A study on the Office of Sustainability

7/30/2019 A study on the Office of Sustainability

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Potential Greens & The Office of

Sustainability

Dennis Abrams, Andrea Cicio, Chris Hoopes & Sean Pepley

November 8, 2012


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Introduction

The Office of Sustainability has announced a plan to reduce Temple Universitys energy

bill. In the fiscal year, the University and Hospital had a $36.8 million bill. The current goal is to

reduce the energy bill by 25%. This would reduce the bill to a figure around $27.6 million; a

total savings of $9.2 million. In order to reach the goal, we were tasked with unmasking

opinions and insights the current student body holds about energy consumption and

conservation. These insights and opinions will ultimately lead to a strategy and

recommendations. A campus wide effort and a change in culture is the only way the goal will be

met.

Analysis description

In order to form strategy, we conducted eight in depth interviews. Our four person group

was tasked with finding insights and opinions from Temple University students who have little to

no concern about sustainability or the environment. We called these students potential greens

because a strategic repositioning of energy conservation at Temple can potentially convince

them to participate in the effort. Our interviews began with a screener question:

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being least important, 10 being most important, how concerned

are you with environmental issues?

We used data from respondents who answered 5 or lower. After we conducted our

interviews, we transcribed our recordings and looked for familiar themes among the

respondents. To organize all of our insights we used a cut and paste method, which involves

taking similar quotes from all of our interviews and labeling them with relevant categories. The

document, with several themes and corresponding quotes, allowed our team to define insights

based on the topics that students discussed. After evaluating the data, we developed three key

insights held by our audience of potential greens and made appropriate recommendations for

effective communications.

Visibility

The first insight gleaned from our research is that the Office of Sustainability needs to

create more of a presence on campus. During our research, we made it a priority to ask

questions about the Office of Sustainability. Universally, everyone knew who you were, which is


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a good thing. What is not good, on the other hand, is that no one knew what you are working on

at this moment in time. When asked if they knew what the Office of Sustainability was doing,

students generally expressed a lack of knowledge. One student said, Um... not really. I mean

before this project I didn't really know what they were doing, and another said, I don't know

because I don't hear too much about them.

The Office of Sustainability has somewhat of an impression in students mind. Students

understand the Office of Sustainability is a group on campus that does environmental stuff and

that theyhave a guy in a...like, green man suit that does stuff now and then. While it is good

students associate you with being environmentally friendly, it is not good that students do not

know what specific initiatives you are launching to achieve that status.

One student said, yknow, like the website. I mean, the website is kinda helpful, but I

definitely think they can do more things to promote it and show me what theyre about, whereas

another said, "I may just read [Information about the Office] and say, Oh, its another Temple

org. In addition to being visible, you need to be relevant and interesting, and you must stand

out from the crowd of other Temple advocacy groups.

Recommendation: Increase Visibility

With that said, the Office of Sustainability needs to become more visible. Events are

good; promoting them heavily is crucial. Considerbuying mediafrom Temples various outlets,

such as WHIP and The Temple News, to increase awareness about your organizations work

and brand. Buying media could also include a banner on campus, an email blast, or web.Temple itself has many affordable, accessible web advertising solutions at your disposal.

Social media promotion is important, but potential greens havent liked your page on

Facebook yet. In orderto reach out to potential greens, another recommendation is to recruit

on-the-ground staff members, with rented laptops or iPads, who stop students on campus and

ask them to sign the Sustainability Pledge on your website. This increases traffic to the website,

increases traffic to your Facebook and Twitter and creates student awareness. If you do this

every week, it is certain youll be known around campus.

Apathy

The second insight revealed by our research is that students' feel less obligated to

conserve energy on campus because of financial apathy and the belief that doing so is an

institutional responsibility.


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While research has shown that potential green students seem to at least be partially

aware of the benefits of energy conservation, they expressed that they do not feel obligated to

assist Temple University in advancing these efforts. One student stated, Oh, I'm already paying

for this through my tuition, implying that they feel that students aren't responsible for their

collective energy use.

The students we spoke with seem to be more inclined to conserve energy within their

own homes, as they feel they have much more impact on a bill they are personally paying for.

One student said, ...at home I [take] extra care, but [at school] not so much. The widespread

apathy among potential greens stems from their belief that, unlike in their own homes, their

energy consumption habits on campus have no direct cost to themselves.

Recommendation: Turn Apathy Into Acknowledgment

Research has shown that an effective way to reach potential greens is to communicate

how practicing conservation habits may lead towards saving them money, even at the university

level. In order to prove that energy consumption has a direct relationship to tuition rate, provide

statistics and research-based evidence that a connection between the two exists. Even the

most apathetic student seems to have concerns rooted in finances, so the best way to reach

them is to exploit these concerns.

Additionally, it is important for The Office of Sustainability to continue work with the

energy teams. The energy teams findings can provide information to potential greens that

show their personal energy consumption habits have a direct cost.

Personal Insignificance

The third insight revealed by our research is that potential green students would be

inclined to conserve energy if their actions could be shown to be part of a collective effort. Since

energy conservation is practiced on such a large scale, students, for the most part, feel that

their individual efforts could not possibly contribute to such a large movement. In the words of

one student, Its like, um, my effect is at a minimum. This statement further emphasizes thenotion that potential greens are skeptical about about conserving energy because they do not

have an understanding of how doing so is meaningful in both their personal lives and

communities.

Potential greens largely feel as though improving or changing their consumption habits

do not make a difference because individual efforts are hard to see and track. As one student


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said, ...For energy conservation, um, its hard to see your effects on... like... when you think oh,

I wont charge my phone at school; it doesnt really seem like youre really doing much. This

shows that students are not convinced that their individual actions can make a difference but

also that they do not know how those actions fit into the bigger picture of energy conservation.

While potential greens are not convinced that their personal efforts make an immediate

impact, they do recognize the significance of a collaborative effort. In the words of one student,

You know, if you can get everyone involved it might be so much more the effects of [energy

conservation] just really showing that it can impact you at Temple and it does impact you.

This reveals that potential greens feel as though individual efforts are not individually

measured and recognized; rather, they believe individual efforts only matter when they are

meshed into the bigger picture of energy conservation on campus.

Recommendation: Make the Insignificant Significant

As stated, our research shows that students believe their individual efforts do not make

significant strides towards energy conservation. In order to reverse this perception, it is essential

to establish that individual student behaviors do make a difference.

An effective way to do so is to incentivize energy conservation. A contest idea to

generate excitement and motivation to conserve derived directly from our research. One student

says, If there was any way for them [the Office of Sustainability] to judge.. . they could give us

an incentive, like, you know, Diamond Dollars or something by monitoring how much energy per

dorm and if we as a dorm got our cost down, I think thatd be really beneficial.This suggestion shows that students would be willing to make a conscious effort to

conserve energy if their efforts are visible and rewarded. Doing so not only records individual

actions but it also shows students they have personal significance in the movement to conserve.

Conclusion

A conjoined effort by faculty and staff is the only way Temple University can reach its

goal in energy reduction. Through research and evaluation we have created recommendations

that will help you change campus culture and create more awareness. By creating a campuswide collectiveness we can make a difference. With a stronger presence and a change in

faculty and student attitude we can lower our energy bill by 25%. Our recommendations l ill

help you succeed in your goal, and the $9.2 million dollars saved can be used to make Temple

University a greener campus.


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Appendix

Interview Guide:

Qualifications:

1- Must be a Temple University student

2- Must have little to no concern about energy conservation

Screener questions:

1- On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important, how

concerned are you with environmental issues?


important is it to you to conserve energy within your own home?


important is it to you that your school actively makes efforts to conserve energy?

(Continue if respondent ranks this 5 or less.)

Introduction:

Congratulations, you are qualified to continue with the interview. I will be conducting this

interview to gain an expanded understanding about your attitudes towards energy conservation.

For complete accuracy, I will be recording your answers. Please note you reserve the right to

withdraw from the interview at any time.

1 Tell me about your living situation. Where do you live? Do you live on campus? Off-

campus? Roommates? How many?

