Lane Residence Hall third floor wins inaugural Green Room Challenge

12:11 p.m., May 16, 2014--University of Delaware Residence Life and Housing challenged students to certify their rooms as environmentally sustainable and the third floor of Lane Residence Hall (Lane 3) came out on top.

The Green Room Challenge was a pilot initiative that ran from February until Earth Week in which students were asked to certify their rooms as environmentally efficient and sustainable, or “green.”

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Students from Rodney, Ray Street, and Russell, Lane and Thompson complexes had the opportunity to fill out an online survey regarding their energy usage, methods of transportation, food consumption and purchasing habits.

“The main purpose of Green Room Challenge is to help students understand that living sustainably begins right at home,” said Dillon Kimmel, a residence hall coordinator who helped organize the challenge. “Many of the most impactful things they can do happen right in their residence hall, and we wanted a way to recognize those who’ve made a conscious choice to do their part in helping UD meet its sustainability commitments.” 

Over the course of two months, 194 students had their rooms certified and, as a result of their participation, were eligible to win local and sustainable prizes. 

After completing the survey, all students received a door cling indicating that they had certified their rooms as well as information about additional ways to live green on campus.

According to Kimmel, the program also seeks to inform students about opportunities to get involved in sustainability efforts on campus.

Lane 3 had the highest percent of participation, with 100 percent of students’ rooms certified. The floor won organic cotton, locally sourced T-shirts as well as a year of bragging rights. 

Freshman Kathleen Gundermann is a resident of Lane 3. As chair of the Russell/Lane/Thompson Green Team, she helped lead the Green Room Challenge in her complex. 

“It was great seeing so many students come together through sustainability and green practice,” Gundermann said. “I can’t wait to see how this expands; hopefully we will have whole buildings and complexes certified.”

Visit the Residence Life and Housing website for more information regarding environmental sustainability initiatives.