Slide 1

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

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Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
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Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

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Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 2

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 3

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 4

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 5

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 6

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 7

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 8

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 9

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 10

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 11

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

Home

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 12

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

Home

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 13

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 14

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 15

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 16

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 17

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 18

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 19

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 20

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
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electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 21

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
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andseparately
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areknow?
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andYale
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electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 22

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
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andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
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prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 23

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
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recycles
lbs of
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in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 24

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 25

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 26

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 27

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 28

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 29

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 30

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 31

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 32

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 33

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

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Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 34

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

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Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

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Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

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Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

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Energy

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
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Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

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Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 35

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 36

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 37

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

Home

Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 38

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Back

Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 39

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 40

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

Home

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

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Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

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Travel & Transportation

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Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

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Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

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Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 41

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 42

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 43

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

Home

Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

Home

Back

Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 44

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 45

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 46

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

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Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
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Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

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Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 47

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

Next Slide

Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

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Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

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Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Back

Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Next Slide

Common Areas

Home

Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

Home

Back

Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

Home

Back

Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

Next Slide

Food & Dining

Home

Back

Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

Next Slide

Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

Home

Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

Next Slide

Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

Home

Thank you for your participation!
We appreciate your time and attention.

If you would like to help us improve our
program, please take a minute to give us
your feedback in a short survey.

Click here to take the survey


Slide 48

Sustainable Yale
Your guide to more
sustainable living at
Yale University

Begin

Back

Welcome to the Yale University
Sustainable Yale Program!
This program will help you learn how to occupy your building more
sustainably and guide you through the University’s recommended best
practices in the areas of:
Energy
Waste Management
Food & Dining
Common Areas
Travel and Transportation

Next Slide

Back
As a member of the Yale community, your contribution to Yale’s sustainability
efforts are essential to the University’s success in achieving the goals of the Yale
Sustainability Strategic Plan.
You can navigate through the program by clicking on each slide:
When you see a bulldog button, click on the bulldog for
more information. Click again to hide.
Next Slide

Home

Click on “Next Slide” to advance, “Home” to choose a
new area to explore, or “Back” to go back one slide.

Back
At the end of the program, you will find a list of Helpful Links for your
reference.

Let’s Get Started!

Next Slide

Back
Energy

Waste &
Recycling

Travel &
Transportation

Choose an Area
to Explore
Common
Areas

Food & Dining
Building
Sustainably
at Yale

Helpful Links

Finish

Energy

Home

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yale's Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a campus-wide goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, a 43%
reduction from 2005 levels.

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Energy

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Back

Computers and Other Electronics
Yale recommends purchasing ENERGY STAR or
EPEAT rated electronics when buying new
computers and other electronic equipment,
which have lower energy requirements than
conventional models.
To reduce energy use, you can adjust the power
management settings on your computer to send
your monitor to sleep after 5 to 15 minutes of
inactivity.
Find out how to change your settings here.
Need help adjusting your default settings? Your
IT Support staff member can help you.

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Energy

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Reduce Vampire Power
Vampire Power refers to the significant
amount of energy wasted by leaving
chargers, appliances, and other electronics
plugged in when not in use. Americans
waste $10 billion of electricity each year due
to leaving such appliances plugged in 24/7.
You can reduce vampire power by:

• Shutting down your computer at night.
• Unplugging chargers (computer, cell
phone, etc.) when they are not being used.
• Turning on your printer only when you need it, and leaving it unplugged
when not in use.
• Flipping the “off” switch on surge protectors overnight and during
academic breaks.

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Energy

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Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Lighting
Turning off any manually-operated lights
when not in use or when daylight is sufficient
is a simple but critical energy-saving practice.
If you are the last person to leave a common
area, or when leaving your apartment, don’t
forget to turn off the light!
Some common areas in your building may be
equipped with occupancy sensors that
automatically switch off lights when these
areas are unoccupied, except where lights are
required to remain on for fire code
compliance.

Did you know? You can find your facilities
superintendent’s contact information here – just
click on Building Search under Quick Links. You can
also check the Facilities Superintendent's Map.
Next Slide

Energy

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

Next Slide

Energy

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Back

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) uses up to
75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than
traditional incandescent lighting.

CFLs cost more money up front to purchase them, but save
money over time because they use less energy and need to
be replaced less frequently. In fact, changing one bulb to
CFL will save you $50 over the lifetime of the bulb.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which is essential
to the light bulb’s efficiency but is dangerous to you and the
environment if the bulb breaks. Be sure to follow these
safety precautions in the event a CFL breaks.
Because of the mercury content, do not dispose of CFLs in
the trash or recycling. Please see the Waste Management
Did you know? Using incandescent bulbs actually
section of this presentation for proper disposal information.

results in over 3 times more mercury released in
the environment than using CFLs, due to the
mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants. Find
out more here.

