The fourth annual UW-Madison Residence Hall Energy Competition, organized by Big Red Go Green begins Monday.
According to Clay Thomas, Big Red Go Green media intern, the competition encourages residences of each dorm on campus to reduce their energy consumption, offering a prize for the winning dorm. Big Red Go Green is a campaign run by the Wisconsin Students Public Interests Research Group on campus.
Thomas said in the past that the prize has involved parties or socials for all members of the winning dorm, but the organizers are looking into new ideas for this year's prize.
He added that students who promise to save energy individually by signing a pledge will become eligible to win prizes from area businesses such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Sconnie Nation and Underground Textbook Exchange.
""Even if they don't do anything, it will raise awareness and hopefully spread the word about it and inspire other people to save energy,"" he said.
Joy Rifkin, organizer of the competition, said last year the event saved UW-Madison over $10,000 in energy costs. She said she hopes this year's competition increases that number.
She also said she expects the competition will raise awareness of climate change, and will inspire more students to cut their energy costs.
""We're really trying to get the competition awareness up and see what students can do,"" she said.
Rifkin added that she hopes the competition also encourages students to continue practices of saving energy once they leave the dorms.
""It's something people can do in the dorms to save the campus money, but also once they leave the dorms it's really easy to save money in your apartments by turning down your heat and turning off the lights,"" she said.
Thomas said he hopes the competition also makes students more informed about the consequences of climate change.
""So far the main concern is on conservation, but eventually it's going to come down to how best we can cope with the results of the consumption we have used in the past,"" he said.
Students can sign energy saving pledges as early as Monday at Gordon Commons and Holt Commons.
