"Do it in the dark" competition encourages energy awareness

Though this Thursday marks the end of Environmental Consciousness Outreach's (ECO) month-long "Do It In The Dark" competition, students involved in the club are hoping that students will continue to "do it" for some time. With the support and sponsorship of Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI), ECO's initiative is to educate students and bring their attention to the easy ways through which they can save energy _ just as easy as turning off their lights.

In hopes of helping Tufts meet the Kyoto Protocol reductions in emissions, both ECO and TCI wish to make energy conservation a year-round issue for all students and clear up a number of misconceptions about energy usage on campus.

According to ECO members many students are unaware of the effect their everyday activities can have on the environment. This relative ignorance prompted ECO to first organize "Do It In The Dark" as a one-month competition designed to inspire students to save more energy in their daily lives. "Students like competition," outreach coordinator Anja Kollmuss of TCI said.

Students also like to be rewarded for a job well done. "The winning dorm, which best reduces its energy consumption, will be treated to a party on Dec. 3 with free pizza, entertainment and prizes," ECO member junior Max Twine explained.

The success of last year's "Do it in the Dark" is questionable. The winning dorm, Miller Hall, significantly decreased its energy consumption, but that of other dorms increased _ ECOs aim is that this year's competition will prove rewarding for both students and the environment.

ECO representatives, who handed out stickers, posted signs, and set up informational tables, have advertised "Do It In The Dark" across the campus. The information provided was intended to make students aware of the contest's existence.

"Do It In The Dark" is trying especially hard this year to break a certain number of myths students have regarding energy consumption. ECO claims that turning off one's computer has no negative effects: modern hard drives are not affected by frequent shut-downs. In fact, they may actually last longer because mechanical wear and heat stress are reduced.

Many students, however, believe that computers do not use up a large amount of power if they are on, but not in use. This is another myth: ECO strongly recommends turning off your computer if you are not using it for several hours.

A third myth is the idea that screen savers save energy. According to TCI and ECO, this assumption is also incorrect. Both groups suggest that students turn off their monitors not only at night but even if they're not using their computers for more than 15 minutes.

"In general, students keep their computers on when they want to and we cannot really monitor them," Kollmuss said.

Concern for the environment has become a long-term commitment at the University. Tufts has both graduate and undergraduate environmental degree programs that address environmental sciences, environmental health, environmental technology, and environmental policy. Additionally, the Tufts Institute of the Environment, sponsored by TCI and coordinated by Anja Kollmuss, makes many efforts to promote environmental awareness.

In April of this year, Tufts publicly committed itself to meet or beat the Kyoto goal of a seven percent reduction in its carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2012. Also, Tufts was one of the few universities represented at the Johannesburg World Summit by a delegation of 19 undergraduate students, four graduate students, and three faculty members.

Last year, TCI purchased and installed nearly 100 vending misers designed to conserve energy used by vending machines. TCI also works with the University to monitor carbon reduction efforts: steam meters have been installed at the Lincoln Filene Center and Robinson Hall to help monitor the energy use of these buildings.

Besides being environmentally-friendly, these actions by the University will also undoubtedly save Tufts money in the long run. Kollmuss remains cautious though, about the policy's measurable effects. "It is hard to evaluate how much because there are so many other factors," she said.

TCI is now steering the University toward a cleaner energy path, focusing on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and encouraging students to personally recognize what they can do to conserve energy.

ECO, a group of student activists and educators who conduct environmental education activities in dormitories and residences across the campus, was founded two years ago. The main goals of ECO are to educate people on environmental issues and raise people's awareness on what they could do to protect the environment, say ECO members Adina Allen and Dina Dubson.

ECO and TCI are working on projects for the future, such as the construction of a solar residence hall. TCI also plans to reach out to other institutions, encouraging them to commit to increasing their awareness of their energy use.

Patrice Taddonio and Jane Shtilman contributed to this article.