The AETF, a joint project of the AAS, MassPIRG and some students not affiliated with either group, wanted to analyze current student behaviors in order to determine the best way to educate students and to implement change.
"The purpose of the survey was to give the task force a better understanding of students' patterns of energy use," said AAS senator and MassPIRG member Luke Swarthout '04.
According to Swarthout, the results of the 33-question survey, in which 693 students participated, indicate that students are aware of the impact their energy consumption has on the world. The AETF wants to make the most of this awareness to encourage students to reduce their energy use.
"Essentially, what we are responding to is the fact that 85 percent of Amherst students believe their individual energy use has an impact on issues such as global warming and U.S. dependence on foreign oil," Swarthout said. "We want to educate Amherst students on the easiest steps they can take to make a big difference."
Swarthout said that the AETF plans to organize an event in which students would swap their incandescent light bulbs for longer-lasting, more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. At the same event, the AETF would ask students to take a pledge to incorporate five specific changes into their lifestyles to reduce energy waste.
"We want to focus on the five easiest ways that students can decrease their energy waste," said AAS vice president and AETF member Bob Razavi '03.
According to MassPIRG member Emmet O'Hanlon '03, the survey results indicate that students will be receptive to change. Fifty-nine percent of students responding indicated that they would be willing to change their lifestyle to cut down on campus energy use, while 80 percent said they would be willing to participate in the light bulb exchange.
Indeed, students already seem to make efforts to reduce waste. Seventy-two of students responding often or always recycle aluminum cans, 81 percent take showers of 15 minutes or less and 72 percent leave their lights on for four hours or fewer during the day when they are not in the room.
"We're happy to see that there's a healthy level of energy consciousness reflected in students' behavior," O'Hanlon said. "We'd like to increase that, because there's definitely room for improvement."
One potential area to improve would be students' use of their heating systems. "[One] immediate project would be to educate students who feel they have problems with their heating systems as to how they could possibly fix the heaters themselves or about who they could get in touch with to get their heater fixed," Swarthout said. "There are all these little problems that physical plant doesn't know about," he added, citing leaky faucets and broken heaters as prime examples.
The AETF will also work with the physical plant to try to implement changes in institutional policy.
"It's a two-pronged attack. One part of it is increasing awareness on campus and having people make changes in their everyday routines-making change on an individual level," O'Hanlon said. "The other part of it is institutional-the changes we want to make in Amherst College."
According to Swarthout, the AETF is now participating in discussions with the physical plant to organize the light bulb exchange and make the dorms more heat efficient. Other potential projects include putting napkin dispensers on the tables in Valentine and installing motion-sensitive lights in dorm bathrooms.
"We're encouraged by the results of the survey, and now thanks to the survey, we have a good idea about the most profitable areas to tackle in terms of energy conservation," O'Hanlon said. "We're looking forward to making Amherst College more energy efficient, protecting the environment and saving students money."