WashU’s annual energy reduction and sustainability competition has come to a close! Green Cup is a four-week competition to reduce energy use among South 40 Residential Colleges, North Side housing, fraternities, and the School of Medicine’s Olin Dorm and Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (in four separate leagues). Throughout February, leagues competed to reduce their energy usage below a baseline and participated in weekly education and outreach efforts around sustainability themes including water conservation, alternative transportation, sustainable food, and waste reduction.
The competition measures electrical energy use from lights, dryers, laptops, chargers, refrigerators, microwaves, TVs, and other electrical devices that are plugged in. Students focused on reducing energy in a variety of ways, such as turning off lights when leaving a room, unplugging device chargers when not in use, and using the stairs rather than the elevator. On the South 40, Residential Colleges were also able to earn points by hosting and attending sustainability related activities on campus. This year, the activities were better than ever. Student Eco Reps tabled in the Bear’s Den to promote the competition, organized kick-off events, and led an LED light distribution initiative. The North Side Residential Community created bookend events for their league by having a Green Cup-themed “Moonlight Milkshakes” event on the opening day of the competition and a film screening of “Before the Flood” on the closing day.
Data collected through the third week of the competition indicates that the South 40 Residential College Lee/Beau is comfortably in the lead with 27 points and an energy reduction total of 19%. JKL and Park/Mudd are vying for second place, with 23 and 22 points respectively.
The winners in each league will be announced at the Green Cup Awards Ceremony, which takes place during the CS40 Assembly next Tuesday, March 7, at 9p in Mudd MPR. All students are welcome to attend!
Green Cup is a joint effort of Residential Life, the CS40, Facilities, Student Involvement & Leadership, the North Side Association, the WUSM Student Sustainability Committee, and the Office of Sustainability. For more information, tips, and competition standings, visit greencup.wustl.edu.