A collaborative effort to spark energy-saving habits in UNBC’s residences has earned provincial recognition.

UNBC’s contribution to BC Hydro’s Energy Wise Network recently received the peer-voted Most Creative Campaign award. The campaign, led by UNBC’s Office of Sustainability, was developed in consultation with BC Hydro and the program’s consultants, Prism Engineering. It focused on engaging students living in residence with tools and strategies for reducing energy and water use.

At the heart of the campaign was a spirited challenge between residence buildings to see which could make the biggest dent in their electricity and water use. The reward? A brand-new ping pong table and a board game, turning energy savings into community fun.

A group of Environmental Studies (ENVS) 326 - Public Engagement for Sustainability students also helped the campaign make an impact. As part of their class project, they partnered with the Office of Sustainability to help bring the campaign to life, promoting it throughout the residence buildings, conducting surveys and engaging peers through tabling, door hangers and social media outreach.

As a culmination of their involvement, the students in ENVS 326 presented their analysis of the campaign’s engagement strategies and outcomes during a class presentation, sharing reflections and recommendations to strengthen future energy-saving initiatives.

“Being part of this campaign was an incredible learning experience,” said ENVS 326 student Sri Nishitha Rajkumar. “It was exciting to apply what we learned in class to a real initiative and see it make a tangible impact. Seeing the campaign succeed and knowing we played a part in that was incredibly rewarding.”

The campaign successfully reduced electricity usage by 2,000 kilowatt-hours—enough to charge UNBC’s electric Nissan Leaf 50 times. It also saved approximately 33,000 litres of water, the equivalent of providing the drinking water needs of 11,000 students for one day.

“It was great to see so many parts of the UNBC community come together—this campaign was a real team effort,” said Ann Duong from the Office of Sustainability. “The Residence Coordinators helped circulate information and track participation through person-night data, while Sahil Dino, our Energy Manager, used that data to calculate electricity and water savings to determine the winning building.”

More details about the campaign are available on the UNBC Sustainability website.