Conservation Tips

35 Ideas For A More Globally Sustainable Lifestyle

1. Use Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs in place of incandescents.
2. Make sure you turn the light off when you leave the room (bathrooms included), even if just for a short while.
3. Be sure that TVs, lights (where possible), and other public appliances are all turned off when you are the last person or group to leave a public space (for a while).
4. Recycle! See magnets and signs for what gets recycled where.
5. Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth- you only need it at the beginning and to spit/rinse.
6. Use a Nalgene or other reusable bottle instead of disposable ones. Fill it up and carry it with you during the day, and drink a liter or two during the day! This strategy has several health benefits, too.
7. Unplug cell phone chargers (and other chargers) when not actively in use. 95% of the energy used by chargers is wasted while the charger is plugged into a wall but not charging a phone.
8. Shut down your computer properly each night, and during long periods of non-use during the day.
9. Use outlet timers on devices like stereos where possible.
10. Turn the thermostat a few degrees warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. In transition seasons, don’t use it at all.
11. Dry your clothes on a drying rack, rather than in the dryer.
12. Learn about some of the great natural destinations close to campus.
13. Reuse plastic silverware, cups, and other dishes.
14. Open your window and door (while you are in your room) for air circulation in the warm months.
15. Turn off the heating/cooling unit whenever your window is open!
16. Print 2-sided, and even multiple pages per side (if you can read it) when you need to print a paper to make notes. Skim the content on the computer beforehand so you can decide what is actually important to be printed. Not all of a 200-page PDF needs printing. Print multiple (4, 6, or 8) slides of a PowerPoint per page.
17. If you use a fan, turn it off when you leave the room.
18. Use sweaters and blankets where you can in the winter, rather than shorts and t-shirts. Pull the window shade down at night and put it up in the day.
19. Only use ¼ to ½ of the full faucet force for washing your hands, and turn it off except at the beginning and end.
20. Use a hand towel or bath towel rather than a paper towel where possible.
21. Turn down the water pressure in the shower a bit.
22. Take shorter showers.
23. Try the “pulse shower:” On a few times for just a minute each, and off while you lather. Not only does this save water but it makes the soap and shampoo a bit more effective because it isn’t immediately washed off. (For antibacterial soaps to be effective, you need at least 30 seconds.) In some places, this is quite standard.
24. Climb the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Again, the health benefits make it easier to keep in shape.
25. Pick up your printing when you print in a public lab! Also, don’t assume that if it didn’t print right away that it’s lost, and resend it, just look through the stack and check for error messages. Have some patience.
26. Ask yourself honestly how often you need to do your laundry. Do it just as often as you would if still paying $1-2 per load...just because the price is now included with other fees doesn’t mean we should waste a lot of energy.
27. Get involved with a project or two from LEAP.
28. Pick up abandoned [one-sided] paper in the Skillman bins to use for your personal printing or scratch work. It’s good re-use and you don’t have to buy paper.
29. One day per week (say Tuesday), don’t eat meat. Much of what we consume comes from factory farms and there is a lot of good food out there that doesn’t include meat.
30. Get to know people, and don’t be afraid to ask about borrowing resources (if you can be responsible) or offering to lend or share some of your own. We don’t all need copies of the same devices that we only use once in a while.
31. Go running outside rather than in the gym, remembering proper safety precautions.
32. Open your fridge door for shorter times.
33. Choose a drink before opening the door in downstairs Farinon.
34. Unplug your refrigerator if it’s empty.
35. Buy locally produced food when possible.