The University of British Columbia
ER-2: Student Sustainability Outreach Campaign

Over 1100 students in UBC’s Totem Park Residence participated in the ‘Do It In the Dark’ energy saving competition, part of the Campus Conservation Nationals, an annual US based energy competition that challenges college and university campuses across the country to achieve the greatest electricity reductions over a three-week period. UBC’s Totem Park saved 9,431 kWh over the duration of the three-week competition, achieving a 17.4% aggregate reduction in electricity use in Totem Park over the baseline period. UBC was the only Canadian university to participate, placing 2nd overall in the competition. To measure the impact of the campaign, UBC compared residence hall electricity consumption two weeks before the competition to consumption during the competition via energy meters installed in each of the six houses in Totem Park. The meters enabled students to track electricity use in real time, using specially designed web-based software known as the Building Dashboard. During the competition, student volunteers ran six outreach and engagement events related to energy conservation, logging over 216 volunteer hours and 947 unique users subscribed to receive daily updates through the Do It in the Dark Facebook page.

Since UBC’s Totem Park Residence achieved a 17.4% aggregate reduction in electricity use in Totem Park Residence over the baseline period, UBC can demonstrate that the campaign led to a measurable, positive impact on its sustainability performance.