| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.63 |
| Liaison | Konrad Schlarbaum |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
IN-47: Innovation A
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Konrad
Schlarbaum Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
The Naked Truth Shower Showdown
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
Since Fall 2022, the UCCS Office of Sustainability has been collaborating with Iconergy and the Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) at Colorado State University to apply the often-overlooked potential of behavior change to maximize the resource savings of capital improvements. In April 2023, the team facilitated a pilot behavior change campaign for UCCS students that complements energy performance contracting (EPC) efforts led by Iconergy. As part of the EPC project under development at UCCS, Iconergy will implement utility saving, capital improvement measures leveraged by energy savings, and system upgrades to reduce annual utility and maintenance costs.
The pilot behavior change campaign, called the Naked Truth Shower Showdown, was a competition focused on shifting students’ showering behaviors to reduce water and energy use. IBE and Iconergy developed and implemented the program using community-based social marketing (CBSM) methods and practices.
The primary purpose of the pilot, which was conducted in three residential buildings, was to test behavior change messaging and strategy, and to gather insights to apply to future sustainability efforts on campus. Measures of success for the pilot included partner engagement, student engagement, and energy and water savings.
The pilot resulted in varying success, offered many lessons learned, and provided insights into the potential for future behavior change campaigns to reduce utility costs. The greatest successes included new relationships between the UCCS Office of Sustainability and the Office of Residence Life & Housing, a high level of student champion recruitment, and the discovery that RAs are natural leaders for sustainability. Additionally, during the four-week competition period, there was a 1% reduction in water use (equivalent to 665 gallons) across the three participating buildings.
Student engagement in taking the competition pledge was lower than anticipated; however, notably, post-competition survey data suggested the competition was effective in initiating long-term behavior change. The pilot competition resulted in pledges from 31 students, representing 42% of the pledge goal and 7.5% of the total building occupancy of the three buildings included in the campaign. Five out of six pledgees reported an intention to continue practicing half or more of the actions pledged into the future.
The pilot behavior change campaign, called the Naked Truth Shower Showdown, was a competition focused on shifting students’ showering behaviors to reduce water and energy use. IBE and Iconergy developed and implemented the program using community-based social marketing (CBSM) methods and practices.
The primary purpose of the pilot, which was conducted in three residential buildings, was to test behavior change messaging and strategy, and to gather insights to apply to future sustainability efforts on campus. Measures of success for the pilot included partner engagement, student engagement, and energy and water savings.
The pilot resulted in varying success, offered many lessons learned, and provided insights into the potential for future behavior change campaigns to reduce utility costs. The greatest successes included new relationships between the UCCS Office of Sustainability and the Office of Residence Life & Housing, a high level of student champion recruitment, and the discovery that RAs are natural leaders for sustainability. Additionally, during the four-week competition period, there was a 1% reduction in water use (equivalent to 665 gallons) across the three participating buildings.
Student engagement in taking the competition pledge was lower than anticipated; however, notably, post-competition survey data suggested the competition was effective in initiating long-term behavior change. The pilot competition resulted in pledges from 31 students, representing 42% of the pledge goal and 7.5% of the total building occupancy of the three buildings included in the campaign. Five out of six pledgees reported an intention to continue practicing half or more of the actions pledged into the future.
Optional Fields
None
The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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