From January 18th to February 15th, 116 schools throughout the country will compete to reduce electricity usage at their schools by taking part in the 2012 national Green Cup ChallengeÂŽ (GCC). This year marks the 5th rendition of the project. Click here for information on the 2010 version. Sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance (GSA), the competition “is designed to raise awareness about energy conservation and provide concrete action towards reduction.”
As an integral part of the competition, schools measure their energy usage, which in and of itself helps raise awareness of consumption levels. Last year 121 schools took part in the challenge, reducing electricity usage “by an average of 4.5% from the baseline. Collectively that was a total reduction of 1,036,816 kilowatt hours and $124,418 saved from their electric bills.”
In addition to the energy challenge portion of the competition, students can take part in the annual Green Cup Challenge video contest. Some of the creative and inventive ways that students are going about saving energy are highlighted in these short productions.
The Green Schools Alliance, which organizes the challenge, was founded roughly 5 years ago. It “is a national non-profit organization uniting schools around the world to address 21st century environmental and climate challenges. Through its nearly 3,000 public, private and independent K-12 school members and chapters, GSA is reaching more than 2 million students in 40 U.S. states and 11 countries.” For more information on how your school can join, click here.
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