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October 20, 2008
Flip the switch on power usage

This month, Emory faculty, staff and students are competing to win $1,000 toward a sustainable prize while helping Emory become a more sustainable university. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, Campus Services is measuring the energy use in every campus building, including academic, administration and residence halls. A $1,000 sustainable prize will be awarded to the building with the greatest energy reduction during the month of October, when compared to 2007 levels.

Campus Question
What are you doing to reduce energy consumption on campus?

• “I launched an ethics and public service blog, ‘So What Can I Do?’ in which each post offers specific ways individuals can make a difference.  For example, taking the stairs instead of elevators reduces energy costs to run elevators.”

— Karama Neal (adjunct assistant professor of biology and program associate for Emory’s FACES Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate)

• “I had a closed-loop chilled water system installed so that cooling water in my lab is continuously re-circulated, re-cooled and reused rather than being used once and disposed.”

— Susanna Widicus Weaver (assistant professor of physical chemistry)  

• “The Greeks Go Green campaign and annual energy competition amongst Emory’s sororities and fraternities has created some healthy competition and helped raise awareness for energy conservation around campus.”

— Whitney Hannan (senior, business)

• “I challenged my colleagues and had them replace their incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. We reduced electricity use by 10 percent.”

— Brad Schweers (admissions advisor, Candler School of Theology)

• “Reminding people to turn lights off. I make it a point to shut off the halogen lights in the display case. It’s small but it all adds up.”

— Demeris “Dee” Ogletree (custodian at the Callaway Center)