Meet the Energy Challenge, Win

To the Editor:

After less than 100 days in office, George W. Bush has already shown his fervor for dismantling much of the environmental progress that has been made. No support for the Kyoto accord to limit the greenhouse gases that lead to climate change. Cutbacks on his own planned reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Eagerness to drill for oil in a wildlife refuge. As Oberlin students dismayed at this turn of events, we could just sit back and count the days until the next elections. But we have different ideas: we can act on our own, outside the political process, and demonstrate how effective simple changes can be. That’s one motivation for the Spring Energy Challenge, April 15-30, sponsored by the Sierra Student Coalition and ResLife. Our challenge will reward the dorm or co-op with the greatest reduction in energy use with an ice cream social and a DVD player.
We are confident that by turning off computers when not in use, taking shorter showers, and using the cold water cycle when doing laundry, we can all make substantial reductions in the energy used on campus and reduce our own pollution (you know, that big smokestack in the Service Building).
Watch posters for more tips on ways to conserve energy and win that DVD player. And show Bush that his pathetic lack of leadership won’t stop you from doing what you can.

–Tami Blumenfield
College senior