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Energy

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Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact your Facilities Superintendent for
assistance.

Next Slide

Energy

Home

Back

Temperature Management
During cold or hot weather, shutting your windows tightly
helps reduce heat or cold from escaping, reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat or cool your building.
While it is important to allow natural light into the building
during the day, keeping the blinds closed at night will help
save energy by keeping the room insulated.
If your room becomes too warm during the winter, turn
down your radiator or thermostat rather than opening your
window.
Please be patient! Radiators do not respond instantly and
will need several minutes to adjust to a new setting.
If you have a problem with managing the heat in your
building, contact
your
Superintendent
Did
youFacilities
know? According
to thefor
Department of Energy,
assistance.

buildings consume about 38% of the CO2 emissions and
72% of the electricity produced in the United States.
You can track your own building’s energy usage here.
Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Recycling & Waste Diversion
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 50% waste
diversion rate through reuse, recycling and composting by June 30, 2016.

Next Slide

Waste Management

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Single Stream Recycling
Yale’s recycling is now single stream!
You can recycle all paper, metals,
plastics, and glass together – no sorting
necessary.
Please visit the Yale recycling website to
learn all you need to know about
recycling at Yale.

If a recyclable food container, can, or
bottle is not rinsed prior to recycling,
the item may be discarded at the
recycling facility!

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Paper Can Be Recycled?
Many different kinds of paper that you
use on a daily or weekly basis can be
recycled – such as magazines, milk
cartons, envelopes, and sticky notes.

O.K. to Recycle

No need to worry about paper clips and
staples – they can be recycled as well.
Cardboard boxes should be flattened
and stacked next to a recycling bin for
proper recycling.
Remember that the following paper items DO NOT go in the recycling bin:
Tissues
Wax paper
Food residue, or food soiled paper such as pizza boxes
or used paper plates.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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What Plastic, Glass, and Metals Can Be Recycled?
All plastics (except plastic wrap) can be recycled
– and Solo cups too!

O.K. to Recycle

Lids can be recycled as well, but must be
removed from their containers first.
Remember that the following items DO NOT go
in the recycling bin:
Styrofoam
Plastic wraps or plastic bags
Light bulbs (including CFLs)
Food residue (remember to rinse!)
Ceramics
Because styrofoam is not recyclable, please be sure to remove it
from your shipping boxes before recycling them. (And break down your
boxes, too!)
You can often donate your styrofoam packaging peanuts for reuse by
bringing them into the post office.

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Waste & Recycling

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Paper Consumption
Yale’s Sustainability Strategic Plan sets a goal to achieve a 10% reduction
in the purchase of copy paper for printing and copying below 2013 levels
by June 2016.

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Waste & Recycling

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Back

Reduce Paper Consumption
If you stacked all the reams of paper
consumed by Yale in one year, the
stack would reach 30,415 ft. That’s
taller than Mount Everest!
The 2013-16 Strategic Plan goal is to
reduce paper purchases by 10%
below 2013 levels by June 2016.
By reaching this goal we would save
approximately 3,500 trees, equivalent
to a forest area twice the size of Old
Campus.
Find out more interesting facts about
paper consumption and waste
management at Yale.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

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Purchase Recycled Paper
Yale has a university-wide policy to purchase printing
and copy paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled content, and you should too!
What difference does purchasing recycled paper make?
For every ton of 30% recycled-content paper
used at Yale instead of virgin paper:
• 7 trees
• 632 lbs. of CO2
• 2,625 gallons of water
...and if we use 100% recycled-content paper
instead of virgin paper:
• 24 trees
• 2,108 lbs. of CO2
• 8,750 gallons of water

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Waste & Recycling

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Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Printing Suggestions to Reduce Waste
Print double-sided (duplex setting).
Print 2-up (two reduced sized pages per sheet
of paper).
Read on-screen instead of printing a hard
copy.
When making photocopies, convert 1-sided
pages to 2-sided copies, as pictured.
When printing documents, try using EcoFont, which uses up to 25% less ink than
conventional fonts. Click here to download EcoFont for free.
You can also save ink by selecting draft quality when suitable.
Did you know? Many manufacturers offer prepaid
return labels for recycling used ink cartridges. Before
throwing your used cartridge away, check to see if you
can mail it back to the manufacturer for free.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
button batteries are universal waste and each battery MUST be stored separately
in a plastic bag or taped with electrical tape on each end, prior to pickup by EHS.

Next Slide

Waste & Recycling

Home

Back

Universal Waste
Universal waste includes compact fluorescent bulbs
(CFLs), computers, electronics, chargers, and nonalkaline batteries.

