On Feb. 28, students and administrators at Gustavus Adolphus College will pedal stationary bicycles in competition to see who can pump the most energy into an electrical generator supplied by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The event culminates Campus Energy Wars, a month-long competition among a dozen Minnesota colleges and universities. The Campus Energy Wars challenge is to see which campus can conserve the most energy throughout the month.
The bicycle competition will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Courtyard Cafe of the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center. The competition is expected to last for less than an hour. The bicycle will be displayed on the stage of the Courtyard Cafe Tuesday, Feb. 27-Thursday, March 1.
“Students are excited about this and they are eager to participate,” said Gustavus student Lisa Raetz, a senior from Owatonna. Raetz is co-president of the Gustavus Greens, a student-run environmental advocacy organization dedicated to energy conservation among other topical concerns.
Gustavus students and faculty have made a concerted effort to change their behaviors this month by turning off unused lights in their dorm rooms or classrooms, unplugging appliances, and lowering thermostats to reduce energy consumption. At the initiative of a Gustavus student, St. Peter Municipal Utilities recently provided 2,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs to further improve energy efficiency on campus.
In March, participating Campus Energy Wars colleges will determine an overall winner based on campus energy reduction during the month of February. The rock band Cloud Cult will perform on the winning campus.
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