University of San Diego
ER-2: Student Sustainability Outreach Campaign

The USD Changemaker Challenge (formally One Challenge) is an annual student competition, with the theme chosen each year by students. The 2013 theme was "Wasteful Production and Consumption". Each participant recorded and submit a 2 minute video which included: 1. What is the idea to address the challenge? 2. How does the idea contribute to address the challenge? 3. How is the idea feasible? Is it actionable? 4. What is the expected impact of the idea? How will it make a difference? 10 finalists were announced on April 10, 2013 and the winner was judged by public voting based on the impact, impact measurability and practicality of the projects. The 2014 theme is "Food for Life", which calls upon participants to answer the questions: what are our ideas for more sustainable ways of food production and consumption? How can we reduce food waste? How can we promote healthy eating? The Office of Sustainability in partnership with Residential Life also sponsors a program to measure energy usage in the Alcala Vistas Apartments, a sophomore residential housing area. Each apartment in the Palomar Building is metered and a student intern carries out weekly meter readings and publishes them to the residents identifying each apartment by a code known only to its residents. Thus, while not being able to identify names, students can see where their usage stands compared to their peers and provides data to conserve energy. Tips include energy and water conservation, such as limiting turning off light switches and phantom power, reducing shower times, and utilizing natural light instead of electricity. This is a recent initiative (implemented Fall 2012) and thus savings have not yet been identified, however, this serves as an educational exercise to build awareness and create behavior change.

The Changemaker Challenge unites the entire campus community around one topic and encourages all students and staff to come up with creative ideas on how to address the topic on campus and in the community. Numerous events and festivals are held throughout both Fall and Spring semesters, educating students on the decided topic. In 2013 there were more than ten events reaching more than 900 students. For the 2014 theme there have been five events so far already reaching almost 200 students. The workshops and the Challenge itself are a chance to engage and educate students and help them think about these issues in a creative and solvable way. The Dorm Energy Metering program data has shown trends toward student residents decreasing their energy usage. Tips are emailed and posted to the student residents on a weekly basis, showing their week-to-week energy usage. This campaign is a great opportunity to engage with on-campus residents and encourage them to connect with their resources to conserve and reduce their usage.