Monday, Jan. 27 - Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025

UNB Sustainability partners with the Residence team to host the Residence Energy Challenge (REC). The REC is a two-week competition between residences to reduce their energy consumption.

UNB Sustainability will track the energy consumption of each residence in the two weeks leading up to the REC to create a baseline for each residence. The residence on each campus with the largest percentage reduction from their baseline consumption will win a pizza party.

Effective tips for reducing energy consumption

• Turn off the lights and utilize natural light: One of the easiest things to do to reduce your energy consumption is to ensure all lights – your room, the washrooms and common rooms - are turned off when they are not in use. You can reduce your energy consumption further by only using lights when needed. Most residence rooms receive a significant amount of sunlight throughout the day, so try opening your blinds and taking advantage of natural sunlight when working and hanging out in your room.
  
  
• Turn off computers and set energy-saving functions: With the vast majority of students owning personal laptops and having a lifestyle in which they use their laptops for several hours a day, the energy needed to power the laptops in our residences is tremendous. Although using your laptop is often necessary, it is also important that you shut it off and set the energy-saving functions for when it is not in use. When energy-saving functions like sleep mode are set, laptops use approximately 84% less energy. Please also note that screensavers are not an energy-saving function; they actually use about the same energy as when the laptop is in use.
  
  
• Take shorter showers: Five minutes in a standard shower can use approximately 100 liters of water and it takes a large amount of energy to heat that water. Taking shorter showers and using less hot water can dramatically reduce energy and water use.
  
  
• Do your laundry using cold water: Most of the energy consumed by laundry machines is put into heating the water, so doing your laundry with cold water saves a lot of energy. Combining loads of laundry can also save energy and water.
  
  
• Use a drying rack instead of the dryer: A dryer consumes anywhere from 4 to 6 kWh of electricity, while using a clothesline or drying rack uses no electricity.
  
  
• Use small appliances less often: Small appliances like kettles and hairdryers are very energy-intensive, so try to use them less often when you can.
  
  
• Unplug your mini-fridge (as applicable): A mini-fridge can account for over half the energy usage in the average residence room. Therefore, one of the most significant contributions you can make to reduce your energy consumption is to unplug your mini-fridge when you aren't using it, such as on weekends or over reading week if you're heading home and won't be on campus. You could also consider teaming up with your neighbours and sharing a fridge.
  
  
• Talk: Talk with your neighbours about how you could save even more energy - you will probably come up with some creative ideas that are a lot of fun!

Code of conduct

• Do not tamper with motion detectors or other fixed building equipment.
• Do not do anything that will impact campus infrastructure or agreements.
• Do not remove any florescent tubes in hallway lighting.
• If you are found sabotaging others’ efforts, your residence will be disqualified.
• Remember your residence code of conduct and rules while participating in the challenge.

This code of conduct is to make the challenge fun while ensuring that safety standards and fair play are maintained.

Sustainable Development Goals Week Canada (SDG Week Canada) is a national collaboration to increase awareness and egagement with the 17 United Nations SDGs on college and university campuses in Canada.

SDG Week Canada is led by the Sustainability Hub at UBC, SDSN Canada at the University of Waterloo, and Colleges and Institutes Canada.

UNB Sustainability and various groups on both our campuses host a variety of events all month long.

The purpose of this month and these events is to educate and engage the UNB community in environmental, social and economic sustainability.

We hope participants learn something new so they can live more sustainably on campus, as well as in the community and at home.