Tulane has designed a website, similar to the website used during the RecycleMania competition, that allows visitors to observe the amount of electricity and carbon dioxide waste in certain buildings.

Tulane began testing the website, which it might make permanent depending on the site’s success. The pilot buildings are Wall Residential College and the university’s power plant.

Office of Sustainability Director Elizabeth Davey said she thought the university’s move toward keeping track of the waste within the dorms and making the information available to students is a step in the right direction. 

“These dashboards [on the website] give occupants immediate feedback on their energy use and impact on climate change, and they can help facilities managers spot problems with a building’s operation,” Davey said.

The purpose of the RecyleMania competition was to make students aware of the amount of waste in their own residential halls. Davey said if the university decides to keep the program, it would make recycling and being aware of waste and electricity usage within a certain building easier for students in the long-term, not just for the annual competition.

“After we finalize the features of the dashboard – the kinds of information that it shows – we will expand it to include other buildings,” Davey said. “There will be a dashboard for the new Zimple [House].”

Freshman Natalie Pilgrim said she thought the website was a great way to help people see what they can do to stay conscious of their waste and learning to live green.

“I think once you start, you don’t stop recycling,” Pilgrim said. “It is just a matter of getting started and getting in the habit of separating things out and turning off the lights. I think once you start thinking about it, it is not really something that goes away. You continue to be conscious.”

The link to the website is http://bedashboard.com/kiosk/home/campus/47