Run by the UNH student group the Ecological Advocates, the Challenge is an energy and water use reduction competition held on the UNH Durham campus during the four weeks in the fall semester that lead up to the Thanksgiving break and UNH's powerdown educational campaign. The major goal is to engage students living on campus in activities that reduce their ecological footprints - in particular, energy use. Students compete as a residence hall or apartment complex to reduce their per capita energy and water consumption compared to their building’s average usage from the past three years. (Read the official Challenge rules to learn more.) Each apartment complex and residence hall has one or more volunteer “Energy Captains” - students who take a leadership role to educate and motivate their fellow students. The three buildings that reduce their energy and water consumption the most win a a cash prize to their hall fund ($300 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third), bragging rights, a cool student-made trophy that moves from winning building to winning building, & peace of mind!