Living
Facts
- Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy.
- Residential appliances, including heating and cooling equipment and water heaters, consume 90% of all energy used in the U.S. residential sector.
- Replacing one incandescent light bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent bulb means 1,000 pounds less carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere and $67 dollars is saved on energy costs over the bulb's lifetime.
What you can do
Here are some starter tips for making small but important changes throughout your day. See the links to the above right for more detailed information on how to be Sustainable at Dartmouth and beyond.
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- Lower the temperature and close windows when the heat is on.
- If you can, eat local, organic and in-season food and less meat.
- Identify and repair drafty windows, doors, or areas (call FO&M for campus repairs).
- Choose Energy Star appliances such as refrigerators, lights and washers.
- Extend the life of computers, cars, bicycles, clothes, etc. by taking care of them.
- Lower the temperature in your dorm or home by two degrees. To compensate, wear warmer clothes.
- Install two or more compact fluorescent bulbs.
- Dispose of hazardous materials properly (this is easy at Dartmouth! See recycling).
- Shut down your computer when not in use or put it in sleep mode.
- Save paper by printing duplex, using recycled paper, and using dry erase boards instead of flip charts.
- Buy used books.
- Reuse paper that has been used on one side.
- Do as much work as you can on your computer before printing documents.
- Donate old office material and furniture to charity.
- Try to repair appliances before replacing them.
- Use public transportation, such as Advance Transit, which is free.
- Take a train or bus instead of flying.
- If you have to drive, purchase a hybrid or fuel-efficient car.
- Eat "for here" instead of "to go."
- Conserve food by only taking as much as you can consume.
- Frequent dining facilities that serve foods with minimum packaging.
- Compost.
- Recycle.
- Turn-off lights when you leave your room or an empty common space.
- Switch to energy-efficient compact florescent bulbs.
- Turn off you computer when you’re not using it – it does save energy!
- Set a conservative sleep mode on your computer. While running, a laptop uses on average 30 watts/hour. If left on at a night, this totals 360 wasted watts/night, or 131,400 watts/year. When left in sleep mode, computers use on average 3 watts/hour—which totals 36 watts/night (90 percent less than leaving it running) but still wastes 13,140 watts/year.
- Shut off all faucets and showers tightly and report leaks to your house manager or dorm custodian.
- Take shorter showers.
- Report drafty doors, windows and areas to your house manager or dorm custodian.
- Adjust the thermostat instead of opening the window to regulate the temperature.
- Turn off the A.C. and open the window on nice days in the summertime.
- Use a ceiling fan in the summer: it uses 98% less energy than A.C. and can make you feel up to 6 degrees cooler.
- When buying electronics such as refrigerators and microwaves, look for EPA energy star certifications.
- Take care of your bike, computer and clothes to extend their lives.
- Donate old dorm room furniture and appliances to Sustainable Move-Out at the end of the year.
- Dispose of hazardous wastes like batteries and broken refrigerators properly.
Resources
Last Updated: 9/29/08
