When it comes to energy reduction, Penn students don’t always deliver on their promises.
Despite having the largest number of resident pledges to reduce energy consumption during the Penn Energy Showdown, Rodin College House came out last in the competition. Harrison College House was declared first with a 5-percent decrease in energy consumption. Harnwell College House followed with a 0.6-percent decrease and Rodin actually increased by one percent.
Out of the 845 students who pledged to reduce energy usage, 315 lived in Rodin, 195 in Harrison, 131 in Harnwell and 204 in other residences.
Project leaders Mateo Rando and Adam Moll — both second-year students in the masters of public administration program — and their teams of Management 100 students cannot explain the discrepancy between intent and result.
However, one MGMT 100 student, Wharton freshman Ken Beierlein, suggested that Harrison’s Eco-Reps could be the crucial factor in its success.
“They were very excited about the competition and having people that are motivated and excited helps,” Beierlein said.
Harrison Eco-Rep Rachel Gates and her roommate, Parker Vanderslice-Lamas — both College sophomores — admitted to running around the building during the competition and turning off all the lights and superfluous heaters.
Beierlein also noted that out of the three high rises, “Harrison was the most receptive to the competition.”
Rodin resident and College and Wharton sophomore Elena Madan was surprised by Rodin’s poor performance.
Madan made a personal effort to conserve more energy during the competition. She turned off the lights when she left the room and even lowered her thermostat, though she joked that was partially because her heater stopped working when the competition began.
Madan, however, noted that not everyone may have cared about the competition. She said the contest will only “have a substantial impact if people actually listen” and that is difficult given the unimaginative prize — free pizza.
“You can get free pizza anywhere,” Madan said. She is one of many residents who said they were unaware of the raffle for an iPad, Wii and a digital camera.
Looking forward, Rando and Moll aim to create great incentive and foster closer partnerships with the graduate and resident advisors in hopes that they will, in turn, encourage their residents conserve more energy during the next competition.
“The high rise population is a little different,” explained Penn Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo. “The structure of apartments makes it a little more difficult to get a more community feel and that is one of the challenges.”
