Energy Bowl issues results
// news / daily - april 25, 2006
http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=20203&repository=0001_article
written by Jenny Allen
Stanford uses 2.7 million gallons of potable water each day. With this statistic and the slogan “Turning Off Turns Me On” in mind, every undergraduate house and dorm complex during winter quarter competed to save the most energy and water in the second annual Energy Bowl and Water Derby organized by Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS) and Stanford Housing.
Murray and Yost won the house category and Freshman/Sophomore College (FroSoCo) won the dorm category, based on a comparison of the percentage change in water and energy usage between winter quarter 2005 and winter quarter 2006. The residences were not judged on absolute amounts consumed since some structures are built more efficiently than others. Both the winning dorm and house residents will receive 100 percent-organic cotton T-shirts and a water or energy saving device for their house, such as a solar panel.
“The purpose of the Energy Bowl is to remind people that their everyday activities really affect the environment,” said senior and SSS President Emma Yuen, who coordinated the Energy Bowl this year. “While students are competing, we find really interesting ways to reduce our consumption of energy and water and realize that it isn’t that hard. Hopefully after the competition, people keep the conserving habits they started in the Energy Bowl.”
Yuen believes that the Bowl is important to the Stanford community because it raises awareness concerning the amount of natural resources students consume, while also reducing Stanford’s overall environmental impact.
“This year the residences on average cut back around 9 percent of their energy and water usage,” Yuen said. “These statistics suggest that residences took the competition very seriously and were able to really conserve a lot. I think it also shows that we as students can do simple things to help the environment and remind us that our actions are very impactful. Plus, it is really fun to do and builds house and dorm pride.”
Yuen noted that Theta Delta Chi was especially environmentally conscious and competitive during the Energy Bowl.
“Theta Delt changed some switches to turn off their outside lights for the competition and actually got fined $200 for doing that by Stanford Housing,” Yuen said. “Columbae residents took communal showers where they would soap each other up and take turns rinsing. Columbae also appointed ‘elves’ that were designated to go into peoples rooms and turn off the lights and music if no one was using it.”
FroSoCo Community and Conservation Organizer Sommer Panage, a sophomore, attributed her dorm’s win to students following conservation techniques that were highlighted in weekly emails, such as lowering room heat settings, turning off laptops when not in use and reducing water pressure in adjustable showers.
“I think if we can keep up the awareness that we got started this year in FroSoCo with next year’s incoming freshman, we have a great chance of winning the Energy Bowl next year, especially with our new appliances to help us,” Panage said. “I think this is a fantastic competition in the sense that it increases conservation around campus. However, I hope Stanford will make sure that soon all dorms have energy saving appliances and utilities.”
Andrew Dimock, FroSoCo College Director of Adams House, noted that Panage’s water and energy saving efforts were appealing because she never pushed them in terms of winning the contest, but rather in terms of doing the right thing.
“I’ll never forget something a student said in house meeting approximately six years ago during the California blackouts and market manipulations, when Stanford’s Co-Generation plant was selling part of its surplus capacity to the state grid to help increase supply,” Dimock recalled. “The student told everyone that since Stanford had its own source of power and would not be affected by the rolling blackouts, everyone should feel free to leave the lights blazing and consume as much power as they wished. The incident taught me how much more we could be doing to educate people about environmental issues and the consequences of their consumer choices, so I am thankful that programs like the Energy Bowl exist on campus.”
The Energy Bowl and Water Derby was the brainchild of sophomore Seth Silverman, a member of SSS who pitched the idea to Energy and Water Coordinator for Stanford Housing Larry Hoffman. Silverman was inspired by a similar event at Oberlin College. The 2005 competition — themed “Do It In the Dark” — lasted slightly over a month and was between dorm complexes, with Florence Moore Hall (FloMo) taking first place.
To learn more about the Energy Bowl and Water Derby, go to http://sustainability.stanford.edu/projects/energybowl.html