2 Grand Tour. Tell me about your routine after you come home from school [if any

gadgets are mentioned, please go off of this]

3 Tell about the gadgets in your house. Do you own a TV? How long is it running for? Do

you have a video game system? Do you have a desktop or a laptop? If they live with

roommates, ask about their energy habits as well.

4 Tell me about your energy consumption.As far as gadgets go, are they turned on mostof the time that youre home? Do you sometimes have gadgets turned on but not use

them? What about when youre sleeping, do you have any gadgets on? How do you

charge your cell phone? Do you leave it charging when youre sleeping? What about

your laptop? Do you leave it plugged in most of the day? What about when youre at

school? Do you charge your phone/laptop even when its fully charged?


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5 Grand tour. [use this as a method to get the conversation from home school]

Tell me about your routine after you wake up for class.

6 Tell me about your energy consumption at school. Where do you spend the majority of

your time at school? Do you think you make an active effort to conserve energy when

youre at school? Why or why not? Do you think you have a right to unplug plugs or turn

off lights when you leave a vacant classroom or hallway? If, not please explain why. Do

you believe that energy conservation at school is as important as it is at home? Why or

why not?

7 Tell me about the importance of energy conservation at home and at school. Do you

think energy conservation is more valuable at home or at school? Do you believe ones

personal efforts to conserve energy hold more weight in your own home or in your

school? Please explain why.

8 Tell me about your thoughts on Temples efforts to encourage energy conservation. Are

you familiar with Temples Office of Sustainability? If yes, are you familiar with any of

their initiatives? Do you think it successfully communicates its goals and efforts? Do you

think the Office of Sustainability provides relevant links and outlets for students to reach

out and obtain more information? If not, how do you think the Office of Sustainability can

create a more visible presence?

9. Tell me your thoughts on how the Office of Sustainability can make energy

conservation meaningful and relevant for students.Are you aware that Temple is trying

to actively conserve energy on campus? Are you aware that energy conservation mayhave an impact on students tuition bills? What would make you more willing to

participate: keeping your tuition at a low rate, or knowing you are helping our carbon

footprint? Would you be willing to participate in a school-wide attempt to lower our

consumption? If not, would some type of incentive help you participate? Please list

ways in which the Office of Sustainability can show students their personal actions

directly influence energy conservation at Temple.

Transcripts:_______________________________________________________________________

Interviewer: Dennis Abrams

Respondent: Mary Peltz

Dennis: All right, so, congratulations you have qualified to continue with the interview. I

will be conducting this interview to gain an expanded understanding about your attitudes


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towards energy conservation. For complete accuracy, I will recording your answers.

Remember have a right to withdraw from the interview at any time.

Dennis: So, why dont you tell me about your living situation.

Mary Peltz: Uh, right now I live in South Philly at 11th and Montrose. I live with two other

roommates. So, its me and two other females. Um, one of them is in nursing school at

Jefferson so shes 21 and my other roommate is 22 she just graduated.

Oh, thats awesome. Woops, Im not supposed to say that.

Its okay, you can delete it.

Um, so why dont you tell me your routine after you come home from school.

Well, I usually stay at school most days of the week so Ill stay at Temple until around 10 oclock

at night. So, Ill come home and usually the lights are off so I turn on the living room light and

turn on the kitchen light and get something to eat, turn off the light and go upstairs maybe take a

shower, go to sleep, maybe do something on the computer.

So, you have a computer.

Yeah, Ill usually watch something, like go on Netflix or something. Watch Arrested

Development before I go to bed.

You dont have a TV or anything?

No, we dont have a TV at our place.

Okay. No video game system..?

No.

Just a computer?Yeah, just a computer.

A laptop?

Yeah, I have a laptop.

So, when youre watching Netflix, before youre going to bed, do you have it plugged in?

I do, actually. Right now, I have a horrible laptop. The battery is dying so I have to keep it

plugged in right now. Its bad, yeah. Its on my list to get a new battery. But, uh, yeah, I do keep

it plugged in.

Okay. So its a 3 bedroom you live in right? You each have your own room. Correct. Yes.

Theres a living room, so is there a place to watch stuff in there?

Theres no TV in the living room. Just a couch, some chairs, table, bookshelf, that type of thing.

Bikes.


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Okay. Do you have any idea what your roommates are doing in their room? Do they have

a TV?

No, none of us. We decided to not have pay for a TV. I definitely know my one roommate,

Sheila, I definitely know shes always on her computer. Whenever I see her, shes on her

computer.

Really.

Shes definitely one of those people that goes to sleep with it on. And, like, shes always looking

stuff up. So, shes definitely in her room always on the computer when she isnt working. Fiona,

my other roommate, I feel like shes on it sometimes but not as much.

Do you have the computer when you go to sleep?

I turn it off before I go to sleep. Ill usually just watch one episode and go to sleep.

Do you un-plug it or..?

Yes, Ill unplug it. I unplug it from the computer,I dont unplug it from the wall. But I do unplug it

almost every night from the computer, yeah.

Okay. What about your lights in your room. Do you have a lamp? Or.. a ceiling fan?

Yeah, I have a ceiling fan. I have um, side lights? Um, I hate overhead lights. I hate the look of

it. So, I have a lamp that I usually have on. I never turn off that lamp.

Okay, so you have a ceiling fan.

Yeah, but I never have it on.

Okay. Do you sleep with the lights on?

No, I dont. [laughter]Yeah. Had to ask.

Why dont you tell me about your routine after you wake up to go to class.

I wake up. I usually put on NPR on the phone. If I do take a shower, Ill put the radio on during

the shower. Turn on the hall light, turn on the bathroom light. Um, brush my teeth, uhh.. Yeah I

get changed. And...

So, you just have the radio on from when youre in the bathroom to..

Yeah, I have the radio on the entire time Im getting ready. So, when I wake up, Ill go to the

bathroom, take a shower, the radios there with me. Then, I go to my room to get changed andready. The radio is still on. The radios on the entire time until I leave the house.

Do you unplug the radio or do you just turn it off?

I have it on my phone.

Oh, oh, okay.

So, its just like, I plug in my phone every night. I dontknow if you want to know that but..


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Do you unplug the phone?

So, yeah Ill unplug it and take it to the bathroom. Ill replug when I get back to my room just to

keep the battery charged before I go to school. Because, you know, that takes up some..

energy.

Just from listening to it in the bathroom.

Yeah, um and then..

Charging all night?

Um, yes. Does that make sense? What Im saying? [laughter]

Yeah, yeah. Youre good. So, showers done. Getting ready for school. Turning off all the

lights?

Yes, I turn offall the lights, um, Im usually the first one to leave so, uh, I usually like, I have a

class at 8am so I try.. right now I drive to school because I got my bike stolen.

That sucks.

Yeah. So, yeah, so I usually leave around.. I try to get a spot because its 8am. So, yeah, I turn

off all the lights. Do they stay off all day? Im not really sure because Im always the first one to

leave. [laughter] But yeah, I turn off all the lights before I go.

So, your other roommates, you dont know what theyre doing because youre the first

one to leave?

Yeah, so I dont really know what they do because the majority of the days I leave first.

Okay, so you have a laptop, right? Do you bring it to school with you?

Not normally, no.Do you sometimes?

I would say, on average, maybe once every two to three weeks so..

Okay. Do you bring your charger for your phone to school?

No, I do not. I think Ive maybe done that maybe like.. half a dozen times since Ive been to this

school.

Okay. So, 8am class until.. when?

Um, I have an 8am so, I commute so Ill stay on campus. So, my last class ends at 5 so, I kinda

made it that way so Im kinda forced to stay on campus, do homework, meet up with people,

whatever, Um, so yeah, Im here on campus basically 8 till 5, everyday.

Do you.. go to the TECH center afterwards?

I do.. not. Im more of a library, uh yeah Paley person.

Where do you go in Paley, usually, to do your homework?

Um, usually, the third floor.


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Okay. Just those long tables?

Yeah, or Ill go on the computer.

Okay. The computers on the ground floor?

The computers on the third floor, yeah. On like, the quiet side.

As far as going on the computer goes, youre there like 3 hours, maybe?

