The University of Texas at Austin Energy and Water Conservation (EWC) Program is asking the campus community to turn off lights, computers, and other equipment when leaving campus buildings for the weekend on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. Called Longhorn Lights Out, this voluntary initiative demonstrates how simple, individual actions can result in significant energy savings across campus. During the September 2013 Longhorn Lights Out, the university saved almost 17,000 kWh of electricityequivalent to turning off 1,900 compact fluorescent bulbs and removing the greenhouse gas emissions of 2.5 cars for one year.
On Friday, volunteers from the student chapters of Engineers for a Sustainable World and American Society of Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE) will assist with turning off lights and electronics, as they did in Sept. and Nov. 2013. The Division of Housing and Food Service will participate as well, as part of the division’s sustainability efforts.
Through the remainder of the Spring 2014 semester, Longhorns Lights Out will take place on the last Friday of the month.
To volunteer for Longhorn Lights Out, send an email with your contact information to energysteward@austin.utexas.edu.
Follow Longhorn Lights Out on Facebook and on Twitter at @UTEnergyConserv (#LonghornLightsOut).
To learn more about Longhorn Lights Out, visit Facilities Services website. For information about other initiatives to conserve energy and water on campus, visit Energy and Water Conservation program website.
