Richmond placed in top 10 of collegiate conservation competition

The University of Richmond has been ranked in the top 10 of Campus Conservation Nationals, a competition to reduce the amount of energy is consumed on campus, and won 200,000 kilowatt hours in RECs, renewable energy credits.

The competition took place last semester when each dorm and, for the first time, the University Forest Apartments, competed against one another, and at the same time the university competed nationally against roughly 150 other colleges and universities, said Megan Zanella-Litke, Leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) green association sustainability coordinator.

The Dashboard program monitored energy consumption for two weeks and established a baseline. The program can be seen online and on the touch screens in the Heilman Dining Center and the Tyler Haynes Commons.

Over the following three weeks, students in the dorms and the UFA worked to reduce their building's energy consumption level. The percentage reduction was calculated on a per capita basis, so larger buildings had a fair chance against smaller buildings, Zanella-Litke said.

The apartments' energy levels were recorded manually by members of the United States Green Building Council members, said Taylor Holden, vice president of USGBC.

This was the second year the university participated in the competition, and the first year the campus placed in the top 10, Zanella-Litke said.

The university reduced its consumption by 46,000 kWh last year, which in turn helped the university place and win the 200,000 kWh in RECs. An REC allows the university to lay claim to renewable energy, even if the university is not directly receiving all of its energy from that source itself, Zanella-Litke said.

"It's essentially offsetting the energy we use with renewable energy generated elsewhere," she said.

The university's electricity comes from the power company Dominion, she said. It uses a variety of energy producing methods to provide energy for the customers from coal plants to wind energy. RECs allow the university to say that it wants to lay claim to only the renewable energy, like the wind energy, she said.

The more people who pay a premium for RECs and claim renewable energy for their electricity, the more renewable energy an energy company will make. The premium paid for RECs goes toward paying for more renewable energy sources, she said.

The university will compete for a third time in the competition at the beginning of next semester, but the exact date has not been set, Zanella-Litke said. This year Virginia Commonwealth University will also be competing during the same time as Richmond, adding another layer of competition, she said.

"We're all really excited about being a part of it and having some cross-town rivalry move off the basketball court," she said.

Both students and faculty are working on other goals to increase sustainability on campus. USGBC members, who are working closely with Zanella-Litke, are pushing for single-stream recycling this year with Waste Management, Holden said. They also hope to start composting with other dining facilities on campus, rather than just the Heilman Dining Center, he said. Off-campus, the club will teach elementary school students about sustainability and help them to start their own garden, Holden said.

Contact staff writer Maria Rajtik at maria.rajtik@richmond.edu