Yeah, Id say around that.

When you leave that computer, do you.. whats your routine?

Uh, I mean I log off and thats about it. I dont turn..

Dont turn off the monitor?

Yeah, I dont touch it.

Dont turn off the computer itself?

Mm-mm.

Dont unplug anything?

No.

Okay. Um, so.. [pause]

So, when youre at school.. do you think you make an active effort to conserve energy?

I dont think so, I mean honestly, before this project, I havent really thought about it too much.

Okay.

I definitely do at home, but, um, no, I dont really think about it. Yeah, no.

So, do you think you have a right to turn off or unplug.. lights when you leave a vacant

classroom or hallway?Yeah, I think so. I mean if theres someone else in it, like I think, um, like my Visual

Communications class, its on the bottom floor of Tuttleman in, like, the computer labs and I

always think about it because my teacher will leave and a couple of us will stay and just do work

and I dont think any of us ever turn off the lights, because, like, we leave together, like, 10

minutes later. But, um, we do have the.. definitely I mean Ido think we do, I just.. dont think we

think about it.

Same thing with the monitors?

Yeah. Monitors stay on. I think that, thats a lot of energy right there that.. yeah probablyThose computers are just left on.

Yeah.

Um. [pause] Do you think that energy conservation at school is as important as it is at

home? Or..


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Yeah, I think so. I think its both important for financial and environmental. I mean, I definitely

care about the environment because yknow I think energy conservations kinda.. a little bit more

hard to do at school because I dont think about it as much but, yeah I think its important, just

as important cause obviously it steals our tuition um, yknow, I want our tuition to be down as

much as possible and yknow at home I pay for my electricity bill, so yknow I care about money

both ways.

[pause] Are you aware that Temple is actively trying to conserve energy on campus?

Until recently, [laughter] yes I do. Um, I mean before, this class, I definitely noticed the on-off

stickers on the light switches but, more than that, before this, I mean thats all I knew. I noticed

things like that, I mean I am aware they are trying little things, um, but besides that, thats really

all I knew. I didnt know they were trying to do anything more than.. yknow do little things here &

there.

[pause] Are you aware that student energy use may have an impact on tuition?

I did not, no. Before this, I never thought about it. So, no.

Um, [pause] So, knowing that, yknow student tuition is correlated with energy

consumption, in a way, do you feel that you should be making a more concerted effort to

conserve energy on campus?

Yeah, I think so, um, I think.. like, rooms, like I said, like Tuttleman, where I, yknow, if Im

leaving and Im the last to leave, I definitely should be making more of an effort to turn off lights.

Um, turning off my computer screen like you said. Um, things like that. Or, even like, um, for

example, like, classes are really cold.. or really hot, that type of thing. Um, sometimes when

theyre so cold, like even in the summer and its like why are they that cold? Like, I should make

more of an effort to go tell the Office of Sustainability about that. So, yeah I definitely think I

should do some things and.. should be doing it.

Um, would you be willing to participate in a school-wide attempt at lowering our

consumption?

Uh, yeah, I think so, I mean it depends on what it is, but Id definitely be interested in it.

All right. Um, [pause] Are you familiar with Temples Office of Sustainablity?

[laughter] Should I pretend that Im not? Uh, before, um, this? No, not at all, because now, Im

familiar with it. Um.. I just think that I never really think about it. So, it hasnt been something that

Im consciously doing anything about. But, hearing yknow the Office of Sustainability and

yknow, trying to help it, yknow I have more of a want to help. I think that, yknow, might help

them.

So, youre not aware of it.


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Yeah, I just, didnt really think about it. And maybe thats... yknow thats just me, thats just. I

mean, when Im coming to school, Im not thinking about saving energy or that I really can do

anything to save energy but, I guess I really can.

Um, okay. Do you think the Office of Sustainability provides relevant links & outlets for

students to obtain more information?

I think that they can do a better job with awareness of who they are and what theyre trying to

do, because like I said, like, I dont really know much besides the light switch stickers and stuff.

And, yknow if theyre really trying to make an effort, every student should at least know about it,

and I think they could definitely do more. Um, yknow, like the website. I mean, the website is

kinda helpful, but I definitely think they can do more things to promote it and show me what

theyre about.

Okay. I think thats about it.

Oh, you did well!

Thanks!

_______________________________________________________________________

Interviewer: Dennis Abrams

Respondent: Angela Jalbert

Dennis: All right, so, congratulations you have qualified to continue with the interview. I

will be conducting this interview to gain an expanded understanding about your attitudes

towards energy conservation. For complete accuracy, I will recording your answers.

Remember have a right to withdraw from the interview at any time.

Angela: Okay.

Dennis: Okay.

Okay, so on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being least important, 10 being most important, how


4 or 5? Maybe 6 on a good day?

All right. So, why dont you tell me about your living situation.

Well, I live at home.. with my parents.Kay.

Um, I...

Who else do you live with?

Uh, my brother and I have a dog and a ferret. Um..

Where do you live?


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Uh, South Philly. Pennsport, specifically. Um, around 2nd street.

Okay. And you go to Temple, right?

I do go to Temple.

Okay. Do you live off-campus or on-campus?

I live off-campus.

Okay. Um, and you dont have any roommates or anything? You live with your parents,

right.

I live with my parents.

All righty. So, why dont you tell me your routine after you come home from school.

Um, well, lets see. I, um, take the bus home. Then I usually walk the rest of the way. When I get

home, I either do homework, I have it, and if I dont, I usually sit around. Internet. Reddit. Or

television.

So, do you go to your room to do those things?

My room or the, uh, living room.

Okay. Where do you do your homework?

On the computer, usually. But I do a lot of art stuff too. So I do that on like, paper.

Okay. Do you have a laptop or a desktop?

I have a laptop.

All right. Um, when youre doing your homework, when you come home from school, do

you have your laptop plugged or do you have in running on the battery?

Um, it charges while Im at school and then Iunplug it to do it and then I plug it back in if it gets

low.

Okay. Um, when you are at home and youre in your room, do you have the lights on?

Hmm, not usually. Until it gets dark. I usually use daylight.. or the um, the computers backlit so

thats my main source of light.

Okay. How many lights do you have on when its nighttime?

Just the, um, I have one and its on a dimmer switch, so I dim it down when I go to sleep. And

thats just one light.

Is it the ceiling light?Its track lighting on the ceiling. And I have a fan on, on the ceiling too.

Okay. Um, so back to the computer. Okay youre coming home from school.. you um, I

mean, do you, I think you answered this before but, you have it plugged in or... you, um..

It charges while Im at school and then I unplug it because I can move it that way. [laughter] So,

I can take it around if I need to.


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And then you plug it back in when the battery gets low.

Yeah, I plug it back in when the battery gets low.

Okay. And, um, when you go to sleep, do you turn off the lights?

Yeah, I, uh, dim them.

Okay. But, you do have the dimmer on throughout the night.

Yeah.

Even when youre going to sleep?

Yeah.

Okay. What about the computer? Do you have that on when youre going to sleep?

I do. Um, because I watch things on it to fall asleep. But, I, there have been points where Ive

been done so I close it.

Okay. Is it plugged in when youre going to sleep?

Yes.

Okay. Is it on the entire time youre sleeping? Or do you.. flip it down before you sleep?

Is it.. when its closed, is it on still?

Is it plugged in when its closed?

Yeah.

Okay. Then its still charging.

Okay. Then its on all night, I guess.

Okay. Same thing with the lights, the dimmer, its on the whole night?

Yeah, I turn them off when I wake up.Okay. Why dont you tell me your routine when you wake up for school.

Um, I also have my phone plugged in that I use for an alarm clock. So, um...

So, you have your phone plugged in the entire night?

Yeah, so its an alarm. So, I wake up with the alarm. Turn off the lights, turn off the fan, if I can. I

have a ferret so if I dont leave it on, it can get hot and it can die. So, I need to leave some sort

of cooling system on.

So, you keep the fan on after you go to school?

If its hot out.Okay.

Yeah, but then I.. sometimes I shower, sometimes I dont.. because I wake up.. pretty late.

