WATERVILLE — When Colby College students were challenged to reduce their electricity consumption last month, they jumped at the challenge.

Students cut their usage in most of the college’s 25 dormitories by doing things such as air-drying clothes, remembering to turn off lights and taking the stairs instead of elevators, sustainability coordinator Kevin Bright said Thursday.

For the last three weeks, in preparation for Earth Day on Friday, Colby’s team of eco-representatives tracked dormitories’ electricity consumption as part of the 2016 Dorm Electricity Competition. Dormitories competed to see which could reduce its electricity consumption the most.

“(The competition) was basically to drive home the fact that it’s not too difficult to conserve electricity, and how being mindful of how they are using electricity can have an impact,” Bright said.

The competition saved 6,326.4 kilowatt hours between March 28 and April 19, based on a three-week period of regular consumption before the start of the contest.

Students in Williams Hall reduced consumption the most, down 18 percent. Leonard Hall came in second, cutting 15 percent.

“We hope to educate and encourage students to engage in a sustainable lifestyle, so hopefully they carry it with them after Colby,” Bright said.

Colby was the fourth college or university in the U.S. to achieve carbon neutral status in 2013, meaning it has a net impact of zero on greenhouse emissions. Shortly before becoming carbon neutral, a biomass heating plant was built to heat campus buildings.

The campus will host an Earth Day fair, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

The celebrations will wrap up Saturday with a concert and a carnival from 1 to 3 p.m.

Lauren Abbate can be contacted at 861-9252 or at:

labbate@centralmaine.com;

Twitter: Lauren_M_Abbate