All universal waste should be disposed of through the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Universal
waste pick-ups can be scheduled online here or contact
your Facilities Superintendent for assistance.
Between pickups, CFLs should be stored in a small box to
prevent breakage.
Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the normal trash or collected by EHS.
However, other batteries such as lead acid, lithium, rechargeable and
Did you
On waste
average,
andseparately
button batteries
areknow?
universal
andYale
eachEnvironmental
battery MUSTHealth
be stored
Safety
recycles
lbs of
usedto pickup by EHS.
in a plastic bag
or taped
withapproximately
electrical tape 200,000
on each end,
prior
electronics each year. Find out more about how Yale
Environmental Health and Safety is helping with campus
sustainability.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
your phone by installing a mobile app.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Getting Around New Haven
Living car-free in New Haven is easy with so many
shops and restaurants within walking and biking
distance from campus. Find out how to best
navigate New Haven car free.
On Wednesday nights Stop & Shop offers a free
shuttle to their grocery store for Yale students and
employees. Click here for route and schedule
information.
To learn about the Yale Shuttle lines, including
real-time shuttle locations, click here.

Real time shuttle locations can also be viewed on
Do you have street smarts? Learn how to safely
your phone by installing a mobile app.

navigate pedestrians, bicycles, and cars with this
helpful Smart Streets safety guide. You can also visit
the Transportation Options website for more
information.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Biking
Bike racks are located at each Residential
College, and at most buildings on campus. Get
more info on biking at Yale, and a map of bike
rack locations at http://to.yale.edu/bike
Don’t have a bike? “Zagster” bike share program
has come to Yale!
Bikes are located at various bike racks around
campus. Reserve online or by texting “Zagster”
at the bike. Enter the garage through the
pedestrian door to the right of the car entrance.
You can become a member at
www.zagster.com/yale

Did you know? If you register for the Yale
Bicycle Safety class offered through Yale
Environmental Health & Safety, you will be
reimbursed for the $20 “Zagster” membership
fee, learn safe urban cycling skills, and get a
free helmet!

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

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Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
to Zipcar to sign up.

Next Slide

Travel & Transportation

Home

Back

Take a Zipcar
If walking, biking, or taking a Yale Shuttle
is not an option, try using one of over 30
Zipcars available to Yale students, faculty,
and staff.
Zipcars are ideal for short trips and
errands out of reach of the Yale Shuttle,
and eliminate your need to have a car on
campus.
Yale has partnered with Zipcar to offer
Yale students and staff yearly discounted
memberships. Find out more or go directly
Did you know? AAA estimates that it costs $5,861 to Zipcar to sign up.

$12,598 to own and operate your car annually. Sharing
a car or having fewer cars per family would save you
thousands of dollars per year.
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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.

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Travel & Transportation

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Traveling Home
When we think about our carbon footprints, we
often forget about the significant emissions
resulting from air travel. Your carbon footprint
is not just on the ground, but in the air too!
If your hometown is reachable by train,
consider taking the train for visits home rather
than booking a flight or driving.

With Amtrak, you can skip the trek to the airport, I-95 or I-91 traffic, and
tickets are fully refundable.
You can calculate the carbon emissions from your next flight or road trip
with the Yale Community Carbon Fund Calculator – and learn what you
can do to help offset your travel.
Did you know? A flight from Connecticut to
Argentina emits 4,180 pounds of CO2. That is
almost 10% of the average American’s annual
carbon emissions. Find out more here.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

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Common Areas

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Cooking and Cleaning
You can cut down on waste by bringing reusable
dishes, thermoses, utensils, or napkins with you
around campus, rather than using disposable
goods.
How many paper napkins or paper towels do
you use every day? Using reusable goods – like
sponges for cleaning and cloth napkins for
eating – saves trees and significantly reduces
the amount of waste you personally generate.
When purchasing necessary paper goods, such as facial tissues and bath tissue paper,
look for products made from 100% recycled material.
When buying cleaning supplies, look for products that are biodegradable, non-toxic,
and non-petroleum based.

Did you know? Green cleaning products are
easy to find! Common brands include Seventh
Generation, Biokleen, and Mrs. Meyers Clean
Day.

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Common Areas

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Green Cleaning at Yale
Yale’s Green Cleaning Program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit
environmental and human health impacts. The green cleaning program
embraces the cleaning process in its entirety and includes an emphasis on
education and training of workers.
Whenever possible, Yale uses Green Seal certified or
Green Seal recommended products. If such a product
is not available, Yale selects a product that is
environmentally friendly and safe, as determined by
Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

Yale continually strives to improve the health and safety of its students and
workers while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact.
Find out more about Yale’s Green Cleaning Program here.

