Conservation has been a hot topic on campus this year. Ever since the Green Cup, Choate has paid active attention to the student population’s awareness of the world’s resources. Choate’s next project in environmental education, the Hydro Cup, promises to continue this course of action with a focus on water conservation.

The Hydro Cup is a competition in water conservation. Unlike the Green Cup, however, it will be a competition between dorms rather than between different schools. Student Council President Jin Ha ‘08 explains that the “Green Cup Challenge, although a great overall success and with very beneficial intentions, was a relatively new competition that still had some kinks to work out.” He stated that “having an inter-dorm competition would prevent unfavorable factors from affecting the standings.”

The Hydro Cup, which started on April 30, will take place over a three week period. Each week, every dorm’s water meter is read and compared with its previous readings. The rankings are based on the percentage of change from the baseline, or “normal” reading taken from the week before the competition began. This process makes it fair for everyone over all – smaller dorms will save fewer gallons but percent comparisons help us see the percent change each dorm is making. The overall winner of the competition gets an ice cream social for the dorm. “It’s a good incentive,” laughs Ha.

The idea for the Hydro Cup resulted from a series of conversations between Manager of Energy Management Systems Steve Cahoon and science teacher Katrina Linthorst Homan. “We realized that it would be pretty feasible for us to try to run an inter-dorm water competition to follow up on [the Green Cup],” explained Ms. Homan. “The Student Council was looking to keep education and awareness going… Mr. Cahoon and I had been talking about it, so I brought the idea to them.” Members of the Green Cup Committee-particularly former Student Council President Jeff Rosen- and those of the Environmental Action Coalition have shown interest in continuing environmental teachings for the student body. Jin Ha expressed his enthusiasm for the idea when it was first presented to the Student Council: “It’s continuing the idea of conservation, which is vital in this time and age… and it’s not interscholastic, which allows us to regulate it very well.”

Those involved in the beginnings of the Hydro Cup have strong opinions about the conservation of water. “My opinion is that water is not discussed nearly enough as far as environmental concerns on a global basis,” says Dean of Students Mr. John Ford. “I think that even in [America], in the next twenty to fifty years, the issue of water will become critical.” Ms. Homan seconds this idea: “In New England, we’re not always aware of it because water seems so plentiful. But even here, and particularly in other places in the world, you’re not guaranteed to have fresh drinking water, or water that you need to get through your day.” If this is so, then it would seem that the world needs to change its ways in regards to water use and consumption. Ms Homan and Mr. Cahoon agree that “education and awareness” are the two main goals of the Hydro Cup. “People say ‘Well, what can I do?’” remarks Mr. Cahoon. “If you save one gallon of water, it doesn’t seem to make much difference, but if you multiply that by many people, that’s where helping our planet’s environment really starts.”

At Choate, both student and faculty dorm residents have made an effort to conserve. Though they may not be a large sum of people in the grander scheme of things, this school-wide project can simulate on a small scale what could happen in the world. Student focus seems to be on taking shorter showers and not letting faucets run or drip. This might not seem like much, but it’s worth noting how much water could be saved if these small things were practiced on a national, or even global level.

The Hydro Cup shows great potential for perpetuating Choate’s exercises in conservation. It seems that the project will promote student involvement in environmental education. Will the Hydro Cup be as successful as the Green Cup? Time will only tell, but as of now the future looks bright for Choate’s environmental endeavors.