Feb. 7, 2013

VCU and UR Put the RVA in Energy Conservation

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By Megan Schmidt

Brandt and Rhoads residence halls.
Brandt and Rhoads residence halls.

Competition can be an effective tool for change. And what is better for competition than a strong rivalry?

This February, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond are taking their friendly cross-town rivalry off the court and into their residence halls. Both schools are participating in the Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN), a three-week energy reduction competition that began Feb. 3 and ends Feb. 24.

“We actually found out about CCN from the University of Richmond,” says Parker Long, sustainability reporting and outreach coordinator with VCU Goes Green. “They invited us to compete with them in the competition and we immediately agreed.”

UR is participating for the third year in a row, but this is VCU’s first, thanks to the 2012 installation of Lucid Technologies Building Dashboard meters, which enable the university to monitor residence hall electricity consumption. Student competitors are able to track up-to-the-minute statistics and standings by campus and by individual building.

Though VCU students may be motivated to flip off lights, switch out old light bulbs and unplug cell phone chargers in order to beat UR, the ultimate goal of the competition is to encourage behavior change.

In 2008, VCU signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment with the aim of neutralizing greenhouse gases emitted on the school’s Monroe Park and MCV campuses by 2050. VCU’s participation in Campus Conservation Nationals is another step toward achieving that goal.

Screenshot of VCU's Building Dashboard.
Screenshot of VCU's Building Dashboard.

The winning institution will be announced at the March 6 men’s basketball game between the Rams and the Spiders at VCU’s Stuart C. Siegel Center.

Students can track the competition at http://buildingdashboard.net/vcu/.

For more information, visit VCU Goes Green News.

 

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