A little calculation, I know that I already spend a very small amount of energy as a non-EU student in Milano. I take 5 min showers, and I cook for the whole week at once most of the time, we have 15 people in the same apartment so once a day the dishwasher works and it is always full. The lights are automatic at home so when no one is there it turns off. How do I reduce the energy that is already super low?
What if I convince others at home?
How to reduce energy use with 15 people?
We are 15 people in the same apartment. Common kitchen, common bathrooms, only one washing machine… Thinking of how to do this exercise, seing all of these as a huge challenge. Then my flatmade made me realize how interesting this can be. How can I convince people to participate in reducing energy at home, a home full of Erasmus people, where a lot of events, parties happening. There is always someone in the common are, always lights on.
We just had a cookie party, where there is music on, oven worked 2 times, lights go untill late night. How to convince at least some of them to participate at what I do?
Could reducing energy become something fun?
I can convince them to go out all together, maybe one day, then what? Based on experience and research, I know I need to make it convenient and fun.
Then some ideas started to come, as I shared it on our Whatsapp group.
I was not expecting this amount of participation.
OUR FIRST ENERGY-CUTTING EVENT: LAUNDRY TOGETHER
My 5 other flatmates joined! We separated black and white, I left empty baskets in the bathroom and we washed once they were full enough. Washing together had some advantages:
- We don’t have to wait until we have a bag full of dirty laundry to wash our clothes. Even one flatmate with a dirty t-shirt was able to clean it.,
- It is more convenient than doing it alone as when together you can split tasks (Washing them, taking them out, putting them on the drying rack etc.)
- It is more cost-effective if done together all the time as the amount of detergent used is less.
