As a junior sustainability major, I have gained an interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency throughout my time at the University of Dayton.
Last summer, I was a residential energy analyst with the Hanley Sustainability Institute’s (HSI) Undergraduate Sustainability Fellowship program. After concluding this fellowship, I began working with HSI’s Student Leaders program on the Residential Energy team to continue making a difference in UD’s energy use. Our team has been working hard to start a new program for students called Sustainable Flyers.
Sustainable Flyers is a new program offered by HSI to increase students’ knowledge about their personal energy use in their houses. Students living in university houses or apartments will be able to sign up and have members from HSI’s Energy Team visit to give them a personalized presentation about energy use in their house.
The goal of this program is to keep students informed about the energy they use, as well as what they can do to reduce it. These are crucial skills to learn before students leave college and have to plan for their own residence. To address this gap, the Sustainable Flyers program aims to help give students the tools they need to succeed in the future.
The Energy Team will lead EcoVisits, in which they will come to students’ houses with a personalized presentation for each residence. This will include analyzing the house’s individual energy bill, so each presentation will be tailored to the students living there to make it more applicable and effective.
We also have several activities that will teach students about which aspects use the most energy in their house, what they can do to limit their consumption, and what impact reducing energy use has on both the campus and the environment. Students will also get tips about how to keep their house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter without excessive energy usage.
We will also provide students with fridge magnets and an informational booklet with energy tips and reminders. The Sustainable Flyers program and EcoVisits will be available for students to sign up for by the end of the spring semester. If you live in a university house or apartment, keep an eye out so you can learn about your own energy use.