St. Edward’s University’s residence halls are competing to see which hall is the most energy efficient.

The sustainability competition consists of two parts, The first measures gas and electricity usage, and the second focuses on recycling.

“To encourage students to act more green we decided one of the ways to make it more enticing would be to have a competition,” East Hall Residence Director Audrey Lallier said.

The competition divides campus residents into five teams based on the location of their respective residence halls. The teams include the Residential Village, comprised of Le Mans Hall, Hunt Hall, and Johnson Hall; Dujarie Hall and the Dujarie Casitas; Basil Moreau and the Basil Moreau Casitas and Casas; East Hall, and Teresa Hall.

Residence Life did not include the on-campus apartments because apartment residents are required to take their utility bills under their own names, meaning they have to monitor their own energy consumption anyway.

Residence Life will measure gas and electricity usage for the different residential areas in three 30-day billing periods between Sept. 15-Dec. 15.

The gas and electricity used by a specific residential area will then be compared to the gas and electricity used by the same residential area around the same time in 2009.

Residence Life plans on awarding points based on the percentage reduction in gas and electricity usage from the billing period for this year to the same billing period in 2009.

The second part of the competition will involve recycling and will take place in January and February 2011. The Sustainability Committee is still discussing details.

Associate Director of Residence Life Brian Obert said they would determine which residential area is the winner by March. The winning building or residential area will receive hammocks that will be installed in the springtime for the victors to enjoy.

Bulletin boards with information about the competition are posted in high traffic areas in each of the residence halls. This information includes the rules for the contest, tips for reducing energy use and a scoring chart.

Some residence halls such as East Hall have sustainability tips posted. Obert said he is hoping to post the results from the first billing period soon.

“Our goal with this contest is to one, help students become aware of what they can do to have an impact and two, a way to create team unity…within the different residential areas,” Obert said.

The sustainability competition, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life, is the brainchild of the Residence Life Sustainability Committee, a new subgroup within Residence Life.

“We are the people working in Residence Life to create awareness about sustainable living practices,” Obert said.

Obert is the head of the Residence Life Sustainability Committee. The group was created last summer, and the sustainability competition is their first project.

Awareness and levels of participation vary among campus residents because the sustainability competition is a new project. Obert encourages residents with ideas for improving the Sustainability Competition to contact their resident directors.

“The way I found out about the contest was the dorm check…my R.A. read my major so he told me about the contest,” Monica Rivas said. Rivas is an Environmental Science and Policy Major.

Though Rivas is aware of the sustainability contest, she feels others may not be.

“I don’t think anyone really knows about it, so there hasn’t really been a change,” Rivas said when asked if she noticed a change in behavior regarding electricity usage in her residence hall.

“When they told us we were having the competition, all they told me was they were putting up a bulletin board in the front of Teresa and they’re doing this competition,” Teresa hall Resident Assistant Taylor Gabriel said.

Gabriel has noticed some change in electricity usage.

“Pretty frequently the light in the hall is turned off,” Gabriel said. “The power goes out in Teresa all the time. If we keep that up we’re going to win for sure!” Gabriel said.