By Sophie Kingston, Sustainability Advisor Wagga Wagga.
Saving the planet and inter-campus rivalry are coming together for the 2018 Energy Challenge at CSU!
The Energy Challenge will be running for a second time on all campuses this year. From Albury-Wodonga to Port Macquarie, residences will be pitted against one another to see who can use the least.
The winning areas savings are then used to purchase area specific prizes, making this program the ultimate win-win situation. The winners on the Wagga Wagga campus were able to put in more additions to their outdoor BBQ area as well as set up some gardens for students to use, with other campuses getting fun additions like ping pong tables for recreaction rooms.
This challenge is actually quite challenging… So with the competition beginning soon, here are some handy hints which will help you to cut down your electricity bill. Saving you some dollars and saving the environment:
- Use cold water when washing your clothes (it’s normally better for those bright colours or warm woolies too!)
- Turn off the heating (or cooling!) to give your thermoregulation a challenge
- Take advantage when the sun is shining and hang your washing outside
- When turning things off, flick the switch at the wall! Standby power can be a sneaky user of electricity
- If you’re feeling especially enthused I’ve also heard that nothing quite wakes you up in the morning like a cold shower
- When leaving your room remember this easy handy acronym K.P.W.C.L. – KeepCup, Phone, Wallet, Car keys and (duh) Lights
If you’re wanting to learn more about how to reduce your electricity use check out the Footprint Calculator where you can work out your ecological footprint and learn the impact your usage is having on our earth.
Although the Energy Challenge is only being monitored for five weeks, the real challenge is trying to keep the positive behavior going. Saving energy is simple, it only takes a few small changes in your life to make a big impact. So whether you are a student living on campus, a staff member or just an interested individual, get excited to turn things off and really challenge yourselves during the 2018 Energy Challenge.
