ASCC ARRA Committee Awards Prizes in Energy Saving Promotion

ASCC ARRA Committee Awards Prizes in Energy Saving Promotion

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer

Campus group the Energy Education Coordinators, which includes members of the Student Government Association (SGA) at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has spent two semesters participating in Energy Smart Every Day, a project funded through a grant from the American Samoa Energy Office to promote increased energy awareness and conservation for our energy future.

Made possible through ARRA funding, the project involved contests held among the ASCC campus clubs as well as in the high schools for the best promotions of energy saving. At a ceremony on Thursday, April 28, the Energy Education Coordinators presented Solomona Sa of Fagaitua High School with the first place award in the high school outreach poster competition. Also recognized at the ceremony was the ASCC New Generation Club for their video on energy saving.

“This project was designed from the beginning to be coordinated and implemented by ASCC students, primarily through SGA, giving young people an active voice in an issue that will impact their lives dramatically in the years to come”, explained ASCC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Kathleen Kolhoff, who helped with the formation of the Energy Education Coordinators.

Over the past year, other activities as part of Energy Smart Every Day included a t-shirt project, a music competition, a calendar project, a television commercial competition, and a separate poster competition for students at the College. The goal of Energy Smart Every Day is to produce documented energy savings and increased energy literacy in American Samoan communities through youth-based initiatives. The ASCC students served as project staff provided “kick-off” activities in each school, developed with the assistance of the Territorial Energy Office and other available consultants. These initial events introduced the highlights of energy conservation and provided students with both classroom and school-to-home activities and materials to promote energy savings.

In her speech during the awards ceremony, Dr. Kolhoff reflected on the future of energy in American Samoa. “I can’t help but wonder what our island will be like in another 40 years or so”, she said. “Will gas cost $30 a gallon? Will we limit our use of electricity to just the essentials because it costs too much or because ASPA can’t continue to generate the power we need for all the conveniences we take for granted? I think we have two possible futures ahead of us, and the path we end up on will be largely up to you. That was the genesis and the driving force of this project.” Dr. Kolhoff expressed optimism for the new attitudes towards energy she notices the Territory is slowly adopting. “We see the results of this new awareness all around us – from solar panels here at ASCC and on other buildings on island to the posters and songs and videos that will be airing on TV soon. It is this awareness, and our willingness to act in small and big ways, that will assure the energy security of our future.”

Besides high school poster competition winner Solomona Sia, other runner-up contestants who attended the awards ceremony included Gasolo Malau’ulu from Samoana, Loimata Siona from Nuuuli Voc Tech, Davicia Tautai from Leone, and Shanice Williams from Kananafou. Ceremony MC Dona Maifala of the Energy Education Coordinators explained that the project activities will continue over the coming months, as the calendar project is currently in the editing stages, and campus groups JBC Club and Humble Club, co-winners of the commercial competition, have postponed the re-filming of their winning entries but will resume work once this semester is completed.

ENDS

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