What time do you have class?

On.. MWF.. I have it at 3. T/Th I have it at 11.

Okay. Say, for example, its a Monday. Do you bring your computer to school?


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No.

Do you bring your computer to school ever?

Um, generally, no.

Okay. So, you have class from 11..

Till 5.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays..

Tuesdays and Thursdays yeah.

What about Mondays and Wednesdays?

3 to 5. Im only there for 2 hours.

So you get outta class at 5 everyday?

Everyday, yeah.

Do you ever, um, stay on campus after school?

Not if I dont have to.

Okay. Do you ever go to the library or the tech center?

Tech center, yeah.

Okay. When do you go there?

Uh, either before class or.. if I have a project to do, I will go after.

After class?

After class, yeah.

Okay. Um, why dont you tell me your routine of going to the tech center. Do you.. yknow

go to the..Well, yeah, if Im lucky theres a computer available.

Okay.

I usually just use it for printing.

So, youre usually not on there for too long.

No, I, no cause other people need to use it and.. there are so many people in there just doing

dumb sh-.. dumb things on there. Just... go home, really. [laughter]

Okay. [laughter]

Yeah, so, I just go in there real quick and um, get out. Okay.

Maybe check my email?

Okay. Do you turn off the monitor after you leave the tech center?

I log out.

You just log out?


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Yeah. And then it usually.. goes down. I didnt know you were supposed to.

Okay. Um, do you ever bring your phone charger to school with you?

No, um, except when, um, I can charge it at work sometimes, if I need to but... have you seen

those power stations at the SAC? They have like these.. its a charger and you plug your phone

in there. Its kinda cool so Ill use that sometimes.

Ive never seen them.

Oh, theyre neat. They have like, different, its like in the wall, and then have like different cords

for different kinds of phones and you can um,

Oh, like they actually have a USB...

Yeah, they like a little charge station.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, its pretty neat.

Wheres that?

Um, in the Student Activity Center on the uh, third floor, like where the lounge is.

Oh. All right. So, where do you work?

1910, Liacouras Walk, University Life and Residential Housing Office.

When do you work?

Tuesdays and Thursdays from um, 12, or 12:30 to 3:30ish.

Okay. Do you use the computers in there?

If I can.

Okay. Are you using the computer the entire duration of your work day? If I can, yeah, for like homework, or, Reddit.

Okay. Um, when you go into that room to go on the computer, is it already on?

Yeah, um, its running pretty much all day. I dont know if they turn them off at night.

Okay. When you leave that room, do you turn off the computer?

I turn off the monitor.

You just turn off the monitor?

Yeah, were not supposed to turn off the computer.

Okay. Who told you not to turn them off?Um, I dont... I guess its supposed to be just implied because someone usually needs to use it

so, its kind of a bitch to have to start it up again.

Okay. Um, are you aware of the Office of Sustainabilitys efforts to conserve energy on

campus?


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WHAT? [laughter] Um, well Ive heard about them. I did a, uh, they have a, um, food drive that I

helped out with a couple semesters ago. But.. and I have a shirt upstairs. But I dont really know

much about them.

As far as energy consumption goes, you have no idea about their efforts?

No.

Okay. Um, [pause], do you think the Office of Sustainability provides links and outlets for

students to obtain more information?

I... have never... accessed... looked into it... sorry.

Okay. How do you think the Office of Sustainability can create a more visible presence,

when it comes to making students aware of their energy consumption?

Well... um, wait what can they do or what can be done overall?

What can they do?

Uh... I dunno... yeah they dont have much of a presence around campus, I guess. College

students like things... that are... interesting. I dunno, make it interesting or like, fun... make it

interactive... uh... visual... kinda... cues? I think they have a guy in a... like, green man suit that

like does stuff now and then.

Yeah, Ive seen him. [pause] Would you be willing to participate in school-wide attempt to

lower our consumption?

Yeah. Totally. I mean, I know the tech centers 24 hours.. cause.. someone always needs a

computer.. so I guess theres not much they can do there.. but maybe if theres a way to make

them.. take up less power when theyre not being used.Okay. I think thats it.

Okay!

_______________________________________________________________________Intervi

ewer:Andrea Cicio

Respondent:Chris Min

Here we go. On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most

important, how concerned are you with environmental issues?Uh, I think Im more of like a 5 or 6-ish, area. Like, its Its important but its not so important

that its, like, on my mind all the time.

Mhm. Um, on a scale from 1 to 10, again 1 being least and 10 being most important, how

important is it for you to conserve energy within your own home?


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I think, um, comparing myself to my family or just in general?

In general.

In general, I think Im like a 6.

Ok, um, and once more, on a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to you that your school

actively makes an effort to conserve energy?

Um, 5[Chuckles]

Ok, so now Im going to ask a few more questions. Tell me about your living situation.

Well, I actually kind of live at home with my parents, um, so Im commuting, uh, I guess, we own

a pretty good sized house cause we live out in the suburbs, so its a bigger house, I guess, than

the ones out in the city at least. And, yeah, we have a backyard.

Um, so, tell me about your routine after you come home from school. What do you do

when you come home?

Um, pretty much go straightto my room, and um, Im probably trying to do homework. Ill turn on

my laptop and probably be on there for a little bit and then eventually start on homework.

Probably, you know, eat dinner in between that and, um, then go right back to just schoolwork

or just browsing the Internet on the computer.

So, like, when youre done with school work and browsing the Internet, like, what are

your activities with, um, your electronic devices? Like, do you leave them running all

night? Do you turn them off? What about the lights, too?

It depends. If Im running something on my laptop or downloading something, Ill leave my

laptop, like, open and on all night long.

Mhm.

And my phone and iPod are usually always charging throughout the night.

Ok.

So, yeah, those things are usually on unless, you know, theyre already fully charged.

Ok. And, so, why do you leave them plugged in?

Um, I guess convenience. It really is, like, I dont have to worry about it waking up in the

morning going Oh, my batterys dropped to a certain level,

Mhm.


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Or, you know, I have to find out that, you know, the thing Id been looking at on my computer

ended up shutting off because I didnt have enough battery.

Mhm. Um, so going off of that, tell me about your energy consumption at home.

Um, I think I try to save energy. Like, Ill try to leave my light off as long as possible before it

gets really dark and I need to actually to turn it on cause the sunlights out, or, um, I always try

to make sure even if Im gone for a split second that I turn my light off. Sometimes, Ill pull out

the plugs on my power shut when I know Im not gonna use it, so Ill just leave those out. And, I

guess, other than my heater right now for the winter and my laptop and my cell phone, I think,

those are pretty much always plugged in.

Ok. Um, so, give me a tour of your typical day in school.

Um, my typical day: I end up coming to school really early on the train, so I commute, um, I get

off, I go to the TECH Center for a little, usually, Im on the computer fora little bit, um, before my

8:00 class. And then I go to class and Im probably on my phone for a little bit, even during the

class,

Mhm.

And then afterwards I go right back probably, like, to the TECH Center or the library, um, using

computers again to waste time until lunch with friends and um, from there, its straight through

from class to class to class.

Mhm.Um, some classes The one class is in the computer lab so thats when Im on the computers

but the other two, like, Im either just checking my phone randomly during the middle of classes

but thats pretty much my school day cause I wind up leaving right after classes and going right

back on the train.

Ok, so when you travel from, like, the TECH and one class to another, do you make an

effort to, like, always turn off the computers or the lights or do you leave your phone

plugged in for a long time or do you try to time how long its plugged in for?I dont think I actually actively do that at school. I think its more of something I will do at home

but not really at school.

Ok, why do you think its something youd do more actively at home? Why wouldnt you

do it at school?


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I think its because the way you think of school. For me, its the way I think of school.

Mhm.

Because of a lot of times, its like Oh, Im already paying for this through my tuition, like, and at

some parts it seems like, you know, it seems like Temple almost I guess its almost like an

atmosphere where its like were already like, abusing it (I dont know if thats the rightterm) It

almost seems like everyones just doing whatever and, like, you almost just get caught in the

mindset, too, and youre like oh, whatever, people are just doing it so Ill do whatever, too.

