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Sustainability
Gulls Leave Small Footprints

Gulls Leave Small Footprints

pledge image Through the Gulls Leave Small Footprints initiative, members of the campus community can take an online pledge to reduce their carbon footprints by making one or more small changes, such as carrying a reusable water bottle (saving an average 13 plastic water bottles per month) or walking or biking short distances instead of driving (saving an estimated 20 pounds of carbon dioxide per month).

The program is a collaboration between the Campus Sustainability & Environmental Safety Office, Student Organization for Activity Planning, Student Government Association, Environmental Studies Department, University Dining Services, Horticulture and Grounds Department, Physical Plant and SU Garden Club.

Through tracking pledges, we can calculate the total impact of all Small Footprint Pledges and demonstrate the collective effect of our individual actions.

Gulls Leave Small Footprints Photo Gallery

Salisbury University kicked off its Gulls Leave Small Footprints initiative at the Commons Dining Hall, encouraging campus community members to pledge to make changes to reduce their carbon footprints.

View the Photo Gallery

THE COMMITMENTS

I will carry a reusable water bottle
- The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable estimates that one 500-milliliter plastic bottle of water has a total carbon footprint equivalent to 82.8 grams of carbon dioxide. Additionally, it takes 3 liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water.
- Complimentary water stations throughout campus filter tap water and allow hands-free filling of reusable water bottles.
- Your pledge can reduce plastic waste by 4.3lbs over the course of a year.
I will only take what I'm going to eat, and not waste food
- Food is the number one thing in America’s landfills (NRDC).
- 40% of all food in America is wasted (NRDC).
- Each person produces an average of 20lbs of food was per month (NRDC).
- Your pledge can reduce food waste by 339lbs over the course of a year.
I will conserve water usage by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when brushing my teeth and checking the faucet, showerhead and toilet for leaks
- Try turning off the water while you shampoo your hair, and turning it back on to rinse.
- When brushing your teeth, only turn on the tap to rinse.
- 75% of home water usage comes from the bathroom
- Your pledge can save 6,552 gallons of water over the course of a year.
I will recycle paper products, cans and bottles
- On average, a person generates 4.48lbs of municipal solid waste per day (EPA)
- SU has single stream recycling. This means that all recyclable products – cardboard, paper, cans, glass or plastic - can all go into the same bin.
- Since 2012, at least 50 percent of all campus waste is recycled.
- Your pledge can divert a 1000lbs of waste from a landfill over the course of a year.
I will reduce standby power losses by unplugging my printer, computer charger and phone charger when not in use, or by using a power strip
- Vampire power (also called standby or phantom power) is the energy that electronics and appliances continue to consume 24 hours a day, even after they have been turned off.
- Make an effort to unplug computer and phone chargers from outlets when they aren't in use, and unplug infrequently used devices (such as DVD players, video game consoles, or stereos) when they are turned off.
- The Department of Energy estimates that power vampires are responsible for around 10% of your electricity use.
- Your pledge can save prevent 241.7lbs of CO2 emissions over the course of a year.
I will use cloth or other reusable bags when I go shopping
- Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture (Biologicaldiversity.org)
- According to Waste Management, only 1% of plastic bags are returned for recycling.
- Each plastic bag is used for an average of 12 minutes, but a single plastic bag has a life expectancy of up to 1,000 years. (environmentmassachusetts.org)
- Your pledge can prevent 4.3lbs of plastic waste over the course of a year.
I will walk or bike short distances instead of driving
- Salisbury University is a recognized Bicycle Friendly University. See our Bicycle Friendly resources webpage for more details.
- For short distances, walking or cycling can actually be faster than driving.
- Your pledge can prevent 254.8lbs of CO2 emissions over the course of a year.
I will turn off lights when I leave the room
- No matter what type of light bulbs are in the room, you will save energy by turning off the lights.
- A simple rule of thumb is to turn off the lights if you are leaving a room for more than 15 minutes.
- Your pledge can prevent 144.58lbs of CO2 emission over the course of a year

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Click the button below, complete your individual pledge online, and let us know how you plan to make a smaller footprint.

TAKE THE PLEDGE