The Lifestyle ProjectThe Lifestyle ProjectKarin Kirk, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton

CollegeTim Lutz, West Chester University

Challenge students to take the energy conservation concepts they’ve learned in class and apply them to their own life.

PurposePurpose

Project GoalsProject Goals

I want students to be able to...• Develop a quantitative sense for how much

energy is used during everyday tasks.• Understand the linkages between food

production, waste output, water use and energy consumption.

• Take on a personal challenge to reduce their energy use.

• Learn effective methods to reduce energy use.• Come away from the project with a lasting

message.

How does the project How does the project work?work?• 4 weeks long

• Begin with a “hook” that alerts students to their personal energy footprint. (no sermons)

• Week 1: Baseline measurements• Students pick 3 categories from 7 possible

categoriesHeat Car Electricity Water Food Garbage “Create your own”

• Weeks 2-4: The Challenge• For each category the rules are clearly

defined.• Each week the project becomes more

rigorous, because students will have to meet the requirements more frequently.

• Students keep track of their activities in a journal, which is turned in weekly.

The categoriesThe categories1. TURN DOWN THE HEAT

Lower the thermostats by 3 degrees each week. This option is limited to those who have control over their own thermostats and who have cooperative housemates!

“My thermostat is usually set at 85 degrees because I am

from Florida.” “I have finally gotten my housemates to cooperate and stop turning up the heat. I think they are starting to get the point!”

2. NO GARBAGE Spend each project day producing no waste that would end up in a landfill. Students quickly find themselves analyzing every move they make, which is simultaneously frustrating and enlightening. They begin to realize that many everyday tasks result in waste being produced and they need to find alternatives.

“Our family is about to begin our third week using the same thirteen-gallon garbage bag.”

“It seems impossible to not produce garbage for even one day. At first it didn’t sound like a big deal, but after trying it for just this first day I realized just how much garbage I normally produce! It’s embarrassing!”

3 and 4. CONSERVE ELECTRICITY AND WATER Students aim to reduce electricity and water consumption by 50%. You may find yourself amazed by the lavish energy use of your students prior to the project.

“When I went home for break I went around the house turning off the lights and my Dad just about fell over. He said he’s been yelling at me all my life to stop leaving lights on and now I was reminding him to turn them off!”

“Today is my first day on the project. I was unprepared for the immediate affect on my daily routine, but it had a big impact. Each time I went to do something, I had to think of how my actions would affect the environment.”

“I leave Christmas lights on in my room most of the time because I don’t like coming home to a dark room.”

5. LEAVE THE CAR AT HOME Students must not drive their cars on each of their project days. Instead they discover other options like riding the bus, walking, riding their bikes, or simply planning ahead to reduce the need to drive daily.

“Between walking to class and not eating hamburgers, I’ve lost 7 pounds during this project. My girlfriend is psyched!”

“Transportation is a big thing in my life…I drive everywhere.”

6. EAT EFFICIENTLY For each project day students adopt a vegetarian diet. Students who are already vegetarians or nearly so can take it a step further and eat locally-produced, organic, or vegan foods.

“Oh my God I ate a veggie-burger! If my housemates saw me do this, I would never hear the end of it.”

Number of “project days”Number of “project days”increases each weekincreases each week

Week 1 - baselineWeek 2 - 2 days per categoryWeek 3 - 3 days per categoryWeek 4 - 4 days per category

Each student turns in a journal at the end of each week.

Assessment via Assessment via JournalsJournals

• Students make one entry for or each day they participate in project activities, keeping track of what they do in each of their three categories.

• Journals are turned in weekly and are quickly returned to the students so that they can receive guidance on their efforts.

• Weekly “embedded” homework questions can be assigned and the students put the answers into their journal for that week.

• Additional interaction can be set up via a course discussion board.

“I find it painfully ironic that a class I took only to fulfill the science requirement will have a stronger impact on how I actually live my life, day to day, than any other class I’ve taken.”

