Notre Dame has a rare opportunity to deliver a double victory during the upcoming battle against Wake Forest. Having challenged the Demon Deacons to a two-week dorm energy competition leading up to the November 17th game, Notre Dame students can beat Wake Forest before anyone even steps onto the field.
The Energy Bowl, as this competition has been named, will run from November 1st through 14th. Bragging rights will go to the school with the greatest percentage energy reduction, and the top ranking dorms on each campus will receive awards as well. At Notre Dame, the dorm that takes first place will win a Play Like A Champion banner signed by all the football coaches, and the runner-up dorms will receive autographed footballs. The first place dorm will also be recognized at the November 16th pep rally and at the game against Wake Forest on the 17th.
“While we compete among ourselves for energy saving titles on a regular basis, it’s great to go up against another University,” said Jack McLaren, Sustainability Commissioner of Knott Hall. “We will be able to get a real comparison between the two Universities for ultimate bragging rights.”
“Seeing a sustainable energy event spanning two universities is a real testament to the awareness and initiative of both student bodies,” added Michael Kipp, Sustainability Commissioner of Stanford Hall.
Earlier this semester, Notre Dame residence halls competed in the Kill-a-Watt Competition. Participation across the board was very high, with an average energy savings of 16%, but many dorms that did not place in the top tier are looking to the Energy Bowl to recover some lost glory.
“O’Neill is the best dorm on campus, so people are generally surprised when they hear we came in last [in the Kill-a-Watt],” according to Brian Donlin, Sustainability Commissioner of O’Neill. “We’re doing everything we can this time.”
“Knott Hall has historically done well in energy competitions and we were dissatisfied with our low finish in the most recent competition,” said McLaren. “All segments of the dorm from the ARs to the freshmen are committed to winning the upcoming competition and we will be implementing a variety of strategies aimed at making saving energy easy.”
The standings of the two campuses as well as the rankings of individual dorms can be tracked on Notre Dame’s Energy Dashboard.