Spring Break
Shippee, Hanks Halls Celebrate EcoMadness Win
Alissa Letkowski
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
Residents of Shippee and Hanks halls gathered in the Shippee pit last night to celebrate their win in this year's EcoMadness competition.
The Department of Residential Life, which held the ice cream social, offered seven unique dairy bar flavors for the students who saved the greatest percentage of water and energy between Oct. 1 and Nov. 1. Residents from Northwest, Towers and Shippee participated in the challenge.
Shippee residents managed to reduce their energy use the most; cutting their consumption by 16 percent and cutting eight tons of carbon dioxide, while Hanks blew away the competition with a 50 percent reduction in water usage.
According to the EcoHusky Web site, the competition was held because "by conserving energy, we can help reduce greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions into the atmosphere. Using less water means reducing our negative impact on the environment." The UConn community at Storrs depends completely on well water drained from the Fenton River and "UConn's water consumption has already contributed to drying [it up]."
Jessica LaRocca, a 7th-semester environmental biochemistry major, monitored the residents' progress throughout the competition and attended the ice cream party to present the two residence halls with their awards.
"We've actually had the contest a couple of times before, but this is by far the most successful I've ever seen," she said. LaRocca and other volunteers distributed free CFL energy-efficient light bulbs to the residents, which are "four times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescents," according to EarthEasy.com.
"We turned off our bathroom lights," said Molly Bahre, a 1st-semester Shippee resident and pre-journalism major. "Every time we were in the bathroom, all the bathroom lights were still off and during the day. If you went in during the night, you turn it on and turn it off when you leave."
Amanda Szeligowski, a 1st-semester pre-pharmacy major, said she and her roommate conserved energy by getting "dressed in the dark so [they] didn't have to put on [their] lights."
Other students took fewer showers, turned off the lights in the hallways and used the stairs instead of the elevator. At the ice-cream social itself, only half the lights were kept on in the Shippee pit and signs encouraging conservation were posted on the walls.
UConn President Michael Hogan, who could not attend the celebration, wrote a letter to the winners. "I want to commend all of you on your initiative, your good community spirit and, most importantly, your concern that we make improvements on how we as individuals and the University directly impact our own environment," it read.
Contact Alissa Letkowski at Alissa.Letkowski@UConn.edu.
The Department of Residential Life, which held the ice cream social, offered seven unique dairy bar flavors for the students who saved the greatest percentage of water and energy between Oct. 1 and Nov. 1. Residents from Northwest, Towers and Shippee participated in the challenge.
Shippee residents managed to reduce their energy use the most; cutting their consumption by 16 percent and cutting eight tons of carbon dioxide, while Hanks blew away the competition with a 50 percent reduction in water usage.
According to the EcoHusky Web site, the competition was held because "by conserving energy, we can help reduce greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions into the atmosphere. Using less water means reducing our negative impact on the environment." The UConn community at Storrs depends completely on well water drained from the Fenton River and "UConn's water consumption has already contributed to drying [it up]."
Jessica LaRocca, a 7th-semester environmental biochemistry major, monitored the residents' progress throughout the competition and attended the ice cream party to present the two residence halls with their awards.
"We've actually had the contest a couple of times before, but this is by far the most successful I've ever seen," she said. LaRocca and other volunteers distributed free CFL energy-efficient light bulbs to the residents, which are "four times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescents," according to EarthEasy.com.
"We turned off our bathroom lights," said Molly Bahre, a 1st-semester Shippee resident and pre-journalism major. "Every time we were in the bathroom, all the bathroom lights were still off and during the day. If you went in during the night, you turn it on and turn it off when you leave."
Amanda Szeligowski, a 1st-semester pre-pharmacy major, said she and her roommate conserved energy by getting "dressed in the dark so [they] didn't have to put on [their] lights."
Other students took fewer showers, turned off the lights in the hallways and used the stairs instead of the elevator. At the ice-cream social itself, only half the lights were kept on in the Shippee pit and signs encouraging conservation were posted on the walls.
UConn President Michael Hogan, who could not attend the celebration, wrote a letter to the winners. "I want to commend all of you on your initiative, your good community spirit and, most importantly, your concern that we make improvements on how we as individuals and the University directly impact our own environment," it read.
Contact Alissa Letkowski at Alissa.Letkowski@UConn.edu.
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