Oregon State University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

OSU participated in the Campus Conservation Nationals in 2013 and 2014. The focus of this program and its associated outreach was students. Prior to 2013, the Building Energy Challenge (BEC) was the primary program that reached faculty, staff and students. Rhe BEC occurred in February 2012 and was sponsored by the OSU Sustainability Office. It involved competitions between campus academic, administrative, research and residential buildings to reduce energy use for one month. Buildings competed categorically (for fairer competition) to see which building can reduce electricity use the most, relative to a three-year-average baseline. All residence halls were also involved. In non-residential buildings all occupants were kept informed on at least a weekly, and in most cases daily, basis about progress toward reduction. Competition standings were updated weekly and awards were issued on this frequency as well. While oversight was from the OSU Sustainability Office, students did much 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 got academic credit for their work and other students participated to meet civic engagement and volunteerism requirements included in some courses. OSU's annual Campuses Take Charge program as well as participation in the Campus Conservation Nationals also help address this credit requirement.

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

Our Mission Take Charge programs inspire people to take charge of their energy use through no-cost and low-cost actions. Take Charge Goals Between 2011 and 2014 Take Charge programs are committed to engaging ten percent of Corvallis (about 5,500 people) in reducing their energy use. If everyone who registers for the program completes three energy-saving actions for one month, we estimate that we will mitigate the equivalent of 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. Many of those energy-saving actions will persist into the future and continue to reduce the energy demand of our city. How Take Charge Programs Work To get started saving energy and money: -Choose three energy-saving actions to try for one month from our list of actions by clicking here. -At the end of the month, we'll send you a brief online survey and ask for your feedback about your energy-saving actions. -After you provide online feedback, we’ll send you an exclusive Take Charge Coupon Card from local Corvallis businesses, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win great prizes--prizes vary throughout the year.

CTC measures the following impacts and outcomes: -number of people who take the first survey of actions to try for a month -number of actions pledged -number of people who take the follow up survey of actions -number of actions people report completing in the month -CO2 reduction from those actions