Students from three Virginia colleges are raising awareness about the importance of being energy-conscious through a friendly rivalry.

Old Dominion University, University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University have formed a Virginia competition group through Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN), a nationwide contest aimed at reducing energy and water usage on college and university campuses.

“This is a fun way for ODU students to become more energy conscious, while also competing with rival schools,” said ODU utility engineer Chad Luettel.

For the past two years VCU and UR have heated up their cross-town rivalry through CCN, but this year’s competition marks the first time the schools have been matched up against ODU.

“With the addition of ODU, we are hoping to empower our students to reduce their energy consumption even further than previous years through some healthy increased opposition,” said Erin Stanforth, director of sustainability at VCU.

From Feb. 8 to Feb. 28, residence halls on each campus will compete against one another to reduce the highest percentage of electricity use in comparison to a baseline measurement for that building. Energy consumption will be tracked and displayed using the competition dashboard.

Total reduction amounts for each of the three schools will be compared against each other as part of the CCN contest. Each campus will also award prizes to students in the residence hall that reduces the most electricity on its campus.

Throughout the competition, students are encouraged to conserve energy by unplugging electronics or turning off power strips. The competition will also educate students on using natural light whenever possible and making sure to turn overhead lights off when leaving a room.

“The University of Richmond has committed to becoming climate neutral by 2050 and reducing our carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020,” said Emilie Rex, interim sustainability manager. “To achieve these goals, we’ll need everyone’s help reducing electricity, water and waste by committing to simple, everyday changes in behavior.”

The focus of the competition is to raise awareness about the energy students consume every day and how that electricity use affects the entire university.

“CCN has always been a learning experience for the students here at VCU and UR,” said Stanforth. “Increased education and awareness about energy use not only helps all of our universities save on the cost of electricity for a few weeks, but it also empowers these students to carry these lifestyle tips with them to their future homes and places of work."

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