Campus ranked high for conservation
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State University recently announced that the campus has achieved a top-10 national ranking in a contest designed to promote sustainability and resource conservation.
The rankings were issued following the 2015 Campus Conservation Nationals. University officials said this is the second time in three years Northwest has achieved top-10 status.
According to organizers — the U.S. Green Building Council, Lucid, the Alliance to Save Energy and the National Wildlife Federation — Northwest sustainability initiatives conserved 65,706 kilowatt-hours of electricity, averted 123,593 pounds of carbon dioxide and saved $3,942 during over the course of the four-week competition.
A university release stated those totals were derived from energy-savings at Northwest residence halls, including Hudson-Perrin, Dieterich, Franken, Millikan, South Complex, Roberta and Tower Suites.
In conjunction with the Campus Conservation Nationals, campus residents also took part in Northwest’s “Flip the Switch, Reduce Your Pawprint” contest, in which prizes were offered in the form of new equipment for participating dormitories.
That contest resulted in savings of 65,706 kilowatt-hours of electricity with greenhouse gas avoidance equal to the burning of 48,866 pounds of coal, according to Northwest officials.
Hudson-Perrin, the reigning champion for the past three years, won the competition by reducing its energy usage by 31 percent.
Throughout the academic year, Northwest students are encouraged to save energy by closing windows tightly, disconnecting unused power cords and turning off the lights when leaving a room.
“It’s important for students to recognize that they can have a positive impact on their environment by doing something as simple as flipping a switch and making a conscious effort to conserve,” Northwest Energy Manager Daniel Boyt said.
Now in its fifth year, the 2015 Campus Conservation Nationals competition included 125 colleges and universities and saved a reported $290,000 in electricity and water while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equal to those produced by nearly 200 homes in a year’s time.
Cumulatively, organizers said contest participants have saved 6 million-kilowatt hours of electricity since 2010.
Other top-10 schools included California State University-Chico; Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota; Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Georgia State University; Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York; Oklahoma State University; San Diego State University; and Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Northwest’s sustainability efforts date back to 1982 when the university established a biomass energy system utilizing wood chips.
Since establishing a broader energy management program in 2012, Northwest has saved more than $1.6 million in utilities and avoided an estimated 24.4 million pounds in CO2 generation.
In February, for the third time in four years, Northwest received the Missouri State Recycling Program Annual Award in recognition of its recycling and sustainability efforts.
Also, during the spring trimester, the university participated in RecycleMania, a nationwide contest designed to increase student engagement with regard to recycling.
During this year’s RecycleMania, Northwest reportedly recycled 109,225 pounds of materials and was ranked second in Missouri and 51st overall among 394 participating institutions.
