Students from 100 U.S. colleges and universities conserved more than 1.7 million gigawatts of energy as part of the 2012 Campus Conservation Nationals competition.
Nearly a quarter-million students took part in the effort, organized by The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council in partnership with Lucid, Alliance to Save Energy and the National Wildlife Federation.
Students strived to have the greatest reductions in energy use in their residence halls from Feb. 6 through April 23. The savings achieved surpassed the competition’s goal of conserving 1 gigawatt hour of electricity. Students also saved 1,554,814 gallons of water, equivalent to 10,300 shower hours.
"When you see a mobilization this large to actively reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability, it’s clear that students are tired of waiting around for decisionmakers to address the issues at hand," says Pat Lane, USGBC Students program lead at the Center for Green Schools. "The 1.74 gigawatts saved is just the beginning."
