The 2010 Poly Canyon Village (PCV) energy competition will end today. Students in each of the buildings started competing Oct. 12 to decide which building has the smallest carbon footprint per person.
As of Nov. 8, Estrella is in the lead; followed closely by Aliso and Huasna.
Pizza was awarded to the respective leaders of the competition each week and a grand prize, which is yet to be announced on the Green Campus Program website, will be awarded to the building which finishes on top.
According to the Green Campus Program energy competition website, the main goal of the energy competition is to educate the residents of Poly Canyon about the effects their lifestyles have on the environment.
Three aspects stressed by the competition are that the buildings conserve water, heat and electricity said Tala Fatolahzadeh, landscape architecture junior and Community Advisor (CA) in Gypsum.
Many of the students participating in the competition have developed new habits in order to decrease their usage. Kinesiology sophomore Kelli DeAngelis said she and her roommates in Aliso make sure to conserve in their apartment.
“We do the obvious stuff like not leaving the water running and turning the lights off when we leave the room,” DeAngelis said.
The Green Campus Program website also lists tips for green living. Suggestions include turning off computers when not in use and also changing the computer power settings so it enters sleep mode after a shorter amount of inactivity.
Also, the Green Campus Program suggests turning off the television when no one is watching or even cutting out television time in general. Simple things like towel drying hair instead of blow-drying are also ways many students can decrease their usage.
Besides these things, Poly Canyon students are unplugging appliances from sockets and using blankets and sweatshirts instead of heaters, Fatolahzadeh said.
“The residents are pretty much doing the easy stuff like unplugging the toaster,” Fatolahzadeh said. “Some people are taking shorter showers.”
Residents like political science sophomore Devyn Johnson said she and her roommates in Corralitos are trying to keep the lights off as much as possible and wash their dishes simultaneously.
Political science sophomore Athena Rutherford of Aliso said she and her roommates are taking the same dish washing route.
“We also do all of our dishes at the same time so as to save water,” Rutherford said. “I don’t know if it helps that much but it’s one of the little things we can do.”
However, other students such as journalism sophomore Lauren Bennett said not all Poly Canyon residents see the necessity of the contest.
“I personally don’t think the energy competition is needed,” Bennett said. “But I have been trying to change some of my habits like taking shorter showers.”
Johnson said she felt Bennett isn’t the only one who is not enthused about participating.
“I’m 99.9 percent sure our complex does not really care about the competition,” Johnson said.
With every event there are always those who do not wish to participate, Fatolahzadeh said.
However, she said the competition is a way for students to be aware of their carbon footprint and be more sustainable for the future when they are no longer living in Poly Canyon.
DeAngelis said even though she is not environmentally savvy, her perspective is that programs like this can only help residents. For her, it is a simple, easy way to help out the green movement.
“It’s about awareness,” Fatolahzadeh said. “It’s a smart program because next year, you don’t want to worry about spending so much money on electricity and water … It’s a way to prepare for living on your own.”