Bring Eco-Olympics to Your School!
Let the games begin!
Every fall, the East Campus dorms at Duke University partake in a month-long waste, water, and energy reduction competition. Students earn points for their residence hall and prizes for themselves by doing their part to reduce their ecological footprints and to become educated about the environment. Here are the highlights:
Recycling Rate- Residence halls with fewer amounts of recyclable materials in their trash bags (on an unannounced day during the competition) score higher.
Energy Reduction- The greater the dorms reduce electricity usage below their per capita (based on historical consumption data), the more points they receive.
Online Impact Survey- Residence halls are scored according to the percentage of residents that finish a survey, thereby helping the university assess the level of environmental literacy of the freshmen class.
Eco-Film Series- Students earn participation points for their dorms by attending showings of environmentally-themed films, such as Planet Earth.
Zero Energy Pledge- Residence halls gain points if residents promise to unplug appliances before leaving campus for Fall Break.
Eco-Trivia Night- Points are awarded by taking an environmental trivia quiz.
Recycle for the Children- Students earn points if they pick up bottles, cans and glasses around the football stadium following every home football game. (Proceeds from the sale of the materials go to the Duke Children's Hospital.)
Earth Jam- Attendees engage in an interactive environmental festival about environmental stewardship and receive credit for coming.
Eco-Footprint Calculator- Students collect points for their dorms by calculating the environmental impact of their lifestyle choices.
The residence hall with the most cumulated points at the end of the month gets cake from Mad Hatters and ice cream from Maple View Farms in a championship party with the University President. Individual prizes through raffle include an iPod Nano, iTunes Gift Card, a Trek mountain bike, and gift certificates to local restaurants and Duke Stores.
These are some of the events that take place in Duke's Eco-Olympics, and some great ideas to start your own Eco-Olympics at your school! Let the games begin on your campus, and help promote environmentally-friendly behavior and awareness across the entire student body. For more information, click here.
Photo courtesy of Duke Environmental Alliance.