Dorm vs Dorm Sustainability Competitions

Lessons from the Oberlin Ecolympics

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:15:05 +0000

Lora DiFranco, Ecolympics coordinator at Oberlin College, wrote a great post on the It’s Getting Hot in Here blog in which she shared things that went well, things that didn’t go well and things she would change in future Ecolympics at Oberlin.

Thanks for taking the time to make that post, Lora! All too often, we don’t spend the time to reflect on our work and share lessons with one another.

Learned a lesson the hard way? Share so others don’t have to!

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:04:01 +0000

Have you run a campus sustainability competition? Did you try some things that didn’t work out so great? Or, maybe you didn’t try some things that you later realized would have been great? Share those lessons here so they aren’t lost! Others will benefit from your experience.

Competition Websites

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:46:17 +0000

A lot of schools are running dorm vs dorm sustainability competitions these days. One of the best ways to get new ideas for your event is to look a the websites for competitions being run at other schools. On this page, you will find links to many such websites. If you know of links that should be added, please submit them in the comments section below and the site administrator will move them into the list.

Video Segments Index

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:43:22 +0000

It took a lot of people to make this video and website possible!
Film Credits

How to Use this Site

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:38:30 +0000

Find all the video segments under the Video Segments Index option in the menu at right.

Video Segments

This site is organized carefully to match the organization of the video, which was recorded in discrete “segments.” Each segment covers a different part of putting on a successful dorm vs dorm energy, waste and water reduction competition, such as fundraising, advertising and scoring.

The idea is that groups can use the segments that are most relevant to their current planning. For example, when it is time for your group to figure out how to motivate people to participate in the competition, it might be a good idea to play the “Motivating Participation” segment during your group meeting. That way, new students and old students have the same information from which to begin planning.

I’m ready to write a post, but don’t have an account yet…

I have an account and I’m ready to write a post…

Discussion

This site is intended to be interactive! If you watch a segment and want to comment on it, please do so at the bottom of the segment’s page. You don’t need to create an account in order to write comments on the site.

If you have an idea for something that doesn’t fit under any of the segments covered by the video, please register for an account and write a new post. When you save it, assign it to the “Further Discussion” category. When the administrator approves the post, the administrator may give it a more specific category designation.

Video Responses

If you or your group want to create a video response, you can upload it to YouTube or another site and then put a link to it in a comment or embed it in a post you create in the “Video Responses” category.

Field Trips / Open Houses

Sam Hummel — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:50:57 +0000

If your campus has interesting sustainability projects going on, a great event for your competition is to have an open house or field trip to the project. Students can earn points for their dorm or win door prizes for attending the event.

You can also organize field trips to things that aren’t necessarily shining sustainability projects. For example, how about organizing a tour of your on-campus steam plant? Or, the local land fill?

Another option is a sustainability project or program that is in the community. For example, a tour of your local recycling plant. Or, a local organic farm.

Candid Student Interviews

admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:26:29 +0000

One way to judge the success of your competition is to examine the aggregate participation and conservation numbers. Another way is to go around and interview students about their experience. Students’ candid answers can be alternatively uplifting, humbling and just plain funny.

The interviews in this segment show the full range of experiences — from students who don’t engage the competition to those who make it a passionate cause.

Sample Competition Calendar

admin — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:25:44 +0000

Here is a sample competition calendar slightly modified from one used by Environmental Alliance. Naturally, this version of the calendar has to be guarded carefully as it has top-secret things on it, such as the date and time of the garbology collections!

Sample Competition Calendar (PDF)

Sample Budget

Sam Hummel — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:15:08 +0000

This is a sample budget. It is slightly modified from one of the years when Environmental Alliance did a particularly good job of fundraising.

Download the Sample Eco-Olympics Budget (pdf)

Sample Preparation Schedule

admin — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:03:04 +0000

Below is a generic version of the preparation schedule that’s been used by Environmental Alliance to organize the planning and putting-on of Eco-Olympics. This Sample Preparation Schedule can also be downloaded as a pdf.

