Ohio University’s Eco Reps think students do not care or know enough about sustainability.
Last week, they took a step toward making their peers more aware.
Eco Reps, an OU student group whose goal is to promote energy sustainability awareness on campus, partnered with the university’s Office of Sustainability to host candlelit dinners in the dining halls last week.
The dinners were held in Nelson Dining Hall on Tuesday, Boyd Dining Hall on Wednesday and Shively Dining Hall on Thursday.
“I feel like a lot of students, when they first come to college, they may not even understand what it really means to be sustainable and what sustainability encompasses,” said Elizabeth Emley, president of Eco Reps.
Many who attended the dinners were enthusiastic about it, though some were surprised by the event at first.
“I walked in and was like, ‘Why are the lights off?’” said Paris Aaron, a junior studying sociology and criminology and a Shively Dining Hall employee.
After finding the meaning behind the darkness, Aaron was happy to participate.
“I think they should do it more often just to be more productive and hit that point that OU is a sustainable college,” he said.
Other students saw an opportunity for improvement.
“I think it’s a really good idea to conserve energy, but I think the dinner is a dumb idea because they’re like, ‘Let’s use candles to conserve energy!’ but then you get a $25 fine if you have candles in your dorms,” said Collin Geddis, a sophomore studying psychology.
Geddis said the university and its students should conserve energy in the residence halls before they turn off the dining hall lights.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say when it’s hot out they keep it down to 62, which is outrageous,” Geddis said.
The specific amount of energy saved by the university during the dinners was difficult to measure.
For example, as Shively is both a dorm and dining hall, it would be impossible to pinpoint exactly how much energy was saved from the candlelight dinner, Emley said.
The dinners did have the intended effect on some students. After finishing his dinner, Geddis suggested charging more for hot water in the laundry rooms. He said it would be a good way to encourage conservation, and it would save students and the university money.
Other tips were given on brochures created by Eco Reps, which were distributed on the tables during the dinners.
“You can make a difference,” the brochure said. “It starts with one simple spark of inspiration. Be that spark, and watch the movement spread around the world.”
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