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Common Areas

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Dual Flush Toilets
Around campus you may find dual flush toilets,
which are more water efficient than standard
toilets.
To use the fixture properly, lift the handle up
for liquid waste or push it down for solid waste.
Lifting the handle up uses 1.1 gallons
per flush, while pushing down uses 1.6
gallons per flush.
Each liquid waste flush saves 0.5
gallons of water compared to the
standard flush – a reduction of over
30%.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

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Common Areas

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Laundry
When doing laundry, be sure to run only full loads of
laundry to avoid wasting water (and quarters!).
Wash your clothing on the cold cycle, or use the warm
cycle for heavily soiled clothing. Avoid using the hot
cycle, which uses a significant amount of energy to
heat the water.
To avoid unnecessary rinse cycles, only use two
tablespoons of detergent. Look for detergent that is
plant-based, biodegradable, and phosphate-free.

Hang drying your clothes saves energy (and quarters!)
and will also maintain your clothes in better condition
than putting them in the dryer.

Did you know? A dirty lint screen can reduce a
clothes dryer’s efficiency by 30%. If you must use
the dryer, clean the lint screen before EACH load.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.

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Food & Dining

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Trayless Dining
If you have a cafeteria in your building, consider
dining without a tray. Trayless Dining significantly
reduces unnecessary food and water waste:
Regardless of how messy a returned tray is, each
used tray gets put in a dishwasher, which uses 1/3
of a gallon of water per tray, on average.
In some dining halls, the dishwashers can only fit 3 trays, so the dishwashers need
to be run multiple times to clean all the trays. In these cases, the trays require
much more than 1/3 of a gallon of water each.
Large trays encourage diners to fill up their trays on their first trip, rather than
taking the amount of food they need. Although it varies between dining halls,
waste from trays is up to 150% the trayless waste (per person!). This means that
people are taking more food on their trays than they end up eating.
Did you know? Your food choices impact your
water usage as well. Skipping meat just one day a
week saves 3,700 gallons of water per person each
week. That’s enough to fill 12 hot tubs!

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.

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Food & Dining

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Composting
All dining halls at Yale compost food waste!
Uneaten food waste is collected in a 65-gallon
bin. For pick-up, the food is transferred to
corn-starch bags which are placed outside the
dining halls. Then, 6 days a week, Yale picks
up these bags and transports them to a
composting facility in Connecticut.
The end result is nutrient-rich soil that is sold
to compost retailers. Instead of being burned,
your food waste is turned back into a useful soil
product.
Did you know? Yale delivers approximately 70
tons of food waste per month, on average, to
be composted.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.

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Food & Dining

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Water Conservation
Consider these facts:
• It takes three liters of water to produce one liter of
bottled water.
• The energy required to produce and transport one
bottle of water can be as high as the equivalent of
filling a plastic bottle 1/4 full of oil.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, carry a reusable
water bottle with you during the day and refill it at
drinking fountains or refillable water stations. This
will help the planet AND save you money!
When buying a reusable water bottle, look for BPAfree products to reduce your exposure to chemicals
found in plastics.
Did you know? New Haven tap water is perfectly safe. In
fact, studies nationwide have consistently shown that tap
water, which is strictly regulated by federal water quality
standards, is just as safe as bottled water – if not more so.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.

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Building Sustainably at Yale

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Yale University has a commitment
to building sustainably for all
construction and renovation
activities.
In 2009, Yale published its
Sustainability Design
Requirements, requiring all new
construction or comprehensive
renovation projects to achieve
LEED Gold or higher.
Sustainable design features in Yale’s LEED certified buildings can include
geothermal heating, solar panels, dual flush toilets, rainwater harvesting, and
natural landscaping.
Did you know? There are now over 14 LEED
certified buildings on the Yale University campus.
Click here to learn more about Yale’s green
buildings.

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Helpful Links

Home

Yale Office of Sustainability
Yale Office of Facilities

http://sustainability.yale.edu/
http://facilities.yale.edu/

Energy
Yale Energy Standards
Building Energy Tracker
Facilities Superintendent Map

http://www.facilities.yale.edu/energyGuide.shtml
http://java.facilities.yale.edu/public/Energy.html
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/FacSuperMap.pdf

Waste & Recycling
Yale Recycling
Yale EHS Sustainability
EcoFont

http://recycling.yale.edu/
http://www.yale.edu/ehs/sustainability/intro.htm
http://www.ecofont.com/

Food & Dining / Common Areas
Green Cleaning at Yale
http://www.facilities.yale.edu/publications/GreenCleaning.pdf
TerraCycle
http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/writing-instruments-brigade.html
Travel and Transportation
Yale Transportation Options
Yale Community
Carbon Fund Calculator
Zipcar at Yale
Yale Shuttle
Car Free in New Haven
Shuttle Mobile Apps
Zagster Bike Share Program

http://to.yale.edu/
http://yccf.sustainability.yale.edu/
http://to.yale.edu/zipcar
http://to.yale.edu/shuttle
http://to.yale.edu/car-free
http://yale.transloc.com/info/mobile
http://www.zagster.com/yale

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