Forming an Opportunity Belief

Forming an Opportunity Belief - 4A

          I believe there is an unmet need in regard to being more energy-efficient. The University of Florida is a large school and they try to be as sustainable as they can. However, there are multiple things I have noticed throughout my first and second semester that could be done to be a lot more sustainable. The students of UF have this need, as some money they spend for tuition goes towards paying for electricity. This need has always existed, but the need to be energy-efficient has grown in the last years because of the rise of technology. To meet this need, in UF specifically, the school has taken steps to try to become more sustainable. They have put timers in the showers to limit water usage. They have also tried to encourage recycling more. To fix this need, UF could take multiple steps, such as turning off every other light in the dorms in the hallway, instead of leaving every single light on 24/7. I am about 80% sure this opportunity exists.

1.     Female first-year roommate in the dorm:

·       Have you ever thought about how much energy the school uses?

o   Yes, a couple times when I’m having deep thoughts.

·      Have you noticed the schools attempt to be sustainable?

o   Yes! The lights in the dorm kitchen have a sensor, and there are timers in the showers.

·      Have you ever asked anybody what the school is doing to be energy-efficient?

o   No, I haven’t thought about asking anybody.

·      When did you become aware of the lack of sustainability on campus?

o   When I started my first semester living in a dorm.

·      Have you done anything to address this need?

o   The only thing I’m capable of doing is turning the lights off after I leave the room.

·      Do you think a solution could be turning off some lights in the dorm hallways to conserve energy?

o   Yes, I definitely think that will reduce the energy usage!

2.     Male overnight visitor in the dorm:

·       Have you ever thought about how much energy the school uses?

o   No, it has not come to my attention.

·      Have you noticed the schools attempt to be sustainable?

o   Yes, I noticed the recycling cans around campus.

·      Have you ever asked anybody what the school is doing to be energy-efficient?

o   No, I haven’t thought of doing that.

·      When did you become aware of the lack of sustainability on campus?

o   When I first started the semester, I noticed the school trying to be “green”.

·      Have you done anything to address this need?

o   No, I haven’t thought of doing anything.

·      Do you think a solution could be turning off some lights in the dorm hallways to conserve energy?

o   Yes, the lights are very bright, especially at times when they don’t need to be.

3.     Resident Advisor (RA) for floor in the dorm:

·      Have you ever thought about how much energy the school uses?

o   I have definitely thought about school-wide energy usage.

·      Have you noticed the schools attempt to be sustainable?

o   Yes, I have. The dorm bathrooms have hourglass timers in them to try to save water by limiting shower times.

·      Have you ever asked anybody what the school is doing to be energy-efficient?

o   No, I’m usually busy and haven’t had the chance to ask anybody.

·      When did you become aware of the lack of sustainability on campus?

o   My first semester here, but I especially noticed it when I started being an RA and living in a dorm.

·      Have you done anything to address this need?

o   No, but I could talk to some friends in the Housing department to see if they have taken any action.

·      Do you think a solution could be turning off some lights in the dorm hallways to conserve energy?

o   Definitely! I think that would be a great way to save some energy!

Reflection: From all three interviews, I learned that there is room for my opportunity! A lot of people seem to agree with turning off some lights in the hallways to save energy. I even asked more of the girls on my floor and they also seemed to like the idea. I thought it was interesting how of the three people I interviewed, none of them had taken action, or asked about sustainability efforts on campus. After talking to each of them though, they all mentioned something along the lines of how it would be a good idea to try and do more in that sense.

Summary: Most of my opportunity belief is still here! I am still very hopeful that it is something achievable, because it shouldn’t be that much of a problem. I think my opportunity is as accurate, if not more, than when I started. The people I talked to really confirmed this unmet need and wanted to try to help in meeting it. I definitely think that depending on the product, entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on the feedback they receive from customers. This is because the customers are going to be the ones supporting the opportunity.