Graphic by Yujin Kim/The Choate News
The Conservation Proctors (C-Proctors) kicked off their 15th annual energy conservation challenge, the Green Cup Challenge, on Monday, February 15. Like many events this year, the 2021 Green Cup Challenge has undergone changes to accommodate Covid-19 restrictions. Rather than hosting the normal four-week challenge, the group compressed the event into a single week that ended on Monday, February 22.
In past years, each dorm has created a Green Cup video emphasizing, often in a humorous way, the importance of conserving energy and ways to do so. In an effort to win prizes and be featured on the C-Proctors’ social media, dorms would rally together in their common room or go into students’ rooms to film various clips such as flipping the lights off or turning the heat down. With Covid-19 restrictions, however, dorms had to get creative. Library, for example, produced a video in the mode of the reality-TV show “The Bachelor” with individual interviews to maintain social distancing guidelines.
Additionally, to provide alternatives to a dorm video, the C-Proctors encouraged dorms to create graphics and artwork to show in their videos. Archbold constructed a graphic featuring Angry Birds yelling at people practicing unsustainable habits.
Sofia Muñoz ’23, a C-Proctor and a judge for the video challenge winner, said, “We decide based on creativity, humor, and overall education of the topic.”
Following the end of the Green Cup Challenge week, the dorms that reduced their energy consumption will win a mug night.
In addition to working on the Green Cup Challenge, C-Proctors have continued other projects throughout the year. The group moved their meetings to Zoom, with subcommittees working in different breakout rooms. Muñoz said, “For the most part, technology makes it easier to plan meetings and share notes to plan for C-Proctor events.” She continued, “The meetings held in Zoom format are pretty much seamless. It’s been a great experience getting to work with different head C-Proctors and helping educate the community, despite it being virtual.”
The C-Proctors have also been uploading information to their social media platforms, especially the Choate C-Proctor Instagram (@choatecproctors). According to Muñoz, the media subgroup “has been striving hard to make engaging and simple posts that promote sustainability and new information to interested viewers.”
Furthermore, the C-Proctors shifted their focus to virtual events and dorm activities. One such event was dorm bingo, which aimed to educate dorm members on waste management during quarantine. The C-Proctors also produced a video showing students what goes into recycling, compost, and trash.
In the fall, the C-Proctor outreach group was even able to host an in-person event for faculty children to teach the basics of sustainability. The workshop centered on waste management and gave children an opportunity to plant seeds in a used plastic container.
The C-Proctors plan to continue to host dorm challenges and other events. Looking to the spring term, the annual Hydro Cup Challenge will be aimed at educating community members on water conservation.