So, piggybacking off of the conversation about energy conservation at home and also at

school, um, just expand a little more on your opinions about whether you think its more

valuable at home or school. Just explain the value of each.

Um, I think at home, because I know the price of energy, like, you know, I hear my parents tell

me that Oh, we need to save energy on the bills, or stuff like that, youre like oh, so Im the one

whos always turning off the lights that are on So, like, Im very mindful of that energy

conservation at school because, yeah, I know my parents are always talking about Ugh. The

energy bills are so high or something like that but at school, its like you almost seem like, you

feel like youre almost already paying for it because, you know, I take out loans and stuff just to

pay forschool so it almost feels like Im already doing that. Like, my tuitions already paying for

this.

Mhm.

Im going to use the most, or get the most from that money that I paid in tuition.

Ok, so even though you just said that, Im still curious. You said that youre concerned

about it [energy conservation] at home because youre paying the bill, but what if I were

to ask: Are you aware that energy conservation at Temple has a direct relationship to

your tuition bill, so, like, the more it goes up, the more tuition goes up? If you did know

that, or now that you know that, does that influence you to act on energy conservation in

school?

I guess its yes and no because... I guess because of the fact that Im a senior, I should be

graduating, its almost like eh, I dont care as much, like, if it goes up because my tuitions

already set rate for now and for next semester, so its almost like Its very Ill know it but it

doesnt really affect me because Im just like, eh, Im leaving soon But I think its also because

of the fact that, you know, there is a bill and it could affect me, but it seems... I guess its almost

to the point that Im just one person out of 40,000 people at this school.


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Yes, you are one body, but why dont you think that one out of 40,000 could make an

impact on energy conservation?

I guess its just statistically Its very hard. If I even try and figure out a percentage of that, it

almost seems like it would be, like, .0000, like 1, so it almost seems minute, I guess.

Ok.

Thats where the effect almost seems to wear off.

Mhm.

Its like, um, my effect is like, at a minimum.

Ok, so connecting energy conservation to Temple, are you familiar with Temples Office

of Sustainability?

You know, I probably walked by it maybe once in Mitten Hallbut thats probably the end of what

I know, or even knowing that it existed I probably read the sign, but it never really sunk in that

oh, theres actually, like, a department for this! I think its very like its almost like it never

existed.

So, going off of that you said you think its like it never existed, are you even familiar with

any of their initiatives? If not, does that contribute to its nonexistence? Or do you know

of it somehow because of something that theyre doing?

I dont even know theirinitiatives, honestly, because, you know, I dont, like I think because of

the fact that its Temple and theres so many people, and so many clubs and things are trying to

get your attention

Mhm.

That its hard to even realize that there are certain things, or certain organizations that are

even out there.

Mhm.

Even like, trying to send, like, a message but, because youre inundated with so many different

messages coming at you as Temple, and it seems like a lot of its like spam mail to my Temple

mailso Im always just like Ugh, Im not even gonna try to take the time to read this.

Mhm.

I may just read it and be like, Oh, its another Temple org.


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Ok, so, um, speaking of how they [the Office of Sustainability] reach out to people, do

you think the Office of Sustainability provides relevant links and outlets for students to

reach out to them?

I dont even know because I really dont know anything about them. Maybe, like, I would only

know because of this class but before that I had no clue that there was such a department or a

place to even go to within Temple for such stuff.

Mhm. So, how do you think that the Office of Sustainability could create a more visible

presence to the Temple student body?

Um.

and something that actually says something.

Ithink thats really hard because of the fact that there seems like theres a new event going on,

like, at Temple every time, but I think the Temple Made stuff was pretty good. I felt like I was

seeing that stuff everywhere. Like everywhere I turn, I somehow found it somewhere and I think

if they went on that premise of just, like, flooding the campus but, like, and its everywhere: you

know, on the floor, you know, billboards, whatever.

Mhm.

Like, I think banners, like, even that I think, like, just seeing it, I think at least would bring to mind

something but Ive never even heard of the department of sustainability.

Mhm.

Ok, so now that youve mentioned Temple Made, do you even think that it would even be

a good idea for them to link up with the Temple Made campaign? Do you think that

approach like that would work or do you just think that them mirroring Temple Mades

approach is something that would work?

The only drawback with Temple Made is I really still dont know what Temple Made is, so its a

vague concept to me.

So, linking two vague concepts would just not work?Yeah, so, like, Im just like... I know what Temple Made... I know of it, but still, like, theres a

disconnectbetween knowing it and actually, like, you know, just actually knowing what its

about.


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So, do you think that the Office of Sustainability should follow the in-your-face kind of

approach rather than link it to them [Temple Made]?

Yeah, just to even know that there is a department and there is such an effort going on at

Temple

Mhm.

might even help me to actually put a face to something, like, or, you know, just the fact that I

would know it because if it didnt, like, even right now, like, I dont really know anything about it,

so I think just to make itself visible and, like, just to think about it, I think, would be good for it

because I know nothing about it.

Mhm. Ok, so tell me your thoughts on how the Office of Sustainability can make energy

conservation meaningful and, not only meaningful but also relevant to students lives.

I guess Uh, its hard. I think, um, it really is information, um, but I think for energy, like

specifically for energy conservation, um, its really hard because, like, its hard to see your

effects on, like, how you can really affect, like When you think of like, oh, I wont charge my

phone at school, it doesnt really seem like youre really doing much. Or even the monitor, like

turning off a monitor, like, it doesnt seem like youre doing much

Mhm.

But I guess its trying to remind people that, you know, if you can get everyone involved it might

be so much more. I think going around that or even telling people, you know, the effects of

going through for energy, you know, um, just really showing that it can impact you at Temple

and it does impact you.

So, going off that mention of a school-wide attempt to conserve energy, do you think that

some kind of incentive would help you and other students to participate in it?

Uh, I definitely think so because, um, I have a recycle program at home and they actually do,

like, points, like, and you can actually redeem those points.

Mhm.

And sometimes that does come on my mind, Im like Oh, yeah, Im recycling, I can get points

for this.

Mhm.

And actually get cool stuff for free because Im recycling and saving, so I think that does help

here and there, like, especially for those, like, certain people,um, who are really on the edge

about it, I think giving them an incentive really helps a lot.


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Ok. And, um, are there any other ways you think the Office of Sustainability can show

students that their personal actions personally impact energy conservation?

Uh, I feel like if they could, it would kind of help just because it kind of shows you are making a

difference

Mhm.

Because like I said, I feel like Im probably making the smallest dent possible towards energy

conservation

Mhm.

When its just, when it feels like just me and when it feels like the culture of Temple just doesnt

have energy conservation or conservation in general in mind and so, like, youre going against

the wave, or the brand instead of the current culture of Temple and I feel like if thats the case,

like, yeah, it does feel like youre going against the current almost.

---

Ok. Well, thank you for letting me speak with you today. I appreciate your insight.

Thank you.

On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important, how


5

On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important, how

important is it to you to conserve energy within your own home?

____________________________________________________________________________

__

Interviewer:Andrea Cicio

Respondent:Katy Buda

Hello, how are you? My name is Andrea Cicio and Im going to be interviewing you about

your attitudes towards energy conservation. You reserve the right to decline to answer

any question and to withdraw from the interview at any time.

---

Are you a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior?

Freshman


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6 to 7

Ok, and, on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most

important, how important is it to you that your school actively makes an effort to

conserve energy?

5

Ok. Tell me about your living situation.

I live in a dorm on campus, 1300.

Do you have roommates or are you in a single?

I have three roommates, two in my immediate room, um, two others in an adjoining room, a

suite.

Do you guys have a common room?

No, we have a foyer and then two bathrooms that lead off from it.

Ok, do you guys, like, all hang out in one persons bedroom or, like, in the foyer?

Not really. We kinda just chill in our rooms.

Ok, tell me about your routine when you come home from school.

Um, if its in between classes, I might take a nap. If its, like, after the whole day, I might just

come back and drop off my stuff or get something to eat, um, or I might get ready for [soccer]

practice or I might just do something relaxing or I might do homework.

