*>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. ------- 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. ------- |