Close to 6,000 students across B.C. are competing to see who can reduce their electricity consumption the most along with creating the most buzz about the competition. The Nov. 7-25 Do it in the Dark competition has attracted 20 residence groups from UBC, Simon Fraser University, University of Northern B.C., University of Victoria and Thompson Rivers University. Participants have been spreading the word, hosting events, making videos and contacting their politicians to talk about energy consumption and climate change.
Organized by goBEYOND Campus Climate Network, Do it in the Dark is also supported by UBC’s MAGIC Lab and Sense Tecnic Systems Inc., a local company that has created a social media platform called My-Every-Day-Earth that leverages Facebook to create the participation competition. Lucid Design Group created a web-based dashboard to monitor energy consumption for every campus and residence group. A research team from UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning is studying the impact of the competition on student attitudes and behaviour related to sustainability.
For competition activities and results, visit: doitinthedark.ca
