On Feb. 12, the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) kicked off a two-week-long energy consumption reduction competition for the dorms across Pomona’s campus, which will soon come to an end.
The event, dubbed the “Eco-Olympics,” encouraged students to take “simple actions” such as turning off lights when leaving their rooms, unplugging unused devices and being mindful of their energy usage.
The three Pomona dorms with the highest reduction in energy consumption will be awarded various prizes, namely an Xbox console for first place, an air hockey table for second and a ping pong table for third.
Commissioner of Facilities and Environment Devansh Taliyan PO ’27 and Commissioner of Wellness Sidney Eramil PO ’27 spearheaded the initiative, hoping to foster a friendly yet competitive cross-dorm battle for the prizes.
Both said that they hope the event will increase awareness about energy consumption while simultaneously promoting a greater sense of community within the dorms through prize incentives.
Taliyan acknowledged the challenge behind encouraging behavioral changes, noting that people are often reluctant to let go of old habits. He said he’s hopeful that in a competitive setting, students will be more motivated to work towards growth.
Inspired by a similar inter-dorm competition at his previous school, Taliyan decided to launch the “Eco-Olympics” at Pomona. He said that he hopes the competition will promote community amongst the dorms, a point that Eramil also brought up.
“We noticed that for some of the dorms, especially the larger ones, it’s harder to form a community outside of your sponsor groups,” Eramil said. “We believe [these prizes] can help foster a sense of community.”
Some students across campus have begun to take notice of the competition and are hopeful that the efforts will be effective, including Elaine Suh PO ’28, who lives in the Mudd-Blaisdell residence hall.
Suh said she already reduces energy in her dorm by turning off her lights and air conditioning when they’re not needed and ensuring the sink water doesn’t run longer than needed. She said that spreading awareness through competitions like this could make sustainability efforts more widespread across campus.
“I think it’s a creative incentive and it’s nice that the school is trying to raise excitement around the competition,” Suh said.
ASPC also recently implemented other environmental initiatives, including a requirement that compost bins be present at campus events. Taliyan said that before this initiative, many events generated excess waste because food was simply tossed in the trash. Now, the requirement is helping to offset that excess waste.
As they look to the future, Taliyan and Eramil said they hope to find new initiatives that balance the often delicate act of engaging students and generating real impact.
“We are trying to reignite that passion for sustainability,” Eramil said.
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