Wednesday, January 31, 2007

KICK-OFF EVENT TONIGHT!!

Come to the Battle of the Bulbs Kickoff Event:

Wednesday, JANUARY 31st
TIME: 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM
PLACE: McCormick Tribune Lounge (in the Reynolds Club. When you walk in the main entrance, the Lounge is on your left.)

Free Food! T-shirts! Buttons!

And, of course, an explanation of the competition by Green Campus Initiative

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP: BATTLE OF THE BULBS KICK-OFF PARTY!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

COMPETITION RULES and GUIDELINES

Hi all-

I've had some requests from RHs and RAs to post the "Battle of the Bulbs" proposal that outlines all the details of the competition. A similar document has been given to your IHC rep that outlines his/her responsibilities.

Here is the official project proposal:

GREEN CAMPUS INITIATIVE
“BATTLE OF THE BULBS” FEBRUARY 2007
PROJECT OUTLINE


Proposal
Green Campus Initiative (GCI) is coordinating a month-long interdormitory electricity reduction competition. The dormitory which reduces its electricity usage by the highest percentage at the end of the month will be declared winner. The dorm with the highest participation rate will also be rewarded.

Each week (on Thursdays) we will post each dorm’s weekly targets, the previous week’s electricity usage, and the reduction theme and tips of the week. This information will be displayed on “information boards” throughout campus (the dining halls, Reynolds Club, Admin building and the Reg) and online at bulbs.uchicago.edu.

Weekly targets and tips:
To help students reduce their electricity use, GCI will provide weekly target reduction amounts for each dormitory (5% reduction each week) and tell them how to achieve the target. Check bulbs.uchicago.edu (starting Thursday, February 1) to find out the electricity reduction theme and tips of the week.

The goal will be to use the least amount of energy during the last week of the competition, at which point, we hope, everyone will “do it in the dark.”

Event Dates
Kick-off event: Wednesday, January 31, McCormick Lounge, 8:30-10:00pm
Awards Ceremony: Thursday March 1, Hutch Commons, 8:30-10:00pm
Tabling: Every Tuesday and Wednesday of February in the Reynolds Club. We will be selling our custom-made organic cotton t-shirts for $12 ($8 for IHC reps).

Participation and Prizes
Winning dormitory prize: To indicate this achievement they will receive an award sculpture created by the art and environment RSO: Material Exchange.
Dorm participation prize: The dormitory with the highest participation rate will receive a participation prize: TBA.
Everybody Wins: Carbon offset credits equal to the amount of carbon emissions collectively saved by the dorms will be purchased.
IHC Representatives: IHC reps who attend 100% of IHC meetings during the month of February and attend both the kick-off and closing event will be entered into a raffle to receive a basket of Patagonia goods (raffle will take place at closing ceremony).

Off-Campus Participation
Students, faculty and staff that live off-campus can also participate by pledging to follow our weekly electricity reduction tips. In exchange they will get a free compact-fluorescent light bulb.

Additional materials

T-shirts: T-shirts will be sold to raise money for GCI. They will be available for sale at the kick-off event and in the Reynolds Club during tabling hours (11-2pm) every Tuesday and Wednesday of February. IHC reps will get them for a discounted price.
Buttons: Buttons will be made with "do it in the dark" -type slogans and will be available at the events and during tabling.
Valentine's Day cards: We will work with clubs selling carnations on Valentine's Day to sell Valentines with a catchy slogan on them.

Key players and their responsibilities
Green Campus Initiative:
-GCI will be responsible for data collection, including:
-collecting the electricity data from Residence Halls & Commons each week
-posting new information boards in designated locations throughout campus -setting target reduction goals/tips by dormitory
-Organizing the kick-off and closing events
-Weekly tabling to advertise the competition, sell t-shirts and attract off-campus participants
Inter-House Council:
-Monitor house members' participation by taking down names of participants and giving them door hangers to indicate participation. Send updated list of participants to IHC president Dwight Carswell: carswell@uchicago.edu -Report dormitory electricity use to their houses at weekly house meetings. -Attracting attendance at major events (kick-off party and closing party) from house members
Dormitory Councils (ie Shoreland Council, Max Council, etc):
-Creating an atmosphere of rivalry and competition between dormitories -Collectively brainstorming ways for their dormitories to save more electricity
Student Government:
-Student government environmental committee will create a “Battle of the Bulbs” website recording the weekly electricity usages by dormitory.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Light's Out

The first day of the Battle of the Bulbs coincides with the Global "Lights Out" Campaign. This is an effort to encourage the entire world to turn their lights off together for just five minutes to promote awareness of global warming.

So join the rest of the world on Thursday from 6:55 to 7:00 PM by turning out all your lights, and doing it in the dark!

Friday, January 26, 2007

F.A.Q.

The battle begins in less than a week, and excitement is clearly building around campus. Hopefully you have heard some information about the battle already from your IHC rep, so get ready!

Here are some F.A.Q.s about the Battle:

Q: "What the heck is this all about?"
A: The Battle of the Bulbs is a month-long competition between the dormitories to see which dorm can reduce its electricity use the most, in comparison with February 2006.

Q: "How do I compete?"
A: Sign up with your IHC rep today! CORRECTION: At the KICK-OFF EVENT, your IHC rep will receive the materials needed for you to participate. Talk to them in person, or at your house meeting to sign a pledge. In return, you will receive a "door-hanger" that you can hang on your doorknob to indicate your participation. IHC will keep track of the total number of participants by dorm so we can track which dorm is winning the participation award.

Q: "Are there any rules?"
A: There are no rules, but there are weekly guidelines. Each week in February has a different reduction theme; and we outline the necessary steps you need to take to reduce your dormitory's electricity use by 5% for that week. Every Thursday evening, we will post the electricity reduction target for each dorm and the weekly results on a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will be available on this website and on the information boards located in each of the dining halls, the Admin building, the Reg and the Reynolds Club.

Q: "Are there t-shirts for sale?"
A:
Of course. We have specially made American Apparel organic cotton t-shirts for sale, for a limited time only. Come to the Kick-Off event this Wednesday, January 31, at 8:30pm in the McCormick Lounge (in the Reynolds Club) to get your t-shirts, eat food, and find out more about the competition. We will also be tabling in the Reynolds Club every Tuesday and Wednesday of February, and some extra days at the beginning and end of the competition.

Q: "That's all well and good, but why do I care?"
A: Not only are you competing for your dorm to win a ridiculously cool prize, but you are saving energy and saving money. In fact, if energy use were to go down substantially in the long run, it could mitigate housing cost increases over the next several years. If all that's not good enough, you're being a responsible global citizen!

Monday, January 15, 2007

New Blog!

Introducing the Battle of the Bulbs 2007.

This is the blog which will have all the updates on the contest each week. Check back to see who's in the lead!

There will also be important power saving tips and other useful tools to keep you ahead of the competition.

If you want to get involved with the greenest and coolest student group on campus, the GREEN CAMPUS INITIATIVE, come to our meetings on Tuesdays, at 6pm in the basement of the Reynolds Club, room 002A. We can use your HELP with Battle of the Bulbs and Earth Week planning, starting NOW!

Stay Green!

The Bulbmaster,