April 14, 2015 | By Sarah Olson
Students in University Housing residence halls used less energy and recycled more waste during a month-long conservation initiative.
Wisconservation, the Office of Sustainability’s new initiative to foster resource stewardship on campus, included a residence hall competition in partnership with University Housing, an event series and a daily conservation challenge blog, Conserve 24/7.
Students in Sellery Hall made the most significant reduction in their energy consumption, reducing their kilowatt hours of energy used in March by 11 percent compared to baseline levels in February. They were followed by Tripp, Adams and Slichter halls (combined), which reduced their electricity by 7 percent.
Students also made environmental strides in recycling during the challenge.
In total, students in University Residence Halls recycled 2,076 pounds of commingled recycling and 1,556 pounds of mixed paper.
Chadbourne and Barnard halls (combined) recycled the most in March, increasing their recycling weight by 58.9 pounds compared to February levels. Kronshage Hall recycled 49.2 pounds.
For more information about the Wisconservation initiative, contact Olivia Sanderfoot.