Green Greek Challenge
Overview
From 2009 to 2011, the Office of Sustainability (OS) partnered with the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life (DFSL) on the Green Greek Challenge (GGC) – an initiative to encourage energy and water conservation among residents of Fraternity Row. For eight weeks each fall semester, residents of all 14 houses on Fraternity Row received weekly reports detailing their electricity and water use and overall progress in the competition. The competitions resulted in a 12% decrease in energy use compared to previous years! OS and DFSL decided to replace the Green Greek Challenge with the Green Chapter Program, which is open to chapters on and off campus.
2011 GGC Winners:
Congratulations to the following chapters for winning trophies for their performance in the 2011 competition.
- Green Greek Challenge Champion - Phi Tau
- Most Energy Efficient Chapter - Sigma Chi
- Most Water Efficient Chapter - Delta Chi
- Most Improved Chapter for Energy Efficiency - Lambda Chi
- Most Improved Chapter for Water Efficiency - Zeta Psi
Each resident of Phi Tau received an organic pillow from Savvy Rest Organic Mattresses, bragging rights for a whole year, and a really big trophy!
Impact
During each year of the GGC (2009 and 2010), residents on Fraternity Row used 12% less electricity than the pre-GGC (2006-2008) average – saving a total of 217,000 lbs. CO2 and $16,240 in two years. The following graph illustrates energy savings observed in GGC years versus non-GGC years. Click here for a more detailed analysis.
For more information, contact:
Mark Stewart
Sustainability Manager
301-405-4633
stewartm@umd.edu