Introduction of the Siemens Challenge Team

            Hey everyone, I’m Albert Kong and I’m working with two other students Shilpa Bhat and Vrinda Agarwal to reduce Phantom Load. We are all students at RJ Grey JHS in Acton.  

            Now that we got the introductions out of the way, I can explain what we do. We are all on a team competing in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. The objectives are to identify an environmental challenge (we chose Phantom Load- the energy consumed by electronics when they are in “off” mode), to educate our community (you) about it, and to make an improvement in the environmental challenge that we chose.

            So far, we have collected our data in the form of surveys and measuring vampire electronics (electronics that suck up energy when they are “off”), spread the word about it, and also submitted our entry to the judges. So you may be wondering, if they already finished the contest why are they continuing to bug us about Phantom Load? Well, when we first entered the competition, we made a commitment that we were doing this not just to win, but as a passion to help the only Earth that we have. Right now we are the state finalist for MA which is a big accomplishment already, but we’re not stopping there. We are still asking for your help to reduce Phantom Load.

            We have not only been asking for help on a local level, but also on the state level and national level. We have met with State Senator Jamie Eldridge and we have convinced him to file a bill aimed to reduce Phantom Load. On the national level, we have met with EPA representative Cynthia Greene and talked about trying to put the Phantom Load on the Energy Star labels.

            So what can YOU do to help? Well, first of all it would be great if you took our survey online at http://sites.google.com/site/phantomloadfighters/phantom-load-survey. You can also help us by reducing your phantom load by unplugging vampire electronics, such as computers, coffee makers, TVs, printers, and any other electronic that can send or receive wireless signals when the are “off”. Running around your house unplugging every vampire electronic can be a very tedious job (believe me, I know), and buying a powerstrip can make this job a lot easier. They can turn off multiple (often five or six) vampire electronics at a time.

            In the near future, we will be announcing the results of the national competition and are planning with meeting more representatives to discuss the issue of Phantom Load. I just want to thank everyone in advance for helping us reduce Phantom Load.