Credit: Gosia Sklodowska/Jon Chapman
On several occasions while leaving work, Greg Morrow, the Assistant Manager for Multimedia Projects, has seen an eerie blue light emanating from the windows of a lecture hall. The light is a sign that one of the 200 LCD projectors currently being used at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has been left on at the end of a class. The projectors use expensive 500 watt bulbs and each has a fan that runs constantly to keep it cool. Leaving the projectors on overnight dramatically shortens the life of the bulb and wastes a tremendous amount of energy. Setting the projectors to shut down automatically would save energy but often creates connection problems with the remote control systems.
Greg goes out of his way to shut down projectors when he can, but he also worked with the FAS Green Program to create new signs for classrooms. He hopes that the eye-catching signs containing information about energy conservation will be an effective reminder for classroom occupants. Greg continues to seek out ways to provide consistent projection services for instructors with the least amount of wasted energy and resources. He would like to work with manufacturers to create a default mode that would display messages prompting users to shut down projectors that aren’t in use.
“The challenge is to create messages that will engage users. We want to get more people to make the connection between turning off their equipment and saving energy.”
The challenge is to create messages that will engage users. We want to get more people to make the connection between turning off their equipment and saving energy.