question or concern about safety code issues in your dorm, please email or call Kesiha Payson (x3086). Dorms that are found violating this rule will be disqualified.
Play fair. Help keep competition friendly and honest. Please do not try to sabotage other student's efforts by doing laundry or using extra electricity in other dorms. The purpose of this competition is to give students an incentive to save energy, discover the simple, everyday ways we can all reduce our electricity use, help Bowdoin save money, and reduce our environmental impact.
Energy conservation is as easy as turning off your lights, stereo, and TV when not in a room, shutting off your computer when it's not in use, reducing the use of unnecessary appliances, and taking shorter showers. Remember that many appliances such as printers and TVs use energy even when they are shut off, so you can unplug such items to prevent unnecessary energy consumption. Purchasing a compact fluorescent light bulb, (CFL) to replace an incandescent bulb reduces energy use by 75%.
Special Thanks to Mark Pelletier and the entire Electric Shop staff in
Facilities Management for helping us measure the energy use of all the
dorms and social houses - and all that they do to make Bowdoin's
electricity use more efficient!
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