Oregon State University
ER-2: Student Sustainability Outreach Campaign

The Building Energy Challenge (BEC) takes place annually and is sponsored by the OSU Sustainability Office. It involves competitions between campus academic, administrative, research and residential buildings to reduce energy use for one month. Buildings compete categorically (for fairer competition) to see which building can reduce electricity use the most, relative to a three-year-average baseline. All residence halls are involved. In non-residential buildings all occupants are kept informed on at least a weekly, and in most cases daily, basis about progress toward reduction. Competition standings are updated weekly and awards are issued on this frequency as well. While oversight is from the OSU Sustainability Office, students do most of the legwork such as outreach, marketing, building walkthroughs, meter reading, data compilation and analysis, follow ups, prize distribution and other tasks. Student leaders and more involved student participants get academic credit for their work, other students participate to meet civic engagement and volunteerism requirements included in some courses.

Measurable outcomes include metered reductions in building electricity use; number of students assigned credit for being student leaders in the BEC; number of students participating as a course civic engagement requirement; number of faculty and staff engaged in BEC events.