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According to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Climate and Sustainability Advisory Board (CASAB), 10 space heaters in major campus buildings can add as much as $2,500 to SIUE’s annual electric bill. Also of note, space heaters can contribute to fire risk. A single space heater running for just one hour can power a cell phone for a year. With these statistics, the CASAB decided to try a new approach to bring awareness to a more sustainable form of warmth: a pledge and a blanket.

In January, the CASAB sent out a request to the campus communities to take a pledge: Use a blanket instead of a space heater as an eco-conscious choice and more sustainable measure to embrace SIUE’s commitment to ecological integrity. As a gesture for taking the vow, the CASAB rewarded pledgers with exclusive SIUE CASAB-branded fleece blankets at a brief ceremony on Friday, Feb. 19 in the Goshen Lounge at Morris University Center.

“Electrical heaters consume a lot of electricity,” said Serdar Celik, PhD, chair of CASAB and professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering. “So we thought, ‘how can we encourage faculty and staff to not use those heaters?’ The idea came up when the weather was especially cold. We decided to distribute these blankets to those who gave a sustainability pledge.”

The pledge gained traction. Within a few days of the pledge announcement, CASAB reached their blanket capacity quota.

“We are excited,” Celik continued. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this that can contribute to the sustainability of the campus.”

The CASAB blanket ceremony had more than twenty staff members come out to claim their pledge blankets, not including the pledgers who weren’t in attendance. Based on the turnout of the afternoon and the CASAB data, these blankets ensured the University could save close to $7,500 in annual energy savings.

“It’s quite interesting for me because this concept is quite new and with climate change, I just want to be a part of this,” said Natasha Kabish, a graduate assistant studying sociology.

For Celik and the CASAB, the goal for the Cougar-red blankets radiate beyond winter warmth. By creating awareness for energy consumption, this initiative highlights how sustainability education reflects SIUE’s mission and lowers the University’s ecological footprint.

PHOTO: Faculty and staff members displaying their CASAB blankets for taking the Climate Sustainability Pledge.