Green Cup more than competition
e more inclusive” 2/8/11) in which it argued the Greek Green Cup has been more successful in using competition to modify consumption habits and that Green Cup needs to include more of the campus. Greek Green Cup uses a strategy that speaks to Greek residents; they are more competitive than dorms. Don’t get me wrong, competition spurs great ideas. But there’s an external pressure to “follow along” in the Greek community (let’s call it Greek Think). After school, we will be living in apartments, and that Greek pressure won’t be there.
Competition is not the core of Green Cup; it is not the metric of success. Green Cup is built around two ideas: 1) learning how changing personal habits reduces lifelong resource consumption and 2) motivating students to spread that knowledge to others.
It’s too early to say the Greek strategy has been more successful. The following table shows last year’s average weekly absolute reductions per person across all frats/sororities/dorms with & without dining:
Avg. Weekly Total kWh/person
Fraternities <1% reduction
Sororities ~8%reduction
Dorms w/o dining ~1% reduction
Dorms with dining ~2.5% reduction
Avg. Weekly Water gal/person
Fraternities +3.6% increase
Sororities <1% reduction
Dorms w/o dining ~17% reduction
Dorms with dining ~18% reduction
The numbers for water reductions in dorms may come from infrastructure changes campus-wide. Regardless, it’s hard to argue the Greeks have used competition to drive greater success.
Green Cup is expanding to include more of the university. We’ve met with representatives from Kellogg to decide how to include the business and MBA students in next year’s competition. We spoke with Evanston’s Sustainable Programs Coordinator, Catherine Hurley, to decide how to include off-campus students next year. Their Cub Energy Saver program should allow residents to monitor their usage and compete. Realize that it takes time to incorporate a large population in a way that is fair to current participants. Also, realize that much like control over building facilities, the Greeks have more control over the competition they can run. When adding a new segment of campus, the University, facilities, and the other relevant bodies that support Green Cup need to approve it.
I’m sad The Daily is so quick to criticize the competition on the metric of “competition” without providing any substantive support. We’ve reached out to get more coverage, and writers have told us they’ve pushed for their green stories to run, only to get cut in final publication. Let me be perfectly clear: We welcome criticism that helps us improve Green Cup, but not simply “you should do more.” We know that and we are growing, but it takes time.
Please reach out to us with feedback at [email protected].
-Phil Dziedzic
Green Cup Co-Chair
McCormick senior
DM dancers don’t need to worry over half-money deadline
In light of a recent article printed in the Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM) would like to clarify the misrepresentations made in the article and to apologize for the scare that it may have caused registered dancers.
Dancers who did not meet NUDM’s half money deadline need NOT drop out of Dance Marathon. There is plenty of time to reach your fundraising goal by the Full-Money deadline on February 22, and NUDM encourages any dancers struggling to meet their goal to reach out to NUDM for help. If you are having difficulty reaching your fundraising goal, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
NUDM would like to encourage dancers to fundraise by following the approved Evanston canning dates, organizing letter-writing drives, and participating in the numerous NUDM-sponsored events at which entrance fees count toward group fundraising totals.
Additionally, NUDM is offering fundraising incentives at two upcoming basketball games. The groups with the most attendees present at the Men’s Basketball game on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. and Women’s Basketball game at noon on Feb. 20 have an opportunity to win thousands of dollars toward their group total. For more details on these and other fundraising events, visit nudm.org and sign up for the NUDM listserv. These are the best ways to stay informed about NUDM.
The half money deadline exists to aid dancers in reaching their fundraising goal and to remind them that the full money deadline is approaching. It does not exist to force dancers to drop out of Dance Marathon, or to miss the opportunity to participate in a campus tradition. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please direct them to [email protected].
-Hanna McKeen and Erin Gray
Dance Marathon Public Relations Co-Chairs