The Lifestyle Project at West Chester University:The Lifestyle Project at West Chester University:What’s new at WCU?What’s new at WCU?

Kill A Watt™ meters used to measure electricity use

Greater accuracy for variable power level uses and for phantom loads

Students determine how their own level and type of usage affects their energy.

Better hands-on understanding of energy and power.

Energy made visible and “countable”Energy made visible and “countable” through carbon emissions through carbon emissions

Climate change is a key topic in my course

1 gallon of gasoline 125,000 BTU 80 briquettes (briqs)

4 charcoal briquettes 1 lb CO2

1 ccf natural gas 52 briqs1 gallon propane 56 briqs

1 kWh (PA) 4.7 briqs1 kWh (WY) 9.3 briqs

*EPA’s eGRID model: http://cfpub.epa.gov/egridweb/index.cfm *EPA’s Calculations and References for GHG conversions to equivalent units http://epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/refs.html

Entertainment center kept on for one day. A day’s driving…

Per capita residential GHG emissionsin West Chester PA 122 briqs/day

Students share their experiencesStudents share their experiencesThe lifestyle project typically elicits wonderful writing in students’ journals and reflective essays. I wanted my students’ struggles, discoveries, and achievements to live on after they leave my classroom.

Students wrote capsule summaries; some questions were required to provide consistent search terms…

Answer all of these:

•Living situation (Dorm (43%), on-campus apartment (9%), off-campus apartment (28%), house (21%)) •Which two areas did you pay attention to during the Project:(Electricity (67%), water (40%), driving (40%), food (26%), waste/recycling (24%)) •What did you find out about your use of energy, water, or other resources? •What specific changes did you try to accomplish?

Students share their experiencesStudents share their experiences… other questions gave opportunities for individual choice but elicited similar types of responses.

Answer at least 3 of the following: •What did you change that made the biggest difference? (47%)•What change are you most proud of accomplishing, and why? (48%)•Will you keep the changes you made for the Project? Why?  (74%)•What was the hardest thing to change, and why? (47%)•What was easier to change than you thought, and why? (31%)•What kept you from accomplishing more? (28%)•Did making your changes cost or save you money? How? (29%)•How did friends, roommates, family react to your work on the Project? (33%)•What advice do you have for students who want to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? (22%)

The objective of creating an online summary was part of the project from the beginning of the semester.

A preview of the slide show greatly impressed the Environmental Council; discussion included how to “grow” the project, including a slide show of faculty lifestyle changes.

Each student decided whether his/her work could be used in a slide show of capsule summaries on WCU’s Environmental Council website; most agreed.

Jessica Gabe lives at home; she paid attention to electricity use and driving.

What did you find out about your use of energy, water, or other resources?-I used a lot of electricity when I did not even need it. I left lights on for periods that I was not in the room, and when I did have them on I found I did not really need them. I noticed that I do drive a lot, but it is mostly just to school and work. What specific changes did you try to accomplish?-I took out 2 of the 4 light bulbs in my room. I cut the time I had them on in half, and practically didn’t even notice the difference. I also cut my driving back a bit. I carpooled when going out with other people and I saved money and CO2 emissions.

What change are you most proud of accomplishing, and why?-I am very proud that I cut back on driving. Seeing all of the other drivers on the road, I realized just how much carbon dioxide is released at a significant rate. If only more people could carpool, that would be a ton of energy saved!Will you keep the changes you made for the Project? Why?-I will definitely keep the changes I made. Not only am I saving my parents on the electricity bill, but it feels good to know the small difference I am making for the environment. Also, I like carpooling a lot better because it saves me a ton of gas money.What was the hardest thing to change, and why?-The hardest change for me was only driving to school and work. I love my car and I love the freedom of being able to get up and go whenever I please. However, I am now more aware of the environmental damages caused by driving so much. It makes me feel more eco-friendly and I have even gotten my parents to cut back too.

