We Conserve, UW-Madison's energy conservation campaign, announced Tuesday energy savings of $3.7 million and carbon dioxide reductions of 28,000 tons annually since it began two years ago.
According to Faramarz Vakili, We Conserve program director and associate director of UW-Madison's Physical Plant, the campaign's goals are to promote awareness of energy conservation and cut campus energy consumption 20 percent by 2010.
We Conserve was successful in reducing the energy consumption of five buildings: Chemistry, Chamberlin Hall, Engineering Hall, the Kohl Center and Biotron Laboratory, according to Vakili.
He said We Conserve has comprehensive programs that help to reach these goals, including efficient systems, informed individuals working on the campaign, realistic expectations and responsible actions.
We have dedication and a lot of focus on effort and it's a good cause and it's producing a great result,"" Vakili said.
UW-Madison students joined the campaign this year with the formation of the We Conserve student chapter.
""We Conserve has a ton of potential,"" Brenda Voloshin, research and education coordinator of the student chapter, said. ""It has a lot of funding and great ideas from people and I think that just promoting our ideas and getting people to participate can be really great.""
Voloshin said the student chapter is involved in research, education, activities and marketing.
""We mainly focus on ways we can promote energy awareness by not only helping people to reduce their own energy consumption but also by making them aware of different things that are being done on the campus,"" Voloshin said.
As part of UW-Madison's Green Week, ending on Tuesday's Earth Day, We Conserve worked with the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group to sponsor the Midwest Clean Energy Conference and made its first big push in promoting and getting people involved.
Vakili said currently 1,200 individuals have pledged and the goal is to have 2,000 pledged by the end of the semester.