Ok, now tell me about, like, when you do homework or when youre, like, relaxing, are

you using a lot of electronic devices? Are you on the computer? Are you watching the

television?

Uh, Im usually on my laptop, with headphones plugged in and with my phone, like, off to theside of me.

Ok.

And I usually have I like to havethe large light in my room turned off and have, like,

Christmas lights that I have up on and then maybe one desk lamp.


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Ok, um, now, when youre done using your lights and your laptop and your phone, do

you... Well, first off, do you always keep them charged?

Uh, my laptop I always keep plugged in but thats because if I unplug it, it immediately turns off

because my batterys dead.

Ok.

So, I dont know, I might not have kept it plugged in as much if it had a working battery.

Mhm.

Uh, my phone I only plug in when its low on charge.

Ok. And what about the lights? Like, when youre leaving a room, do you make an active

effort to turn them off or do you kind of just let them hang, or do you just not turn them

off?

If I have the big overhead light on, usually Ill turn that off. If its the Christmas lights, though,

then Ill just have them plugged in. Ill usually leave them in.

Ok. What about your roommates? Do they tend to leave everything on, too, or are they

more likely to conserve [energy]?

Uh, theyre pretty good about turning off their lights.

Ok. Alright. Um, now Im going to transition from home to school for a little bit and [and

ask you to] tell me about your routine at school, like, what do you do in class? What

happens when you leave a class? Just give me your day... just give me your typical day.

Um, well I guess, Monday Id have French and thats, you know, were not really responsible for,

like, turning on and off lights or anything like that. I just kinda go and sit for fifteen fifty minutes

and leave and then I have, um, my English class, and we usually get there earlier than the

teacher so sometimes well be turning on the lights but shes usually the last to leave andthats

the same schedule on Wednesday, Fridays just having the math class So then on Tuesdays

and Thursdays I just have my math class first which is in a big lecture hall so were not

responsible for lights orMhm.

Anything at all, um, and then, uh, my other class is World Affairs and we might get there

earlier than the teacher but theres a class that leaves that just leaves the lights on for us.


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Mhm. Now, speaking of the lights, do you feel like you dont have a right to turn them

off? Do you kind of just feel like youre leaving so its not your responsibility; someones

coming in? Just tell me about your attitude.

Yeah, its Well, at least for, like, classrooms, most of the times were not the last ones out

there. I dont think Ive ever been the last to leave the classroom after the professor, so, Ive

never really run into that situation.

Mhm.

Im sure if it was a small class that wasnt used often I dont know. I probably still wouldnt

Mhm.

Just because I dont usually think of that for classrooms

Mhm. Now, do you think that if someone were to be the last one leaving a building, like a

classroom, or like, just a hallway in general, like, do you think they should make the

active effort to unplug a charger, a light, or anything?

Yeah, I wish I was better about it myself.

Mhm.

And Im sure if youre the last one leaving the classroom and its, like, theres, like, a small

classroom in Tuttleman thats right near, um, the, you know, Honors lounge, and I dont think

that gets used as often as, like, other classrooms

Mhm.

Cause you know, its more of like a really small conference space. Its all one long table so, you

know, I think that for that room just since its less, you know, popular and its not used as often

Mhm.

that, you know, hopefully if I was the last to leave that one Id turn the lights off.

Mhm. Now, you said you wish youd be better at it [conserving energy].Why do you wish

that you could be better about it?

I just know that its good to get in the habit of it, especially, like, when I get older and have my

own home, just to lower energy costs.

Mhm. Now, you just mentioned lowering energy costs. Do you think conserving energy is

more valuable in your home or in your school?

Um, well obviously school would be much larger, so more measures for energy savings in the

school, like a university, are gonna have a bigger impact than my home.


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Mhm.

But, you know, I have more control over my home, so, thats I wouldnt really be able to do

much about the school.

Mhm. Why do you think that you wouldnt be able to do much about the school?

I mean, unless I was like, in an environmental club or something like that, then maybe we can,

like, talk with the school but thats not really where my interests lie.

Mhm.

So, probably just try to be good about it at home.

Mhm. Well, then, how do you think that you would reach out to the school? Like, if you

were to make an impact?

UmUh, I dont know. I guess wed just find the correct office that deals with those concerns

and we had, you know, a structured club, you know, that met regularly and, you know, actually

had some voice in the student community...

Mhm.

Then maybe, you know, a meeting could be set up or a petition made or something along

those lines.

Mhm.

Um, so are you familiar with Temples Office of Sustainability? No.

Do you think that you arent familiar with them just cause Like, do you mean that

youre not familiar cause, like, youve heard of them but you dont know what they do?

Ive probably heard of them at one point but its not a concern of mine.

Mhm. Do you think that they promote themselves well? Like, did you at least have some

kind of idea that they existed or is this just, like, a totally new concept to you?Um, they could use some more promotional, uh, messages, I guess, or pamphlets or

something. I dont know because I really dont hear about them much.

Uh, how do you think they could reach out to you in a way that would interest you?

Free food. No, um [Laughs to self], I dont know. Uh, just, you know, more signs, probably, just

around common areas, dining halls, stuff like that.


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Mhm.

Thats usually where I notice, like, clubs and stuff.

Mhm.

So, do you think that they would benefit from a lot of social media and just, like, being

present in a lot of places where the student body is?

Yeah! But its, you know Yeah, yeah, if theyre trying to promote something or trying to get

kids to do something then, yeah, the dining areas would be the best place to have a large

presence.

Mhm. Ok, now say that in the future, they were to establish their large presence and they

get the signs out there, but then it comes time for you to, like, pick up this because a lot of

people, probably myself included, would be like screw the school and leave it on, so... [laughs to

self]

Well, you just said, you know, the school has to pay more. What if you had to pay

something and read it. What would jump out at you that would make energy conservation

meaningful to you as a Temple student?

Um Well, I think I think a lot of things people already know, like, turning off lights,

unplugging stuff, so reiterating that on a pamphlet really isnt gonna be any new information.

Mhm.Like, if theres some other way the school is trying to get us to cut back that we wouldnt

immediately think of ourselves that would be the best thing to put down on there.

Mhm.

And also just, you know, facts about how much it costs overall and all the But then for the

school, I mean, since were not really directly paying for their energy costs, it doesnt have as

much impact on us, so maybe just on a larger scale, like, you know, um, CO2 emissions or

something like that versus, you know, oh, the schools gonna have to pay more if you do more?

Did you have any idea that energy conservation is directly linked to tuition rates? So,what I mean by that is the more energy the school uses, the higher the tuition will go up

eventually because the school has to somehow compensate for what theyre paying for

energy.

I mean, if there was Well, thats the thing, like, I kind of thought of that but, you know

How How much of a direct link is that? Like, thats what students dont know, so if youre


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gonna hand outa pamphlet, you, like, thats whats gonna get their attention. So that would

probably be the best thing just to show how, you know, if theres a pattern between a raise in

energy costs and student tuition because if it doesnt look like theres as much ofa direct link,

then students really arent gonna be concerned as much.

So, as a whole, do you think that that fact would jump out at students? Do you think it

would get them to care or no?

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

Ok. And now that youve said that, are there any other messages that you think would

jump out at students cause you said, you know, all the typical turn off the lights

[messaging] is old, so what else, aside from tuition, do you think would get you to care?

Um, I dont know. It depends on theperson. Some people respond to statistics, other people

respond to, you know, graphs, charts, things like that, well that kinda falls under statistics. Other

people like freebies and heres a water bottle, you know, save the earth, that type of stuff. Um, it

all just... depends, so I guess I have nothing specific.

Well, that is definitely helpful, and now, on a larger scale, what would make you more

willing to participate? Aside from the messaging, would a school- wide attempt or an

incentive help you to conserve energy [at] school?

Yeah. Probably.

Do you have any ideas of what kind of incentives would attract you to participate?

If there was any way for them to judge how much per dorm room of energy costs the school was

paying and if they could give us an incentive, like, you know, a reduced tuition bill for the next

year or some type of, like, um, bonus payment or Diamond Dollars or something just by like

monitoring how much energy per room and, like, if we as a room got our, you know, our cost

down, I think thatd be really beneficial.

