Sustainability ... What Can I Do?
At Home
- Turn It Off. Turn off lights, lamps, computers,
printers, TVs, radios and any other equipment when not in
use.
- Unplug It. Many electronics such as TVs, computers, cell
phone chargers, electric razors, etc. still use power when
they are plugged in. If you have a second refrigerator,
consolidate food into one refrigerator and unplug the other.
- Use Natural Light. If you don’t need lights, don’t turn
them on.
- Use a Lamp. Read by a lamp instead of lighting an entire
room.
- Use CFLs. Replace all frequently used light bulbs with
compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which use about 25 percent
of the energy that incandescent bulbs use.
- Air Condition Naturally. When it is cooler than 80°F
outside, open two windows, one at the highest point of your
house and the other on the shady side of the ground floor.
This will create a natural airflow through your house. Also,
cover your south-facing windows with light colored shades or
blinds to reduce solar heat gain.
- Use Fans. Since ceiling fans use only about as much
electricity as a light bulb, they use about two percent of
the electricity of a central air system.
- Air Condition Wisely. If the heat and humidity is too
much to be handled through natural ventilation and with the
use of fans, then the air conditioner should be used. Set
the temperature to 78°F and close all windows. Turn the A/C
off or set the temperature higher when you leave the house.
- Use a Programmable Thermostat. This way you can avoid
running the A/C or heat during the day when nobody is home
but set the system to turn on before you get home.
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- Heat Wisely. In the winter, set your thermostat to 68°F.
Set it cooler at night and when nobody is home. Make sure
windows, doors and any other openings are shut tightly; if
you feel cool air coming in from outdoors, fix it!
- Insulate. Whether it is winter or summer, insulation
will protect you from wasting unnecessary amounts of energy
and keep your home more comfortable.
- Take Shorter Showers. This will not only save on water
but it saves on the tremendous amount of energy required to
heat water.
- Wash Dishes By Hand. If you don’t have many dishes to
do, wash them by hand. If you use the washing machine, set
it to the low power and low water modes and only use it when
it is full.
- Laundry. Wash clothes only when they need to be washed
and only run full loads. Use cold or warm water instead of
hot, which will save on energy. Hang dry your clothes as
much as possible. To get that stiff feeling out, throw your
clothes in the dryer for five minutes.
- Water Plants in the Morning. Water outdoor plants only
when necessary and only during the cool part of the morning.
When you water during the hottest part of the day, 90
percent of the water can be lost through evaporation.
- Keep The Grass Long. Set your lawnmower to the highest
setting to keep your grass longer. Doing so keeps the soil
shaded which prevents moisture from evaporating and keeps
the grass healthier.
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At Work
- See Double. You use less paper, toner and ink by printing double-sided
documents. Many SU printers are capable of double-sided printing and those that aren’t can still have a lower impact if you print two-up (two pages per sheet). Find directions for double-sided and two-up printing here:
- Think About Your Influence. You have many opportunities
at your workplace to reduce consumption of materials. For
example, if you work in a retail store and a customer is
buying a pair of socks, ask them if they need a bag instead
of automatically giving them one. If you work in an office
and want to send a memo or newsletter, do it electronically
instead of using paper. Think of all the wasteful practices
in your workplace and act to correct them.
- Think Sustainability. When selecting equipment and
products, select those that minimize water and energy use
and generate the minimum amount of waste products, including
wastewater. When contracting services, select vendors who
have incorporated sustainability into the services they
provide, including the products they use and the means by
which they manage waste products resulting from the services
they perform.
- Reduce Chemical Usage and Hazardous Waste. Purchase
chemical products that are “environmentally-friendly,” that
is non-hazardous, whenever possible. Only buy the quantity
needed. Unused chemicals make up the majority of the
hazardous waste requiring disposal. If you are not
responsible for making these purchases, talk to the person
that is.
- Be a Role Model. People constantly learn from their
surroundings. If you model sustainable behavior, others will
follow your lead. “Be the change you wish to see in the
world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
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Commuting
- Take Public Transit. A train or bus requires much less
energy per person than a single-occupancy automobile.
- Ride a Bike. The bicycle remains the most efficient form
of personal transportation ever invented and, of course, it
uses no fossil fuels!
- If You Drive, Drive Less. Even if you get 60mpg, you
still burn gas by driving. Plan trips and errands to make
each trip in your car most productive.
- Accelerate Gently. It takes a tremendous amount of
energy to rapidly accelerate 2,000 lbs of steel, glass, and
rubber. Save gas and reduce harmful emissions by
accelerating gently.
- Drive the Speed Limit. Most vehicles get the best gas
mileage around 55mph. Every mile per hour above 55 requires
increasingly more fuel since wind resistance becomes the
limiting factor.
- Inflate Your Tires. Very important to fuel economy is
tire pressure. Inflate your tires to the maximum PSI listed
on the sidewall of the tire instead of what is listed by
your auto manufacturer. The ride might be a bit stiffer than
before, but you will have much less rolling resistance.
- Maintain Your Vehicle. Changing your oil, replacing the
air filter and doing all the other recommended maintenance
will keep your car running efficiently and help it last
longer. Washing and waxing even helps cut down wind
resistance, but do not wash your car during drought
conditions.
