RIT Greeks ‘Go Green’

The Rochester Institute of Technology Greek community has gone green. The six fraternity and sorority houses on campus, collectively known as Greek Row, have begun a four-month long energy conservation challenge. The initiative’s goal is to reduce overall energy consumption by 10 percent.

“The Greek community may not be a statistically large portion of the RIT community, but it can be a powerful tool in displaying our effort to benefit the RIT community by going green,” says Tim Burdett, a member of Triangle Fraternity and co-chair of the “Greeks Go Green” initiative.

Six hundred of RIT’s nearly 16,000 students are involved in the university’s 27 Greek organizations.

Each house will compete against its own gas, electric and water usage from last year. The house that reduces its consumption the most will win the competition. Self-appointed “Eco Reps” serve in each house and motivate their peers to modify their living habits to benefit the environment. The challenge began Dec. 1 and will conclude at the end of March. While a prize has yet to be determined, Laura Deyo, an assistant director for student services in RIT’s Department of Housing Operations, says the prize will be environmentally friendly.

“The students are really passionate about this challenge,” says Deyo, who also sits on RIT’s Committee for Sustainable Practices and pitched the idea to the Greek community. “They want to make a difference and take care of the environment.”