---

Well, thank you for your insight. I appreciate you coming to speak with me today. Yep.

______________________________________________________________________________

Interviewer: Chris Hoopes

Respondent: Emily Nydick


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Me: I will be conducting this interview to gain an expanded understanding about your

attitudes towards energy conservation. For complete accuracy, I will be recording your

answers. Please note you reserve the right to withdraw from the interview at any time.

Me: 1- On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important,

how concerned are you with environmental issues?

Respondent: ummmm5

Me: On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important,

how important is it to you to conserve energy within your own home?

Respondent: 7.8


how important is it to you that your school actively makes efforts to conserve energy?

Respondent: ummm, wait scale of 1-10?

Me: 1-10.

Respondent: I guess 67

Me: Tell me about your living situation.

Respondent: At school I live with three other roommates in an apartment off campus?

Me: In apartment off campus? How long have you lived there?

Respondent: A little over a year.

Me: Is it far off campus?

Respondent: No, not at all. No itsnot far at all.


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Me: Tell me about routine after you come home from school.

Respondent: Ummm.I guesses it depends on the day. Try to go to the gym and do homework

for a very long time. And just hang out with my roommates; my roommates are my best friends.

Me: Umm what do you guys do at home?

Respondent: I dont know what all girls do. (giggling) Justhang out watch TV, go out to eat. Go

to downtown.

Me: Do you guys watch a lot of TV at night?

Respondent: Not really, like a couple shows we all like to watch together.

Me: um.. as far as like other electronics. Are you on the computer a lot?

Respondent: ahhhyeah for school I guess. Im on my phone a lot more, probably more than

the computer. Just cause you can do everything on your phone that you can do on a computer

too.

Me: Do you ummmDo you ever liketurn your computer off when youre not using It.,

or do you keep your phone unplugged when its fully charged?

Respondent: No, I probably I leave everything plugged in. Which is bad.

Me: When youre sleeping included?

Respondent: Yeah I leave pretty much everything plugged in. Even if Im not using it.

Me: Ok now tell me routine when you umm wake up for class.


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Respondent: I.Eat breakfastI check my email. I look at my planner and see what I need to

do to get done before I go to class. Umm.make coffee. Bring it with me in a reusable mug.

Point for me there. I dont know just the normal.

Me: Do you spend the majority of your days on campus?

Respondent: Yeah, I would sayI dont go home until im done with everything for the day. So

Im on campus like 90% of the day.

Me: Before you go home, are you like doing extra school work on campus?

Respondent: Yeah, I like to get as much as homework type of stuff done. Um before I go

home, I just dont like to do it when Im home.

Me: Where do you mostly do it on campus?

Respondent: Ummm.Usually I go. I go to like the computer labs. The library or like

tuttleman, sometimes the tech center, but not that often.

Me: Ummm, do you believe that temple makes a conscious effort to umm consume, err

conserve energy on campus?

Respondent: I think theyre tryingthey definitely want more students involved and like behind

the effort. Just to be more passionate about it like they are. They are definitely trying though.

And I dont think there, I dont think we are really a sustainable school, but I think we could be a

lot more efficient. I just think they need more faculty and students to get involved.

Me: Do you think students, that might live off campus are more concerned with

conserving energy at their own house? Or on campus?

Respondent: I mean I definitely think about it more when im at home. When Im at home Im

like turning lights off, imp like I mean I leave stuff plugged in, but I havent thought of that till

now, but Im always like turning off lights and doing those kind of things. Like heating and

cooling, you know were paying for our bills. So I definitely care about it if I can lower my energy


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bill or my you know gas bill. Im gonna do it, but when Im on campus, when Im on campus,

honestly I dont think about it. I wouldnt like turn off the light in this room when we leave.

Me: Are you more concerned about your energy bill saving you money, or like lowering

our earths carbon footprint.

Respondent: Definitely saving me money.

Me: Do you think most temple students feel the same way?

Respondent: I think college is a stressful time when youre thinking about money, I think most

kids are gonna say that they are turning off their lights to save my energy bill, then you know

than save the planet.

Me: What do you think made temple switch, you know, you said earlier they dont they

are just beginning to become more of a sustainable campus.

Respondent: Umm I think they realized how inefficient some of their building are and umm I

dont know I think they looked at it like the big picture of Philly in general. They looked at how

they could just help Philadelphia, north Philadelphia more, energy consumption. Ummm I dont

know I think they just became more aware of how inefficient they are and now they are trying to

fix that.

Me: Umm, so do you think temples more worried about sustaining an environment or

saving money?

Respondent: I think they are more worried about sustaining an environment, but they in order to

getmore students involved they are trying to appeal to them this could lower tuitionthis could

lower blah blah blah.

Me: ummm Are you familiar with Temples office of sustainability?


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Respondent: Mmmhmm I knew about it before this class. Actually the woman who talked to us

came to one of my gen Ed classes my freshman year that was for science. And like talked to

our class.

Me: The same like spiel?

Respondent: Yeah yeah (laughing)

Me: Were you familiar with their..Will yeah I guess you were familiar with their initiatives

Umm do you think they are successfully communicating their goals?

Communicating what theyre trying to achieve.

Respondent: Yeah yeah I think when they talk to you in makes sense and is kind of like you

know its something that we should be doing. I think they just need more like man power behind

them. You know I didnt realize that her office is like no one its just like her. I was like wow you

need more help.

Me: Umm Do you think they student body, like the student body in general is aware of

what temple is trying to do with their ummm initiative to save 25% of their energy bill?

Respondent: ahhh, probably not. If I ask my roommate that question, I dont think theyd have

any idea. Umm about sustainability issues. I think it just like depends. Like how I had her my

freshman year class. I dont think the majority of the student body is aware of it.

Me: Umm do you think there are other outlets that she can reach through to spread the

initiative?

Respondent: Ummm.I think what, I think definitely trying to appeal like incoming freshman.

Like people in the dorms is really good idea. In the dorms like in a building that for temple thatyou can actually make a difference and do a lot to help out. But people that are older and not

actually on campus its not, you cant have like as much as an impact on it I feel.

Me: How do you think like they could make their presence more visible?


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Respondent: To older students?

Me: To like um prospect students you mentioned.

Respondent: I dont know maybe like they could include more stuff like orientations. Just in like

marketing for temple in general for prospective students. When I was applying I dont

remember anything standing out about sustainability. It definitely wasnt a factor in me coming

here at all. I guess just making it more well known like other things are incoming freshman.

Me: How do you think the office of sustainability should go about making this more

relevant for students?

Respondent: ummm.I mean definitely for me, like you said before. Make it more of a

financial takeumm not that like Im always thinking about money or something but Im just

trying to think how it would appeal to me. I guess thats the only thing that would make it

relevant. Rather than you know, I dont really have that much passion for the environment. I

wouldnt like be in an environmental club. Umm so I guess yeah haha.

Me: Do you notice like, are there any like have you seen flyers or ads on campus err

have you seen any type of copy trying to promote.

Respondent: I dont think so, trying to like promote the sustainability?

Me: Mmhmm

Respondent: I dont think so

Me: Do you think that would help?

Respondent: Yeah definitely, I mean theres stuff hanging everywhere I feel like theres signage

all over the place. If they got out there with that definitely.

Me: That concludes our interview; I appreciate the participation, and feel free to contact

me if you would like to share any more insights.


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_________________________________________________________________________

Interviewer: Chris Hoopes

Respondent: Kevin Comly

Me: I will be conducting this interview to gain an expanded understanding about your

attitudes towards energy conservation. For complete accuracy, I will be recording your

answers. Please note you reserve the right to withdraw from the interview at any time.


how concerned are you with environmental issues?

Respondent: ahh a 5 Im not very concerned.


how important is it to you to conserve energy within your own home?

Respondent: Ahh a 6.


how important is it to you that your school actively makes efforts to conserve energy?

Respondent: about a 5

Me: Tell me about your living situation?

Respondent: My living situation? I live with one other person. In a two story house with a

basement we have a cat. Been in this neighborhood for about five years.

