Transcript Greening Your Dorm Room

Greening Your Residence Hall
Room
Compiled by Zachary T. Jacobs
Making your residence hall room
energy efficient is simple, cheap, and
will have a positive impact on our
campus.
Meeting SUNY Energy Saving Goals
• The State University of New York has set a
system-wide goal of reducing energy.
• In order to reach that goal SUNY Canton’s target
is a reduction of 42%.
• Conserving energy is one of the ways to reach
that goal.
• Reducing energy use also helps the college
maintain the quality of its educational programs
by saving money. This is particularly important
during the budget crisis.
This presentation shows you how to make
your residence hall room more energy
efficient and to make more environmentally
responsible choices.
As you are reading, compare these ideas to
your own residence hall room. What ideas can
you use?
Power Outlets and Plug Usage
• Plug and appliances and electronics into a power strip so they
can all be easily turned off when not in use.
• Make sure you actually use the switch on the power strip to
prevent “phantom power” from being drawn. Phantom
power means although the device may be off, or a phone not
plugged into the charger these devices still draw as much as
40% of the energy they use when on.
Computers and Laptops
• Turn off your computer at night or when your leaving for long
periods of time, again to prevent phantom energy usage.
•
On your own, or, with assistance from the help desk, enable
the energy saving settings on your computer.
• On campus, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee is
recycling ink cartridges. For more information call 7976.
• When possible, print on both sides of the paper when using
your own printer. This will greatly cut down on paper use.
Appliances/Electronics
• Make sure your refrigerator is ENERGY STAR rated.
• Also make sure your refrigerator is set between 3843°F, and closes properly.
• If you have other electrical devices and appliances,
make sure they are also ENERGY STAR, and that they
are turned off when not in use.
• Unplug all appliances over breaks
and vacations.
Heating
• Use the wheel control knob on top of the heat register in
your residence hall room to control flow of heat.
• If your room is consistently hot or cold, report it to Facilities.
• Regulate your temperature with clothing, hot or cool drinks,
opening or insulating the window, etc.
• Use heavy curtains or padding in the winter to keep in heat,
and keep out drafts.
Tips from Wikihow.com How to Green Your Dorm Room.
Lighting
•
Utilize compact fluorescent light bulbs in ceiling, floor and desk lamps. See electricity usage graph
on slide after next one. (CFLs are four times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescents. Bulbs typically use 65%75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb to provide the same amount of light*)
•
LED bulbs available from Ace Hardware stores make great computer lights, and use even less
energy than compact fluorescent bulbs.
•
Use small lamps instead of large or overhead lighting.
•
Turn off all lights when you leave the room.
•
Use natural light as much as possible.
•
Every kwh of electricity conserved reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by .82 pounds, and SUNY Canton cut
over 600,000 pounds in 08-09 through conservation.
*Statistics from One Billion Bulbs http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/Learn
Safety Note
Compact fluorescent bulbs contain small amounts of mercury:
A CFL bulb generally contains an average of 5 mg of mercury (about one-fifth of that found in the average
watch battery, and less than 1/100th of the mercury found in an amalgam dental filling).*
• Nonetheless, take precautions in the rare case when a compact
fluorescent bulb is broken, open the window and leave the room
for a half hour.
• Upon returning and cleaning up the glass, use duct tape to clean up
contents of bulb. Dispose of properly.
• LED bulbs do not contain mercury.
* Statistics from: http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
Garbage/Recycling
Casella, our waste hauler, reports that we have the lowest recycling numbers of all
area colleges. We can change that!
•
SUNY Canton is implementing zero-sort recycling. Glass, cardboard, paper,
plastics ( numbers 1-7), and metal can be put in one container. Use existing
containers, such as boxes, until bins are provided.
• Separate your garbage from your recycling, and be sure
to put your garbage and recycling in the appropriate
containers. Keep garbage and recycling separate at all times.
• If problems occur, such as full garbage containers
in public spaces in your dorm, report them promptly
to a Resident Assistant.
Transportation
• Make use of local bus when possible. Check this link for the commuter
bus schedule: http://www.commuterbusinfo.com/
• Remember the Roo Express Shuttle Van service runs Monday through
Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and is free for students to get
into Canton and to the Wal-Mart in Potsdam.
• Car pool, get together with friends, and make the trip together to
stores and other destinations. This will save you money on gas, and
lower green-house gases.
• Take an alternative form of transportation such as walking, a bike,
longboard, rollerblades, etc.
Shared Spaces
Bathroom, Lounge, Laundry room
Bathroom:
• Turn off the lights when you leave.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Take an appropriate length shower (approx. ten
minutes)
Shared Spaces.
More about Shared Spaces
Lounges and Laundry room
Lounges:
•
Turn off the lights/TV when you are done, or when you see them not in use.
Laundry room:
•
Use cold water for most laundry loads.
•
Run dryers no longer than necessary to dry clothes.*
•
Dry some clothes on a drying rack in your room.
*The average load of laundry uses 5 kwh of electricity
to dry, creating nearly five pounds of emissions.
Additional Ideas for Greening Your Residence
Hall Room
• Instead of stocking up on plastic bottled water
purchase a reusable stainless steel bottle. This will
save you money on purchasing cases of water and
kept bottles out of landfills.
• Instead of energy wasting air freshener plug-ins you
could use natural air fresheners using essential oils.
Additional Ideas For Greening Your residence
hall room
• Instead of synthetic materials try to utilize organic fabrics
(sheets, curtains, clothing, etc.)
• Having plants in your room can be a cheap environmentally
friendly way of helping with the air quality of your residence
hall room. According to the organization Care2 “Houseplants
are often-overlooked helpers in ridding the air of pollutants
and toxins, counteracting outgassing and contributing to
balanced internal humidity.”
Conclusion
• SUNY Canton has a target of reducing its energy use
by 42%.
• Conserving energy is one of the steps that will help
the campus to reach this target.
• Conserving energy and greening your residence hall
room involve small steps and changes that can make
a big difference.
Citations
•
•
•
•
•
WWF-http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/greenyourdormroom.html
Wikihowhttp://www.wikihow.com/Green-Your-Dorm-Room
Care2
http://www.care2.com
One Billion Bulbs
http://www.onebillionbulbs.com
*CFL Electricity usage graph-Wikipedia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Electricity_use_by_lightbu
lb_type.svg