ECO-OLYMPICS PREPARATION SCHEDULE

3 WEEKS OUT – Oct 10th to 16th

At the meeting
• Review last year’s successes and challenges
• Brainstorm & choose events
• Brainstorm prizes & donation sources
• Discuss budget needs
• Brainstorm potential sponsors
• Identify departments & organizations with which to partner

During the week
• Contact and schedule meetings with potential sponsors
• Contact and schedule meetings (if necessary) with potential prize contributors
• Check university calendar, athletic schedules and event-space availability in order to schedule the events.
• Contact and schedule meetings with potential partners
• Draft brief Eco-Olympics Proposal
• Solicit Eco-Reps from competing dorms

2 WEEKS OUT – October 17th to 23th

At the meeting
• Report-back on past week’s efforts
• Members volunteer and prep for meetings with potential sponsors, prize contributors and partners.
• Plan advertising strategy
• Identify webmaster(s)

During the week
• Members attend meetings with potential sponsors, prize contributors and partners.
• Prepare advertising materials
• Prepare website
• Continue to solicit Eco-Reps from dorms

1 WEEK OUT – October 24th to 30th

At the meeting
• Report-back on past week’s efforts
• Finalize the Event Calendar
• Plan the logistics for each event and divide up responsibilities
• Review advertising materials and website

During the week
• Continue meetings with potential sponsors, prize contributors and partners.
• Begin advertising, hang banner, paint bridge, submit Chronicle Kick-off ad
• Prepare for Kick-off Event
• Recruit Kick-off volunteers!

WEEK 1 – October 31st to November 6th

First night of the competition (instead of weekly meeting)
• Kick-off Dormstorm & Lightbulb Exchange!
• Set the Online Survey live
• Student Affairs sends out e-mail to all residents announcing the competition, prizes and “rules of the game”

During the week
• Send out updates, tips and reminders to Eco-Enthusiast contact list (include Student Affairs so they can put update in their weekly e-mail bulletin)
• Update website
• Put on Eco-Trivia Night event
• Put out table-tents in cafeteria with answers to Eco-Trivia questions
• Put on Eco-Film Night event
• Duke Recycles runs Info Session, have them take attendance

WEEK 2 – November 7th to 13th

At the meeting
• Review competition progress
• Finalize plans and volunteers for upcoming events

During the week
• Do sample-Garbology on two dorms and publish the results as a warning
• Send out updates, tips and reminders to Eco-Enthusiast contact list (include Student Affairs so they can put update in their weekly e-mail bulletin)
• Update website
• Put on Eco-Film Night event
• Duke Recycles runs Info Session, have them take attendance
• Recycle for the Children – go to take attendance and give out prize

WEEK 3 – November 14th to 20th

At the meeting
• Review competition progress
• Finalize plans and volunteers for upcoming events

During the week
• Send out updates, tips and reminders to Eco-Enthusiast contact list (include Student Affairs so they can put update in their weekly e-mail bulletin)
• Update website
• Run Eco-Film Night event
• Have someone take attendance at Global Warming Lecture
• Duke Recycles runs Info Session, have them take attendance
• Zero-Energy Pledge goes LIVE (announce to Eco-Enthusiasts & Student Affairs), update participation rates on the website scoreboard every 24 hours until Pledge closes at start of Thanksgiving Break.

WEEK 4 – November 21st to 27th

At the meeting
• Review competition progress
• Finalize plans and volunteers for upcoming events

During the week
• GARBOLOGY!
• Send out updates, tips and reminders to Eco-Enthusiast contact list (include Student Affairs so they can put update in their weekly e-mail bulletin)
• Update website
• At start of Thanksgiving Break, close the Zero-Energy Pledge and send an e-mail to pledges reminding them to unplug everything.

WEEK 5 – November 28th to December 4th (Last week of the competition!)

At the meeting
• Review competition progress
• Finalize plans and volunteers for upcoming events

WEEK 6 – December 5th to 9th

At the meeting
• Review scorecard and determine winners
• Summarize the competition’s benefits & accomplishments
• Finalize plans and volunteers for Eco-Champions Party

During the week
• Send out a final e-mail announcing the winners and the competition’s accomplishments
• Update the website to announce the winners and highlight competition accomplishments
• Run Chronicle advertisement announcing winners and accomplishments
• Create an Eco-Champions Trophy using recycled/scrap materials
• Put on the Eco-Champions Party
• Send Eco-Enthusiasts an invitation to take Eco-Olympics feedback survey

NEXT MEETING (Debrief!)
• Review what went well and what could have gone better
• Review online survey data
• Review feedback survey
• Organize the sending out of thank you e-mails