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Relatore: Dott. Federico Dattila, Dott. Giorgio Ghillardi


What shall you do if you discover that your university is not energy efficient?

According to a Bachelor Thesis about the Campus Einaudi (Unito), we can save more than 40000 € per year, turning off useless lighting overnight and with other concrete actions.

Can a large University achieve these results with a low cost approach?

Generally a bottom-up approach is a recommended strategy to achieve energy efficiency based on user behavioural change. It need a well-planned strategy with different short-medium and long-term aims.

First, in the short-term, it is necessary to identify several change makers and influencers to create the interdisciplinary groundwork, such as a student NGO.

Second, in the medium-term, it is necessary to involve people and to communicate how everyday actions affect energy waste, overcoming the lack of interest about sustainability and overstepping the percolation point within the society. Thus, the communication must be quickly widespread and cheap: in the social network decade, it must be viral. As complexity science suggests, hubs are needed: the output of the first step. These connectors must be the students, the greatest percentage in the university population, and must be the carriers of a viral campaign (a “photographic contest”) where people challenges other students by taking pictures of eco-friendly actions. Finally, hashtags spreads the idea, while final prizes stimulate the competition.

Third, in the long period, the university must officially undertake the path to sustainability through renovation works thanks to a real boost from the bottom.

Remember: Energy Efficiency depends on users.

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