Maggie Hill lives in a dorm; she paid attention to driving and waste & recycling

What did you find out about your use of energy, water, or other resources?-I found out that I was using a lot more energy than I thought through my excessive amount of driving.What specific changes did you try to accomplish?-I tried to cut down my driving by walking or riding a bike.

What change are you most proud of accomplishing, and why? -I am most proud of cutting back the amount of driving I have been doing because I am not only exercising more; I am saving a lot of money that I would have spent on gas.Will you keep the changes you made for the Project? Why? -I will keep the changes I made for the Project because through cutting back the amount that I drive my car in one week, I dropped my CO2 emissions by 100 pounds. I would like to keep trying to get that number down. Also, I will keep up with recycling and trying to find ways to change my waste products into recyclable products.What was the hardest thing to change, and why? -Not driving as often was definitely the hardest thing to change. I really enjoy going home, so I would leave school and drive home almost twice a week. It was hard trying not to do that as often during the week I did this Project. However, I started to get used to it by the end of the Project.

Kim Kline lives in a dorm; she paid attention to water use and waste & recycling.

What did you find out about your use of energy, water, or other resources? -I realized that I use a lot more water (particularly hot water, which requires more energy to produce) than I really need to. What specific changes did you try to accomplish? -I tried to cut down the amount of time I was using water, as well as use cold water as much as possible rather than hot.  I also tried to be more conscious of what I was throwing away and whether it could be recycled rather than just added to the waste in landfills.

How did friends, roommates, family react to your work on the Project?-When I told my friends and family what I was doing, they all wanted to try it too!  My roommate really helped me with the recycling in our room; we even made separate trash cans in our room for recyclable products.  Some friends also said that they could probably cut down on their water consumption too, so they made that effort.  Did making your changes cost or save you money? How?-The changes that I made to my lifestyle were absolutely free.  It did not cost me a penny to put more thought into my daily activities.  All it took was a little bit more effort, but it was rewarding to see my levels of consumption go down. What advice do you have for students who want to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? -The most important thing to do is be conscious of what you are doing and using each day.  Pay attention to how much water you are using, and think of how you can reduce that amount, because you probably can.  Also think about the things you are throwing away each day and ask yourself if you could dispose of them more efficiently.  Most of the changes you can make are very easy!  You just have to put some thought into it.

Kat Rudolph lives at home; she paid attention to food consumption and waste/recycling.

What did you find out about your use of energy, water, or other resources?-There are many things I can recycle that I never thought of; what I am eating is highlyprocessed with few whole foods and too much meat, which uses many fossil fuels.What specific changes did you try to accomplish?-I encouraged reducing paper at work; used my own reusable mug; brought office paper toa recycling bin, and paid attention to reducing packaging. I reduced my meat consumptionto 4 servings per week, reduced processed foods and made more organic food choices.

Will you keep the changes you made for the Project? Why?-Yes, the changes to my waste and recycling took very little effort and had a big payoff. What was the hardest thing to change, and why?-The food changes were very difficult for me and so I am planning on changing my habitslittle by little until my diet will be healthy for me and the planet.Did making your changes cost or save you money? How?-Changing my food habits did cost more money. I tried to eat more organic foods andthese are more expensive. However, I generally feel that organic foods are tastier and ofa higher quality than non-organic, so I felt okay about spending the extra money. How did friends, roommates, family react to your work on the Project?-When talking to people about the project, I find most people get defensive and attemptto make me feel like I’m crazy and silly for doing something like this. What advice do you have for students who want to save energy and reduce greenhouse

gas emissions?-My advice is to just pay attention to everything and don’t be overwhelmed. Stay involvedand connected with your community. Talk to your friends and family about theenvironment, but don’t lecture them.

Does it “stick?”Does it “stick?”

Has your lifestyle changed in any permanent ways since the Lifestyle Project?

Yes 81%No 19%

Skidmore College survey, 1996

“I am so aware now that I cringe when I see lights on that shouldn’t be, and when people take more napkins than they need.

Will I always be like this?”

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/enviroprojects/lifestyle.html