The Carbon Charge Task Force contest winners are…

February 23, 2015

Yale’s Presidential Carbon Charge Task Force is happy to announce the winners of two contests that took place in late January as a means of engaging the Yale community in identifying energy-saving opportunities on campus.

The winners of the first contest – which asked the Yale community how to use energy information and incentives to engage students, faculty, and staff in the effort to reduce Yale’s carbon footprint – are:

  • Peter Ambiel, Yale College ’15 – Yale Men’s Varsity Soccer
  • Jonah Bader, Yale College ’16 – Jonathan Edwards College Sustainability Committee
  • Brandon Blaesser, Yale College ’15 – Yale Men’s Varsity Lightweight Crew
  • Pooja Chopra, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) ’15 – School of F&ES
  • Brandon Hudik, Yale College ’17 – Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project
  • Tina Saller, Senior Administrative Assistant, Woodbridge Hall – Office of the Secretary

Each winner will receive a cash prize of $100, to be awarded to the institution that they have identified. Winning submissions ranged from developing annual energy-saving competitions between residential colleges to incorporating strategies from behavioral economics into Yale’s monthly energy reports to encourage energy-saving behavior.

Other ideas included automated computer shutdown, online scheduling and door-to-door service for shuttle transportation, and installing energy dashboards in residential colleges, departments, and other high-use spaces.

The second contest asked the Yale community to search for best practices for promoting energy conservation. The winner of the $500 cash prize for this contest is:

  • Eric Traester, Yale Security – Yale Security

Eric’s winning recommendation involved both automating and integrating lighting and heating/cooling controls in campus buildings.

Congratulations to the winners! The Presidential Carbon Charge Task Force would also like to thank the rest of the participants for their suggestions. There were 57 total submissions. Twenty-nine students and 28 staff participated.

The task force plans to incorporate the recommendations into its final proposal to Provost Benjamin Polak and President Peter Salovey.