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GREENING oIP
Going green is a convenient way of talking about practicing an ethic of environmental stewardship. While going green is the right thing to do for our selves and our environment, it can also be healthy for our budgets. Undertaking the recommendations below add up to significant savings – and far better futures.
Energy
- Measure, reduce, offset: undertake an energy and resource-use audit
- Ensure all computers, printers, etc., are shut off when not in use to avoid slow drain of energy
- plug computers, printers, etc. into powerstrips and turn them off when not in use
- consider networked printers that can be shared instead of one printer per person
- Check energy usage for older equipment and appliances in kitchens/kitchenettes
- consider investing in a GOOD scanner that can scan multiple and double-sided pages into PDF and Word documents; this will save paper (and money) by not having to use fax or mail, which also means saving costs of transport/gas.
- if replacing outdated appliances, see http://www.aceee.org/Consumer/index.htm
- Use rechargeable batteries (for computer mouse, etc.)
- Don’t be afraid of natural light
- reduce usage of lights, esp. incandescents
- turn off lights if you will be gone for more than 15 minutes (for details, see the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy wesbite on lighting)
- remove some of the bulbs in your current light banks so when your lights are on, you are still using less electricity
- turn off all office lights, as well as the hall lights at the end of each business day (there are emergency lights which will come on, and they provide enough light)
- consider installing sensors to turn lights off when no one is in office/building
Other resources
- Maximize use of electronic documents and minimize printouts
- Print and photocopy your documents using BOTH sides (2-sided) whenever possible
- For internal documents or for files, use clean/blank side of once-used paper
- put paper that can be re-used by anyone in publicly accessible place
- Add “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail” to the signature lines of our emails
- Recycle, reduce, reuse
- provide readily accessible bins for recyclable paper, plastics, glass, and metals (tin, aluminum, etc.)
- set up battery and e-waste collection sites in office with volunteers to get these items to proper recycling locales
- buy refurbished ink cartridges for printers and copiers, recycle used cartridges, send packaging back with toner & ink cartridges
- minimize kitchen waste
- use reusable dishes for lunches, as well as oIP gatherings
- use reusable storage containers (for party leftovers, etc.) to reduce baggie dependency
- talk with cleaning staff about plastic bags in trash cans – do not throw away bag each time trash is changed
- set up composting in kitchen (there are relatively stink-free containers…)
- Minimize dependency on disposable plastics and disposables overall
- Buy recycled paper products
- Buy ink for pens, not entirely new pens
- Reduce unnecessary give-aways
- endeavor to find greener alternatives to promotional products
- choose fewer, high quality items and consider ingredients/materials
- consider hiring local producers for some items
- Use less water and fewer paper towels
Other general suggestions
- Host, perhaps as part of an occasional staff meeting, a movie viewing and/or discussion about environmental issues
- inform employees of and as an office endorse The Presidential Commission on Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability
- Include more plants in office
- Use and reuse cloth bags for shopping instead of paper or plastic ones (here and abroad)
- Encourage employees to carpool, walk, bike, take public transport whenever possible
- request bike rack to be installed close to oIP
- For conferences, etc., take the train instead of flying whenever possible
- While in hotels, monitor electricity and water usage and do not have your towels and sheets washed daily
- Green the study abroad programs (see “Greening Study Abroad Programs”)
- Consume less and buy local, as much as possible
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