Celebrating at Technical University of Crete
Article by Stelios Diakrousis (Dormitory Coordinator at Technical University of Crete, Greece)
Through SAVES 2, we have aimed for an overall 8% decrease in energy usage in dormitories across Europe taking part in Student Switch Off. We are delighted to announce that Technical University of Crete managed to successfully contribute to this target, by achieving an 8.1% reduction in their dormitories! The online dashboard, specifically developed for the project by Ecovisum, was a very useful tool for this, as it helped students see how much energy their dormitory was (or wasn’t!) saving on a regular basis.
Over the last academic year, numerous activities took place to raise awareness on energy saving; for example 10 photo competitions (with prizes provided by ANEK lines) were open to students involved in either the SSO and SSO+ campaigns. Each competition had a different theme, such as ‘’Energy saving and the kitchen’’ and ‘’Energy saving actions in the house’’, to help students remember the energy saving actions suggested by the campaigns.
To help better understand the impact of both the campaigns, various monitoring activities (surveys/focus groups) took place throughout the year. The final focus group, with a focus on the SSO+ campaign, took place in June 2018 and was attended by six students. The meeting helped us understand what knowledge students gained through the campaign, and how their awareness changed. One of the questions was about the awareness about energy consumption that the campaign offered them, and the students answered unanimously that “the SSO+ campaign made us feel aware of the energy savings in our homes, through the tips that can help reduce our consumption”, which is very encouraging.
At the end of the academic year, TUC organized a small party to celebrate the achievements of the SSO and SSO+ campaigns, and sign up new interested students for the campaigns taking place in the 2018-19 academic year. The event had a relaxing atmosphere, with lounge music (intertwined with music spots featuring students talking about the campaign!) and a small buffet.
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emails : sdiakrousis@hotmail.com
Facebook Page : Student Switch Off - TUC
Website : http://studentswitchoff.gr/