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Dining
- Do Not Use Disposables. Always use a ceramic plate,
glass and silverware when dining in. There are times when
polystyrene containers are the only options. You might
consider bringing your own reusable container instead.
- “For Here.” When given the option “for here or to go,”
reduce unnecessary waste by dining-in.
- Take Only What You Will Eat. This is an easy way of
reducing consumption and saving some money!
- Eat Less Meat. The average American eats enough meat to
get the amount of protein recommended for Olympic athletes.
A meat-intensive diet is hard on the environment because
livestock require lots of land area and resources to grow.
Many large livestock operations also release harmful
pollutants to our waterways. Locally, these pollutants are
having a detrimental effect on the Chesapeake Bay.
- Eat Healthier. For your own sustainability, eat
well-balanced meals. If everything on your plate is the same
fried-food brown, then you need to make a change.
Shopping
- Buy Less Stuff. Purchasing environmentally-friendly
products is good, but not purchasing any products is
significantly better. Focus your shopping on needs instead
of wants.
- Shop Online. Shopping online eliminates your need to
drive to a store. However, be careful not to purchase goods
that must travel a long way to get to you.
- Buy Local Goods. From office equipment to vegetables,
buy products that are produced locally. Doing so promotes a
healthy local economy and reduces fuel consumption from the
transportation of goods.
- Avoid Excessive Packaging.
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- Buy in Bulk. Buying products that are packaged in larger
quantities reduces the use of packaging material, but only
buy what you will use.
- Reuse Foil and Plastic Baggies.
- Avoid #5 Plastic. The recycling process for #5 plastic
is less efficient than other plastics. Because of the
relative inefficiency, many recycling plants do not accept
#5 plastic.
- Bring a Bag. Use reusable bags or a backpack at the
grocery store to avoid using plastic bags. The U.S. uses 100
billion plastic shopping bags per year. That’s roughly 333
bags per year per person—nearly a bag per day! Some places
give you a discount for bringing your own bag.
- Recycle Plastic Bags. Return any plastic bags you have
to the grocery store to be recycled.
- Buy Recycled Materials. If society recycles, yet doesn't
use the recycled material, the benefits of recycling stop
with diverting trash from the landfill. The benefits of
producing from recycled material are lost. Buying products
made from recycled material will close the recycling loop.
It will also make recycling more cost-effective.
- Buy Energy Star Products. Look for the Energy Star logo
on products such as light bulbs, windows, TVs and air
conditioners. Energy Star products might cost a little more
upfront, but they use significantly less energy than
non-Energy Star products.
- Buy A More Fuel Efficient Car. When it is time to
replace your vehicle, buy a car that suits your needs and is
fuel efficient. Some hybrid cars today get around 60mpg.
Vacationing
- Support State and National Parks/Forests. Your entrance
fees to parks helps fund conservation projects.
- Go to an Eco Destination. Eco tourism is a small but
growing industry that addresses all three aspects of
sustainability. Nations that would rely on clear cutting,
mining or other environmentally harmful practices to make
money are deciding to preserve their natural landscapes to
attract tourism. Money that comes in from tourism provides
locals with employment and education opportunities while
giving the national government financial incentive to
maintain and even enhance ecosystems.
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Waste Management
- Recycling Should Be a Last Resort. We too often think of
recycling as an ultimate sustainable task. Always remember,
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle is an order of processes. Reducing the
amount of stuff you use should be the first priority.
- Print Only If Necessary. You know to recycle paper, but
what you might not know is that the quality of paper
degrades each time it is recycled. Each time paper is
recycled, the tree fibers are made smaller. After paper is
recycled several times, the fibers are too small to make new
paper. Thus, you are not in the clear if you recycle all
your paper, yet you use it excessively.
- Print Double-Sided.
(Double-sided and Two-up Printing Instructions (PDF))
- Print Wisely. Be mindful of how much paper you will use
when printing and adjust your document accordingly. Cut down
the margins. Print single or 1.5 spaced. Delete text you do
not need.
- Drink Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water. In the U.S.,
tap water is regulated by the EPA and perfectly safe to
drink. In fact, many bottled water companies actually just
fill their bottles with clean tap water. Getting your water
from water bottles increases plastic use, plus fuel was
burned to transport the water bottles to a store. The only
small risk of drinking tap water is, if you live in a house
with old plumbing, small amounts of lead can leach from the
water pipes into the water. In this case, buy a water filter
to remove the lead.
- Use Rags Instead of Paper Towels. If you need to use a
paper towel, rinse it and reuse if possible (do not reuse
the paper towel if it was contaminated with something that
could risk your health).
- Use Reusable Cups Instead of Disposable Cups. Paper
comes from trees, and paper cups end up in a landfill.
Although a reusable coffee mug will need to be washed, using
water, the production of paper cups uses water as well.
Paper cups are non-recyclable because of food contamination
and the plastic coating.
- Recycle Everything You Cannot Reuse. Place all of your
paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminum cans in the
recycling bins around campus. Find out what your county or
city lets you recycle at home.
- Compost Food Waste. If you have an available space at
home, compost foot waste to turn it into great soil for your
garden.
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