Sustainability group promotes energy efficiency at UCLA

Student-led internship group PowerSave seeks to promote the efficient use of energy at UCLA through community outreach, energy efficiency projects and involvement with the upcoming Sustainability Fair on Oct. 22.

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TRANSCRIPT:

CAMPBELL: The Los Angeles area’s population is growing, but so is its consumption of energy, even on its college campuses. In fact, Southern California Edison reported a 42% increase in Southern California’s colleges’ energy consumption between 1990 and 2014.  Several sustainability groups have formed at UCLA in order to advocate energy efficiency and reducing consumption. One such student group is PowerSave.

CARYOTAKIS: We are a student intern group on the UCLA campus. We do energy efficiency projects around UCLA, also some outreach projects, some workshops.

CAMPBELL: That was fourth-year environmental studies student and PowerSave team manager Alex Caryotakis. PowerSave hopes to reach out to the UCLA community and increase awareness of efforts to reduce energy consumption through its involvement with the Sustainability Fair on Oct. 22. Caryotakis explains:

CARYOTAKIS: I think it’s a great showcase of all the resources we have here at UCLA, for students that are interested in sustainability, who just want to somehow get involved in this big, green movement. We just want to be here and represent one of the options that is here in PowerSave.

CAMPBELL: The group plans to engage fair attendees with trivia questions about energy sustainability. Those who answer the questions correctly have a chance to win prizes including T-shirts, sunglasses and solar powered chargers. Because PowerSave is a student intern group that provides opportunities to work on sustainability projects, it mainly attracts scientifically inclined students. However, Powersave member and fourth-year environmental studies student Kristelle Batucal hopes to appeal to a more diverse range of students.

BATUCAL: Because sustainability is very interdisciplinary, it’s great to have students from a variety of backgrounds because it helps nurture our club since we’ll have more contact with other groups on campus.

CAMPBELL: Founded in 2010, PowerSave is funded by investor-owned utility companies including Southern California Edison, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas and Electric, and SoCalGas. As part of the Alliance to Save Energy, a national organization seeking to promote energy sustainability, PowerSave conducts several projects around the UCLA campus. Third-year civil engineering student and PowerSave member An Gao describes some of PowerSave’s activities:

GAO: We do quantitative energy measurements on campus, and interns have their own projects and break down energy savings and energy efficiency, and make recommendations.

CAMPBELL: PowerSave hopes to promote energy efficiency by reaching out to a diverse range of students and conducting projects around the UCLA campus. For Daily Bruin Radio, this is Stephen Phan reporting on behalf of Chris Campbell.