Environmental Contest Underway on Campus

Emphasizing the need to conserve, recycle and reduce waste, Harvard has launched its sixth annual Green Cup competition.

The interhouse competition, organized by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC), is an environmental protection effort designed to create awareness of the impact the University has on the environment.

The competition has the added benefit of holding down energy costs for the College.

Mike N. Lichten, the University's director of physical resources, said the success of this year's Green Cup is especially crucial given the recent rise in the cost of heat, which could ultimately affect tuition costs.

"For the administration, we're naturally interested in containing the energy costs," Lichten said. "We are trying to conserve heat, electricity and water because this impacts the cost of operating the College."

The water, electricity and energy usage as well as trash disposal are monitored and measured by EAC and the Department of Preservation to determine the most environmentally efficient house.

A prize will be awarded to the house that shows the highest percentage improvement this year as compared to the average of the previous three years.

The competition, which began this week and will continue until April 24, is co-sponsored by the Department of Physics, which is paying about $5,000 to cover advertising costs for the competition.

Although last year's particularly cold winter made conservation of heat difficult, only two houses failed to improve their conservation efforts, and organizers hope to have more students participate this year.

"We don't emphasize winners or losers," Lichten said. "The idea is that everybody participate."

During the winter, there will be monthly rewards for the three houses that show the most progress in economizing.

Eliot House won last year's competition, followed by Lowell House and the South Yard. Residents were awarded Green Cup T-shirts and mugs as prizes.

Students can decrease consumption by taking shorter showers, turning off appliances that are not in use and reporting leaky faucets, window drafts and heating problems

During the winter, there will be monthly rewards for the three houses that show the most progress in economizing.

Eliot House won last year's competition, followed by Lowell House and the South Yard. Residents were awarded Green Cup T-shirts and mugs as prizes.

Students can decrease consumption by taking shorter showers, turning off appliances that are not in use and reporting leaky faucets, window drafts and heating problems