The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jamie Dee Fish EcoHusky and the Office of Environmental Policy are continuing their water conservation contest for the third time.

Eco-Madness, an environmental awareness event sponsored by EcoHusky and the Office of Environmental Policy (OEP), is challenging UConn residents to reduce water and energy waste over the next several weeks.

The contest, which began last Friday and will last until April 18, involves the residents of South, Husky Village, Charter Oak Apartments and Hilltop Apartments, according to Jessica LaRocca, an intern at the OEP and the event's organizer. Water and energy usage will be monitored by sub meters located under the buildings.

The building that uses the least amount of water and energy during the four-week competition will be given a Dairy Bar ice cream party sponsored by ResLife and an "energy offset certificate" from the OEP, LaRocca said. The certificate means that the OEP will match the amount of carbon reduced by the winning team by purchasing renewable energy from the company Sterling Planet.

This is the third Eco-Madness competition, according to LaRocca. Last semester, residence halls Shippee and Hanks reduced their energy and water use by 16 and 50 percent, respectively.

"Hopefully, we can see something similar to last semester," LaRocca said.

In order to spread the word about Eco-Madness, LaRocca has contacted the community assistants of participating residency halls and asked them to put flyers promoting the competition on their residents' doors. Sixteen people have also signed up to volunteer as eco-captains for the competition, which means they will help raise awareness for the competition.

Lauren Borwick, an 8th-semester French major, didn't know much about the Eco-Madness competition but said that she and her roommates are aware of the need for water and energy conservation.

"Around our apartment at Charter Oak … we do not leave water running when we are not using it," Borwick said. "When washing dishes, we shut the water off between each dish. We also turn off lights when we are not in a room."

The Eco-Madness competition is something that Helena Stromberg, an 8th-semester French major and resident of Hilltop Apartments, has heard of and supports.

"The little things go a long way," Stromberg said. "I've been taking shorter showers and washing my clothes in cold water."

In addition to these methods, LaRocca offers some other suggestions for ways students can help protect the environment. Putting your computer in sleep mode when you are not using it, using compact fluorescent light bulbs and avoiding leaving the water running while brushing your teeth or shaving are all ways to conserve energy and water.

Anyone interested in learning more about energy conservation or the Eco-Madness competition can find more information on UConn's EcoHusky Web site.



Contact Kate King at

Katherine.King@UConn.edu.

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