Do it all in the dark

As seniors across campus learn that life is more fun in the dark in an attempt to win a night out on the Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON), the lights of the new University Center burn brightly all night while no one is using them. This contrast serves as a metaphor for University and student attitudes and initiatives.

We applaud EON’s “Do It In The Dark” competition, which pits senior woodframes against each other to see who can use the least amount of energy and win big prizes. This program serves as a great way to help students make a difficult switch, changing their consumption habits to more environmentally friendly ones. EON is giving seniors an opportunity to more frequently consider their choices and to begin to create alternatives to their current ways—all with the simple and effective incentive of being rewarded for putting in the extra effort.

To show a real commitment to EON’s objectives and goals, the University should follow suit in all areas around campus. It seems absurd that many woodframes have lights, such as in entrance halls, that cannot be turned off and—like the lights in Usdan—constantly consume energy. Many computer labs that are only open for limited hours leave the computers on all night, when students are not able to use them. The TV sets in the Andersen Fitness Center broadcast news programs and VH1 reality shows 24 hours daily, but the gym is open for only about 12 hours each day. Public Safety’s new gas guzzling SUVs are extremely wasteful when they are only patrolling the streets of Middletown.

Why not bring EON’s “Do It In The Dark” competition to al dormitories and houses, helping to encourage all students to more consciously consider their energy use and abuse? In an ideal situation, we could even bring the program to all University departments—administration offices, academic buildings—and challenge everyone to be mindful of their consumption. The University should start challenging itself to save more energy, and not uselessly consume energy when easy alternatives are possible.