Be Spartan Green - Environmental Stewardship on the Campus of Michigan State University

Be Spartan Green. Environmental Stewardship at Michigan State University

Earth hour and dim down 2009 at MSU

Michigan State University was proud to be a flagship University for Earth Hour 2009. On Saturday, March 28th from 8:30-9:30 p.m. MSU joined major cities and organizations from around the world in turning off its lights, making a statement about the seriousness of climate change and demonstrating a commitment to finding solutions. MSU also held its own event called Dim Down on Friday, March 27th from noon-1:00 p.m. Similar to Earth Hour, Dim Down is an MSU initiative specifically designed to get the entire campus community engaged in sustainable behavior by rethinking their everyday energy uses.

During Earth Hour and Dim Down we asked the MSU community to turn off its lights and non-essential equipment for one hour. Non-essential equipment included computers, monitors, speakers, printers, copiers, fax machines, and unplugging unused phone chargers. The goal was to engage the campus community to rethink about their daily energy uses and what steps they can take to conserve energy.

Results

We are happy to report that during Dim Down there was a 1.5 Megawatt decrease in campus energy usage compared to the hours immediately before and after the event. This was equal to a three percent reduction in campus energy usage! This fantastic accomplishment demonstrates that the MSU community is committed to increasing sustainable action. Special thanks to those in Agriculture Hall, who dropped their energy usage by 20 percent, and to those who participated in the Dim Down walk!

People walk across MSU's campus during the Dim Down walk People gather at the base of Beaumont Tower at the end of the Dim Down walk

MSU community members walking around campus during dim down CFL light bulbs are handed out during the dim down walk

Members of the MSU community take part in the 2009 Dim Down walk.

MSU students play cards by candle light during Earth Hour 2009

A group of MSU students play cards by candlelight during Earth Hour 2009.

Be sure to check out the State News article about Dim Down for more info.

To put 1.5 Megawatts into perspective:

image showing how many common appliances would have to be turned off to save 1.5 megawatts

Earth Hour also had great success. Much of the campus community participated and showed what being Spartan Green is all about. Special thanks to all those who participated in the residence hall events, especially those with the Emmons Hall drum circle.

learn more about earth hour

Want to know more about Earth Hour 2009? Check out the official video:

REDUCE
REUSE / RECYCLE
RESEARCH / REEDUCATE
REDESIGN
RETHINK

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