The great Edwin Starr once sang, “War (huh, yeah) / What is it good for? / Absolutely nothing.” If Starr were alive to see Mississippi State University’s own Students for a Sustainable Campus and its fledgling project Energy Wars, he might feel a bit differently. Energy Wars is a friendly competition between all residence halls on MSU’s campus in which residents compete to conserve the most energy between Sept. 9 and Nov. 18.
Tyler Russell said he, Rudi Acklin and Liz Kazal, three members of SSC, contacted J.D. Hardy at Facilities Management, and Hardy happily obliged when asked whether he would monitor the residence halls’ energy usage.
Energy usage will be measured by kilowatt per person so, to ensure fairness, no hall will have an advantage over another, Russell said.
Posters will be in each hall explaining how Energy Wars works, providing updates on each hall’s status and offering useful tips on energy conservation. This way, residents can be aware of their standing in the competition and further reduce their energy usage.
There will be a prize for whichever residence hall conserves the most energy, and there will also be an “energy hog” trophy for whichever hall uses the most energy.
In addition to conserving energy, SSC wants not only to save resources and money, but also for students to have a better understanding and awareness regarding energy.
“We want to get people thinking about energy,” Kazal said. ‘‘How much do I use? How much can I live without? How much do I reduce by just changing a light bulb?”
Making a few different choices goes a long way, she said.
“It takes very little effort,” Kazal said. ‘‘If you change over to a power strip and cut your AC up to 75, those things alone can make a drastic change.”
Acklin said, “There are simple things people don’t realize make a big difference, like using natural light during the day.”
Those who live off campus can conserve energy, too. So, raise the blinds. Don’t be an energy hog. You may not win a trophy for your efforts, but your electric bill will be lower, and that’s a pretty nice reward in and of itself.
SSC would like to thank the residence halls for being supportive and enthusiastic, Jeremiah Dumas (MSU’s Sustainability Coordinator) for being open to the idea of having sustainability competitions on campus, and J.D. Hardy for his involvement in Energy Wars.