TIPS
Below are some tips to help reduce your electric energy consumption!
Information obtained from Columbia’s G2GL and the RecycleBank website.
RecycleBank
Recycling Paper, Metal, Glass or Plastic
Lights
• It’s a no-brainer, but when you leave your room, remember to turn your lights off.
• Speaking of lights: Make your desk lamp or torch more energy efficient for FREE! Housing provides superlong-lasting, energy conserving fluorescent bulbs from the Hospitality Desk in Hartley Hall. These bulbs give off the same light as an incandescent at a fraction of the energy use. For more info on the bulbs, see the
Environmental Stewardship section of Housing -- and drop off old bulbs with your residence hall custodian for proper disposal, as they may contain mercury.
Heating and Cooling
• We all feel like we’re at the mercy of the res hall heating systems
– it’s always too hot, so we open our windows. But the cold air on
one floor can make the building thermostat turn the temperature
up even higher! In the winter, you can avoid this vicious cycle: don’t leave your window wide open for hours at a time. If your room still feels way too hot, turn your heater to a LOW (not “off”) setting and send a maintenance request to Facilities here. And don’t forget to close your windows when you go out of town or leave for vacation!
• Air-conditioning is a big energy consumer in the hot months of the
year. If you’re lucky enough to have a unit in your building, be sure
to turn off the A/C when you leave your room. When the A/C is on, try to keep it at a low energy-saver setting.
• A word from Facilities: to keep all of your heating and cooling units
working efficiently, don’t block the units with furniture or clothing.
• Do you let the water run when you are shaving or brushing your
teeth? Only use water when you need it, or plug the basin.
For each minute you turn off the faucet, you conserve between
three to five gallons of precious New York water.
• We love those long, hot showers, but keep in mind that each minute uses 1.6 gallons of water, plus the energy needed to heat it up. Savor that shower, but try shortening it by a few minutes.
Computers and Appliances
• Your laptop, video game system, TV, DVD-player, cell phone, or iPod charger still consumes energy when it’s left plugged into the socket, but not actually charging anything. If you unplug your gadgets when you don’t need them, the energy savings add up.
• You can make sure to buy green when buying a computer or
computer-related devices. Keep in mind that laptops use 50% to
80% less energy than desktops, and LCD screens use 50% to 70% less energy than their CRT counterparts. Also, look for the Energy Star label on any computer or electronic device that you are buying.
• Is that television blaring in the lounge when nobody’s there? It only takes a second to turn off -- or simply unplug -- that bad boy when it’s not in use.
• Crock pots and microwaves are extremely energy-efficient, besides being fast. Next time you need hot water for coffee, tea, or soup, consider using a crock pot or just nuking a ceramic cup of water instead of boiling too much on the stove.
• Try to use the lowest-wattage models of electric hair dryers, shavers, and other beautifying appliances – and be sure to unplug them when you’re done. Remember that just 15 minutes of blow-drying releases 1.2 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Look for Energy Star-labeled mini fridges to conserve energy. You can save even more energy by adjusting your fridge to a moderate setting instead of cranking it to the coldest temperature.
RecycleBank
RecycleBank is a rewards program started by a Columbia grad.
He believed in helping the planet and that people should get rewarded for the good they do. RecycleBank started as a program to increase household curbside recycling rates and has been amazingly successful.
RecycleBank kiosks are in first-year dorms. Below are items that can be recycled:
Metal cans
Aluminum foil wrap and trays
Household metal (wire coat hangers, pots, pans)
Plastic bottles and jugs
Glass bottles and jars
Beverage cartons
Drink boxes (milk, juice)
White and glossy paper
Junk mail
Wrapping paper
Paper bags
Cardboard egg cartons and trays
Newspapers, magazines and catalogs
Phone books
Soft-cover books
Corrugated or smooth card board
CLEAN pizza boxes
back to the top
Recycling
Do you know what can or cannot be recycled? Columbia recycling follows the same guidelines as the New York Department of Sanitation.
The following items go in the GREEN “All Paper” bin:
Paper:
• White, colored, and glossy paper (staples ok; no spiral bindings)
• Mail and envelopes
• Wrapping paper (remove ribbon and tape)
• Paper bags
• Paper trays
• Newspapers, magazines, and catalogs
• Phone books, soft cover books (paperbacks, comic books, etc.)
Cardboard
• Smooth cardboard (food boxes — remove inside & outside plastic
wrappers — shoe boxes, tubes from paper towel and toilet paper
rolls, cardboard from product packaging)
• Egg cartons
• Corrugated cardboard (flattened boxes)
These items go in the BLUE “Bottles and Cans” bin.
• Glass
Metal:
• Metal cans (such as tuna, empty aerosol cans, empty and dried-out
paint cans with lids removed)
• Aluminum foil wrap and trays
• Wire hangers, pots, and pans
back to the top
Plastic:
• Only #1 and #2 labeled plastics can go in the recycling bin – that
means no deli or yogurt containers or plastic cups.
• Milk and juice cartons: These can be recycled as well in the blue
“Bottles and Cans” bin – just give them a quick rinse first so they
don’t start to stink.
