GREEN TIPS!!!
Emma Gildesgame
How to use this page: Post tips or green facts up here as you find
them/think of them (click "edit" in the upper right hand corner and
make sure you save your changes!). They can have to do with absolutely
anything! The monthly committees will also add tips relevant to their
theme. If you use a tip for something (general announcement, poster,
etc, put a note next to it on this page with the date it was used and
where, just so we know which ones are getting a lot of use and which
ones could use some more.
The Green Living Guide (Fall 2009)
Websites:
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/
http://www.thegreenguide.com/food/buying/beef-label-decoder
http://www.thegreenguide.com/health-safety/dirty-dozen-decoder
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
* Be a responsible steward and consumer— know what resources you
use, what waste you generate, and where your waste goes.
* Reduce, reuse, then recycle: it’s better to reduce the amount of
resources you’re using in the first place than to use and dispose of
them, even if you recycle.
* Try to avoid disposable items (razors, cups, silverware, etc.)
and items with excessive packaging.
* Buy goods with high recycled content; this creates a market for
recycled material.
* Buy products in bulk to save money and resources!
* Carry your own personal water bottle and refill it rather than
buying plastic bottles of water.
* Carry your own coffee mug and refill it instead of using
disposable cardboard coffee cups. If you bring your own cup or mug to
the Spa, you get a 25 cent refills on any beverage!
* Paper or plastic? Choose neither and transport purchases using a
reusable bag instead!
* Find creative ways to reuse items you no longer want.
* Give unwanted appliances, clothing, and furniture to the Colby
RESCUE sale or a friend instead of throwing them out.
* Recycling bins for bottles, cans, and paper are found in all
campus buildings—know where they are and use them!
Save Energy
· Colby purchases 100% green, renewable energy, but saving
energy is still an important part of living sustainably.
· It takes an incredible amount of energy to heat water:
conserve it! Don’t run water constantly when brushing your teeth,
shaving, or washing dishes, limit your shower time.
· Turn off your lights when you leave a room or don’t need
them. Use focused task lighting instead of general overhead lighting
for your desk or bedside.
· Phantom Load or vampire power is the energy used while
appliances are turned of, and accounts for a huge amount of energy we
consume. Unplug chargers and appliances when you’re not using them.
Plug everything you turn on and off frequently into one power strip
and turn off the whole thing instead of having to unplug and re-plug
everything every time.
· Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep
lighting levels low when brighter light isn’t necessary.
· Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs,
available at the Colby Bookstore. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(CFLs) use 66% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, last 10
times longer, and provide high-quality light. To use the most
efficient task lighting possible, replace incandescent bulbs with CFL
bulbs or purchase lamps that use fluorescent tubes or High Intensity
Discharge (HID) bulbs.
· If a quarter of the households in the United States replaced
one incandescent with one CFL, it would save as much CO2 as planting
257,215 acres of forest. To pick out a compact fluorescent lightbulb
(CFL) that will give off the familiar warm glow of incandescents, look
for bulbs labeled "soft white" with a Kelvin temperature of 2,700k. To
complement warmer colors in a room, pick "warm white" CFLs with
Kelvins ranging from 3,000k to 3,500k. Full-spectrum or "daylight"
bulbs emulate natural light and have a color temperature of 5,000k or
higher.
· Energy Star rated appliances use significantly less
energy.
o Energy Star rated computers, monitors and printers will
automatically enter a low power mode after a period of inactivity.
o Energy Star audio equipment can use one-tenth the energy of
standard models.
o Cordless phones with an Energy Star rating use about one-third of
the energy of standard models.
o Visit www.energystar.gov for more information about the program
and where to purchase energy start products.
· Fight phantom loading with a “smart” power strip or surge
protector with an on/off switch.
· Energy star rated refrigerators use about 20% less energy
than standard compact refrigerators, which may use almost as much
energy as full-sized models. Sharing a compact refrigerator with
roommates or hall mates is an excellent way to save energy.
·
Green Laundry
* Every dorm has Energy Star rated washing machines and dryers
which save millions of gallons of water and thousands of dollars in
energy costs annually.
* Use the “Bright Colors” setting on the washing machine—it uses
cold water which requires less energy to heat.
· Given the efficiencies of modern washing machines and
detergents, hot water is really not required in most cases and is no
better for your clothes than cold water.
* Resist washing small amounts of clothing. If you do need to wash
a small number of items, consider hand-washing as it only takes a few
minutes to do or adjust the water levels in your machine
appropriately.
* Just about every supermarket these days offers "earth friendly"
detergents and usually you'll find they are quite a bit cheaper too
due to the no-frills, low active chemical approach - yet they can be
just as effective.
* If you need a bit of extra punch to your wash in terms of
bleaching, consider adding a 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle
and hang clothes outside to dry. By the way, a teaspoon of lemon juice
thrown into your wash can also help your clothes to smell fresher!
Other more environmentally friendly alternatives to brightening are a
half cup of baking soda thrown into the wash, or half a cup of borax.
* Dry your clothes using a clothesline or drying rack instead of
running your dryer.
* Colby’s washers and dryers have a larger load capacity so you
can do two loads for every three loads done using a standard washer
and dryer.
* Clean the lint screen after every load.
* Purchase powdered biodegradable laundry soap. Colby’s washers
only require 2 tbsp of detergent per load.
· Biodegradable and non-phosphorus bath supplies and laundry
detergent can be broken down by microorganisms, reduce nutrient
loading, and are non-toxic to aquatic species.
· Consider using a drying rack instead of the dryer for some
or all of your clothes.