Me: Do you live off campus?

Respondent: Yes

Me: Tell me about your routine when you come home from school.


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Respondent: When I finish my classes and come home from school I usually have a meal,

umm relax with the TV. These are my days when I dont have work right after class.

Me: Umm how many hours a day do you think you watch TV?

Respondent: Usually about two and a half.

Me: When you are done watching TV, do you make a conscious effort to turn it off?

Respondent: I do, however my roommate leaves the TV on all the time (giggling).

Me: Like other appliances, do you guys keep your laptops running all day?

Respondent: Yeah my laptop is always plugged in and charging.

Me: Umm if your cell phone is completely charged, do you unplug it?

Respondent: Nah I keep it plugged in. The air is always on umm or heat depending on the

season.

Me: Would you say you are more energy conscious than your roommate?

Respondent: I would say Im a little more energy conscious than him.

Me: Is there like one of you guys that are constantly bugging the other about turning

appliance off?

Respondent: ahhh Im certainly bugging him more often than he is bugging me. I dont get too

many complaints about it.

Me: What about when youre sleeping? Do you like to keep like umm music playing? Or

do you have a TV on? Do you keep lights on at the house?

Respondent: I listen to music while I sleep. From my laptop.


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Me: Do you leave lights on when you go to sleep?

Respondent: Not in my immediate area, once again my roommate usually sleeps on the couch

in the living room and leaves all the lights on and the TV on (laughing). Theres also fish tanks

running all the time.

Me: Tell me about your routine when you wake up for class.

Respondent: Wake up early, take a shower. Listen to music in the shower. Brush my teeth

routine. Go down and have some coffee. Maybe Ill catch the morning news on TV. Then I get

in my car and drive to school.

Me: Tell me about your energy consumption once you get to school. Umm like where do

you spend the majority of your time and conscious of your energy consumption at all?

Respondent: I dont make a conscious effort to conserve energy once I get to school. If Im not

in class Im usually in the library or the tech center.

Me: Is there any reason why you havent made a conscious effort to conserve energy on

campus?

Respondent: I think probably cause I havent experience any direct consequences.

Me: Umm if you were the last person out of a classroom, would you turn off the lights?

Respondent: I think I would.

Me: Do you think its more important to conserve energy at school or at home.

Respondent: At home its more under your control, but at the school its kind of up to the

institution.


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Me: have you ever noticed any signs or have you noticed an effort around temple to

conserve energy.

Respondent: There might be a bigger effort, but Ive noticed a little effort. In terms of turning

vehicles into greener machines. Ive noticed a project by students in front of the food tents. The

solar paneled outlets on the tables. But things like that I notice around Temple.

Me: UmmmIf you were to conserve energy, would you be more willing to do it from a

financial stand point or would you be more concerned with lowering our carbon

footprint.

Respondent: To be completely honest, Id probably do it from a financial standpoint. Although I

would embrace the environmental consequences.

Me: Do you think most temple students are aware of umm temples plan to conserve

energy?

Respondent: Umm nooo I dont think they are aware.

Me: Do you have any thoughts on how they could become more aware?

Respondent: Umm Im sure..Well some of my suggestion might happened. To include it in

some of the newsletters or ah maybe a fair to display some of the changes they made in a

public sort of forum. At the bell tower or something like that.

Me: Are you aware of the current efforts that temple is putting in. For instance the

architecture around campus is all supposed to help the campus become more green.

Respondent: No Im not aware

Me: What do you think Temple could do to make the new buildings more known?

Respondent: I dont know thats an interesting question. Theres always a lot of construction

going around campus, since my first day at school. Not a lot of acclamation to whats


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happening. If there was more word about construction and what it is going on. You could

maybe help use that to spin it into a green thing.

Me: In the past, when you have been on temple campus. Have you been aware of any

waste of energy?

Respondent: Maybe not in an invert sense. But maybe the tech center might be wasting

energy. All the lights on 24/7 and all the computers on umm might be some way to sort of

watch the schedule of traffic so you could cut some power and leave some.

Me: Umm do you think some type of incentive would help temple students make more of

an effort.

Respondent: Yeah I think a financial incentive would help rather than an environmental

incentive. Any type of incentive would help though.

Me: Are you familiar with the office of sustainability?

Respondent: I have heard of them, but I think they could do more of a job.

Me: How do you think the office of sustainability could make more of a presence?

Respondent: I think they could maybe have more of a physical presence, maybe have some

type of student body ambassador.

Me: Thank you very much, that concludes our interview. I appreciate the participation.

Respondent: Thanks you did a great job .

______________________________________________________________________________

Interviewer: Sean Pepley

Participant: Tori Sklar

Sean: Alright so... this... this is Sean Pepley interviewing Tori. Can you tell me about your

living situation


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Tori: I live in an apartment with one other roommate, just off campus.

Alright ... cool. So you said one other roommate?

Yes

Alright... sweet.... So if you could, give me a run through of your day after you come

home for the day

After I come home... It kinda varies, but for the most part I'll like relax and watch tv for a little bit.

I'll make myself dinner. I'll um.. do my homework and if I get down early enough I'll probably just

watch tv again.

Alright... so you talk twice about watching tv. Can you tell me a little more about that and

other gadgets you might have? Or technology things that you might have.

Um... like... I'll usually do that and be on my laptop at the same time, but um usually just in the

living room. I don't usually have a lot of things running at the same time.

What about your roommate. Does she have similar habits or does she...

Yeah they're pretty similar. She doesn't watch as much tv... she watches on her laptop a lot...

Mmmhmm

I try not to because I'm the one paying the bills, kinda thing. Usually I'm guilty of leaving thingsplugged in like my phone charger when I'm not using it, that's kinda bad, but I don't leave the tv

on in the room or the lights on in the room, anything like that.

So are... are you ever like charing your laptop or your phone when it's already completely

charged?

No uh... I usually unplug it as soon as I can because it kills the battery (laughs) but I used to

she's usually not home a lot, but she'll have a lot of things going. More than I do, I guess.

Alright... so like the tv and the laptop. Are they for the most part turned on all the time?

No (pause)

Have you ever just left something on?leave the laptop in a lot but then I realized how bad it

was for the device itself.

Alright so... tell me about your day from when you wake up to when you go to class


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Um.. I usually... I usually wake up and make myself breakfast and then I check my email, go on

the computer for a little bit then I'll start getting ready for class and then I'll go to class. Like I

don't give myself that much time in the morning, but you know like: wake up, eat, get dressed

kinda thing.

So when you're at school where do you find yourself spending the majority of your time?

Um... in class or I'm the tech center a lot.

Ok. One second. (pause). So do you think you make an active effort to conserve energy

when you are at school?

Um.. not really. I mean, I'm not like purposely wasting electricity, but I'm not like doing anything

like I don't turn off the lights or anything in the classroom or at the tech center, I don't usually

turn of the monitor or anything.

Do you have any reasons why?

Um... I kinda don't see it as my place, I guess.

Alright cool. So you say you don't see it as your place. Can you elaborate on that a little

bit?

I mean like I'm usually not the last person in the room so I'm not going to turn off the lights. Or

like even if I am, I just assume somebody else is coming into the room and I don't... I usually

don't shut of the monitor or anything because somebody usually just jumps in right after me. Ijust don't... I dunno.. I just don't.

Ok.. so.. Do you think that energy conservation at school is as important as it is at

home?

I realize that it is important, but personally for me because I'm not paying for it I guess it

doesn't... like at home I'm extra careful, but at here not so much.

Alright.... (pause) Alright so you do you think it's more important to conserve energy in

your own home or at school?

I think in my own home...

Ok

difference


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Alright so are you familiar with the Office of Sustainability?

(Laughs) Yes.

And are you familiar with their initiatives?

I'm vaguely familiar. (Pause)

Do you think they successfully communicate their goals and efforts?

Um... not really. I mean before this project I didn't really know what they were doing. (pause)

So have you been to their website?

No.

Ok.... so you haven't been to their website and you're sort of aware but not entirely. Do

you think that the

A study on the Office of Sustainability

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