*>EPA
OnCampus eccMmbassadors
OnCampus ecoAmbassadors are college
students who implement projects from EPA's
partnership programs to help carry out the
Agency's mission to protect human health and
the environment. The program is open to
ANY college student, regardless of program,
age, or background. All interested students
are encouraged to participate.
Did you know?
•	The buildings where we work, play, and
learn are responsible for nearly 20% of both
the nation's energy use and greenhouse gas
emissions. These include college and
university buildings, such as administrative
buildings and dorm rooms.
•	On average, almost a third of the energy
consumed in commercial buildings is
wasted by leaving lights on or heat or air
conditioning running in an empty room or
building.
•	ENERGY STAR qualified products including
lighting, consumer electronics, office
equipment, and more offer savings of as
much as 65% relative to standard models
without sacrificing performance.
Learn More
ENERGY STAR® is a joint voluntary program of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) that promotes energy-efficient products
and practices to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. ENERGY STAR helps individuals,
schools, businesses, universities, and other
organizations save energy, save money, and
protect the environment by improving energy
performance. For more information, please
visit: www.energystar.gov
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room
Colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to introduce awareness of
ENERGY STAR qualified products into a student's first experience of
furnishing his or her own "home." A creative approach to encourage
residents in student housing to use ENERGY STAR products is to create an
ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room. Setting up a Showcase Dorm Room
is an easy, fun way to educate fellow students and staff about how to
improve energy efficiency in dorm rooms on your campus.
Goals of an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room
•	Improve the energy efficiency of your campus by educating students
about the simple steps they can take to save energy in their dorm rooms
•	Demonstrate how students can reduce energy by using ENERGY STAR
labeled products in a dorm room setting
•	Educate students about links between energy use and the environment
•	Lead your school to become an ENERGY STAR partner
If You're Interested In:
•	Planning fun events to get students interested in energy efficiency
•	Meeting new people
•	Designing creative messages
•	Empowering and motivating students to change their energy behavior
...then an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room is for you!
See page 2 for a step-by-step checklist for
an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room.
Students Taking Action
Energy used by individual residence hall rooms is the fastest growing
energy cost at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). To encourage
students to bring ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and equipment,
UNH partnered with Best Buy to offer discounts and create a showcase
dorm room. Students with proof of enrollment were eligible for a 10%
discount on ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and electronics at the
local Best Buy. Starting in 2009, UNH created two ENERGY STAR residence
hall rooms for prospective students to help them learn howto reduce
energy use, save money, and protect the environment.These rooms are
outfitted with five ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, including compact
refrigerators, flat-screen TVs, laptops, compact fluorescent light bulbs,
and smart power strips. UNH encourages its new and prospective
students to check out the rooms during Open House and distributes
postcards to new students at orientation to encourage participation in
the program. Learn more at www.sustainableunh.unh.edu.
An ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room is ideal for students pursuing
degrees in business, communications, education, environmental science,
engineering, and public policy.

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Checklist for an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room
Resources
Use the checklist to convert a dorm room into an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room.
Q 1. Gain support of campus administrators.
Obtain approval from your Residence Life program before you begin, and be sensitive
to security concerns raised by inviting outsiders into residence halls.
Q 2. Find the students and the showcase dorm room.
Begin with a core group of active, committed students, and solicit interest by running
an ad in the campus paper, or consider holding a lottery to choose the residence hall
for the Showcase Dorm Room. You can decide to use the room that the selected
students have secured for the upcoming year or you can pre-select a room or
apartment in which the students will reside.
Q 3. Identify which products and energy-saving tips to showcase.
Visit www.energystar.gov for a list of ENERGY STAR products. Key ENERGY STAR
qualified products for effective dorm room showcases include:
•	Office equipment: computers, monitors, printers
•	Lighting: desk lamps, light bulbs and fixtures, ceiling fans
•	Consumer electronics: televisions, DVD players, stereos
You can also create signs or posters with tips for saving energy. Examples include:
•	Set computers to go to sleep when not in use.
•	Use a power strip for office equipment and electronics.
•	Turn off lights when leaving the room or other common areas.
•	Unplug battery chargers or power adapters when not in use.
•	Clear vents of papers and other items so the air can circulate freely.
•	Seal air leaks around doors and windows with weather stripping.
•	Wash laundry with cold water when possible.
•	Keep doors and windows closed when the air conditioning or heat is on.
Q 4. Find a sponsor.
Visit www.energystar.gov to find a list of partner manufacturers and retailers that
you can contact to find out if they are interested in highlighting their products in
exchange for campus publicity. Contact your local utility company about being a
sponsor. Remember to talk with the managers of your campus bookstore to find out
if they are interested in showcasing products that have earned the ENERGY STAR.
Q 5. Create a buzz on campus.
Host the grand opening of the ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room. Invite officials
and reporters from your campus and local papers. Take pictures and post them on
your group's and your school's websites and Facebook accounts. Invite faculty and
key administrators and give them a tour,askfor suggestions about how to educate
people, and urge them to incorporate ENERGY STAR into institutional purchasing
decisions. Also consider showing the room to prospective students.
~ 6. Identify other ENERGY STARS.
Hand out a checklist of the energy-efficient items featured in your showcase and have
visitors check how many they can commit to do in their own room. If a student
checks five or more items, reward them with an ENERGY STAR (cyan cardboard cutout
in the shape of a star) to place on their door as a reminder of their commitment.
Q 7. Fill out your completion form.
Record the information that you are required to report to EPA on the event
completion form, including your name, date of the event, name of your college, a
description of the event or events, the number of interactions (include any interesting
comments), and additional comments.
ENERGY STAR Websites
Learn how to engage your fellow students,
campus groups, and administrators in the
fight against global warming using the
Student Activity Guide or find detailed
instructions and examples from other
schools on creating an ENERGY STAR
Showcase Dorm Room.
www.energystar.gov/highered
Learn which products can earn the ENERGY
STAR and how much energy and money
they save relative to conventional models.
www.e n e rgy sta r .g ov/prod u cts
Check out the ENERGY STAR Check-up
Guide, which is available under Part 3 of the
ENERGY STAR Event Toolkit.
www.energystar.gov/eventtoolkit
EPA OnCampus Websites
Visit the EPA website at
www.epa.gov/ecoambassadors/oncampus
fJoin the conversation at
www.facebook.com/epaoncampus
EPA Contact Info
ENERGY STAR Hotline
(888) STAR-YES; (888) 782-7937
EPA OnCampus Team
EPAOnCampus@epa.gov
Tips for Talking with Residence Hall
Supervisors
1.	Schedule a meeting in advance. Make
sure they know who you are, who you
are working with, and what you want to
know.
2.	Be on time, polite, and to the point and
be sure to look nice!
3.	Do your research. Find out as much as
you can about your needs and the
resources available in your resident hall.
4.	Be open to suggestions, and look for
creative ways to solve any roadblocks.
5.	Agree on action items for both of you to
accomplish before meeting again.
6.	Follow up promptly with any further
information, and be sure to thank the
staff for their time.

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