· Laundry liquids contain up to 80 percent water. It costs
energy and packaging to bring this water to the consumer. So save
three ways by using powder detergents to wash clothes. The same holds
for dishwashing detergents, when there's a choice, choose dry powders.
·
Sustainable Computer Tips
· Computers and printers are some of the largest contributors
to energy and paper use at a college.
· Set your computer to ‘sleep’ or ‘stand by’ after several
minutes of non-use. Screen savers use the same amount of energy as if
you left your computer on and are considered unnecessary for use in
new computers. Turn off your computer at night. Turning a computer
off and on saves more energy than leaving it idle for 16 minutes. This
does not damage the computer or shorten its lifespan.
· Edit documents on the computer screen as much as possible to
avoid printing multiple drafts. Avoid printing unless you have to.
When you do, print on both sides.
· Wait until you get on campus before purchasing your own
printer—free printing is available in the libraries and in many
academic buildings. Using shared printers reduces energy and resource
use.
· See www.colby.edu/info.tech/green/ for more tips.
· Notebook computers use 80% less energy than desktops.
· Flat panel monitors use less energy and increase available
desk space.
· Use a thumb drive or external hard drive to transport files
from your computer to a free library printer rather than having your
own printer.
Green Dining
· Dining Services has worked closely with students and the
Environmental Advisory Group to adopt many sustainability initiatives
in their daily operations.
· In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of
1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table. Choose local and
organic options in the dining halls and supermarket. 20% of food in
the dining halls is from Maine!
· Take only what you need—you can always go back for more. All
of our food waste is composted, but reducing waste is better.
· Be aware of where your food comes from and how it’s made.
· For the freshest, most local, organic food possible, get
involved with the Colby Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, a
student group which runs a ¾ acre garden on campus!
· If you live in the senior apartments, e-mail Hanna Noel to
get involved with the apartments composting program. hcn...@colby.edu.
If you live off campus, look into getting compost started at your
house!
· For information about sustainability in dining services’,
visit: www.colby.edu/campus_cs/dining_services/community/environment.cfm
· Food packaging makes up a third of all garbage tossed in the
U.S. To try to cut down on this packaging, cut back on single-serving
foods and beverages. Instead, buy items in bulk and portion them out
into reusable containers. Buy household items, like detergent and
cleaning supplies, in concentrated forms so that you get more product
per package. Whenever possible, look for packaging made from recycled
materials, and always check the plastic code to make sure the package
is recyclable.
· In West Africa, where 43 percent of the world's cocoa beans
are grown, 284,000 children work on cocoa farms under abusive labor
conditions. Choose chocolate that is sweet for you and the kids in
cocoa bean producing countries. Look for the Fair Trade label on
chocolate products, which guarantees no children labored to produce
the cocoa beans and that the farmers earned a living wage for their
crop. (http://www.thegreenguide.com/fastfact/6)
· 255 million chickens provide for our nation's annual demand
for eggs, and a geographic area the size of Wyoming is used to grow
our wheat. With that in mind, wasting food is about more than just
wasting money—it's also about wasting all the land resources that
produce it. That doesn't mean you should keep eating when you're
already full. Just save the leftovers and have them later. After all,
nothing is better than a cold slice of pizza in the morning. (http://
www.thegreenguide.com/fastfact/7 )
· Americans spend up to 10,000 times more per gallon for
bottled water than they do for tap. Save money by investing in a
reusable water bottle, such as a BPA-free Klean Kanteen stainless
steel bottle or an aluminum Sigg bottle, available at the Colby
Bookstore
Shop Green:
· Cordless phones use energy continuously. If possible,
purchase a phone with a cord. If you don’t think you’ll use a phone in
your room, just use your cell phone!
· Purchase second-hand furniture and other supplies (dishes,
lamps, storage containers) at thrift stores or at the Colby RESCUE
sale before classes begin in the fall.
· Most class supplies are available with some recycled
content. Try to purchase supplies that are durable and reusable.
Purchase non-chlorine and non-deinked recycled paper from the Colby
Bookstore.
· Purchase used textbooks from the Colby Bookstore
· A bike is a great way to get around campus and to
Waterville. A limited number of bikes are available for free rental
through the iBike program, but having your own is more convenient!
Random Green Tips:
· Burning one gallon of gas produces roughly 25 pounds of CO2.
Reducing your speed from 70 mph to 55 mph could increase your fuel
efficiency by 23 percent. Inflate your tires, and drive at a leisurely
pace for maximum fuel efficiency. Take it easy. Slamming on the brakes
and accelerating too quickly can reduce fuel efficiency up to 33
percent. Replace clogged air filters. A clogged air filter can cut a
vehicle's fuel efficiency by 10 percent. Get a tune-up. Routine
maintenance can up fuel efficiency by 4 percent, while fixing more
serious problems can improve efficiency up to 40 percent. www.Fueleconomy.gov,
http://www.thegreenguide.com/fastfact
· Idling for just 30 seconds burns more fuel than turning off
the car and restarting it. Turn the ignition off at long stoplights
and other lengthy hold-ups. And rather than using the drive-through,
just park and go in. Rapid starts and abrupt stops waste fuel.
Anticipate upcoming stops, step off the gas, and let your vehicle run
out of momentum.
· The American Association of Wine Economists estimates global
greenhouse gas emissions from wine production and distribution to be
5,336,600 tons—roughly the same amount that one million passenger
vehicles would emit in a year. Because shipping wine typically
involves moving lots of heavy glass filled with some less-heavy wine,
the bigger the bottle, the smaller the carbon impact per ounce… which
means that wine in boxes and huge bottles is more sustainable than
small, 1 L bottles. (http://www.thegreenguide.com/fastfact)