Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 30, 1993 TAG: 9312300219
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HAMPDEN-SYDNEY LENGTH: Medium
But 11 Hampden-Sydney College students say their housekeeping efforts have created the most efficient residence hall on campus.
The students run a "green house," a dormitory where they keep track of recyclables, track energy consumption and use environmentally friendly cleaners.
In September, college officials gave the students a Victorian house that had been used as a regular dormitory. The students spent about $850 on improvements that were in place by October. They already have saved on electricity and water bills.
"It's a great place to live," said Logan Brown, one of the group's organizers. "You're not just another person living in a dorm and being taken care of by janitors. We're all actively involved."
The students replaced all the light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent bulbs. In October, they used 1,320 kilowatt hours of electricity, compared with 3,181 kilowatt hours used at the house in the same month last year.
During a three-month period in the fall, water consumption dropped to 20,020 gallons, compared with 51,780 gallons for the same period of 1992. The students installed water-saving shower heads, faucet aerators and toilet dams at a cost of $48.
The students caulked windows, sealed cracks and have experimented with raising and lowering window blinds to use the sun for heat.
They also have experimented with environmentally safe cleaners, such as a lemon juice and baking soda mixture for scrubbing sinks and floors.
"Nobody wants to scrub a toilet, but somebody does it," said resident Rob Robinson. "I know this dorm is cleaner than any other on campus. When we realize that we have to clean it up, we're more careful."
Robinson doubts that an ordinary household could realize comparable savings. The house's kitchen was replaced by a computer room, and the residents eat in the campus dining hall. Students hang up most of their wet laundry on outdoor and indoor clotheslines instead of using the dorm's washer and dryer.
There are a few drawbacks, the students said, including a half-mile walk to the dining hall and some teasing from other students.
"Friends outside the house sometimes give me a hard time. Living in the Green House is like living in a glass house," said Robinson. "We are always being examined."
by CNB