Sustainability Tips

Office

Lighting

• Turn out the lights every time you leave your office, empty common space, or any other area.
• Use task-specific lighting.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
• Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.
• Use natural lighting (sunlight) rather than turning on the lights.

Computers

• Do not use screensavers.  Set monitors to enter power save mode.
• Turn your computer off at the end of the day.
• Set sleep mode on your computer and shut it down each night.
• Choose a laptop over a desktop.

Temperature

• When the heat or A/C is on, keep external windows and doors closed.
• Turn down the heat overnight when you are away.
• Do not set your thermostat to extremes – it will not heat or cool the space any faster.
• Turn on the ceiling fan – it helps circulate the air and keep the space cooler.
• Move lights, appliances and machines away from thermostats.
• Close the blinds on your windows during the cold months to keep heat in and cold out.
• Move desks and cubicles away from windows.
• Keep heating and cooling vents unobstructed. 
• Close the air vents in rooms that are rarely used. 

Appliances

• Unplug all appliances and chargers when they aren’t being used.
• Plug all appliances and chargers into a power strip that you can turn off with one switch.
• Have the vending machine operator turn off the advertising light in machines.
• Look for the Energy Star label when buying appliances, products and lights.
• Share printers and fax machines with colleagues.
• Keep your refrigerator fully stocked.
• Set refrigerator temperature to 38˚F and the freezer to 0-5˚F.
• Adjust water heater temperature to 120 degrees.

Communication

• Use phone, internet and video-conferences when possible rather than traveling to meetings.
• See something that is wasting energy?  Report it or fix it right away.
• Suggest energy saving ideas for your department.
• Acknowledge and show support for coworkers who are taking steps to save energy.
• Join a Green Team, or form one yourself!

Paper

• Print on both sides of the paper.
• Set your printer’s default to double-sided (duplex) printing.
• Use the blank side of any paper for scrap to take notes, jot down messages or for to-do lists.
• Send, read and save documents electronically instead of printing them out.
• Change your margin settings to 1” (or smaller!) on all sides of your document.
• Ask companies to remove your name from their catalog mailing list to cut down on junk mail.

Lifestyle

• Recycle!
• Buy recycled products and those with high post-consumer content.
• Drink from the tap and refill a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
• Carry a re-usable mug for hot beverages.
• Bring reusable mugs and dishes to the office instead of using paper, plastic or Styrofoam.
• Reduce the impact of your meetings and events by using real dishes, recycling and composting.
• Support local growers and farmers—buy locally produced foods and products.
• Take at least 2 reusable bags every time you shop.
• Use rechargeable batteries.
• Purchase products with Energy Star, Greenguard, Green Seal or Fair Trade certification.
• Register to vote so you can create help change in environmental policy decisions.

Automobile

• Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.
• Do not idle your vehicle – it gets you 0 miles per gallon.
• Walk, bike or use public transportation to commute to work at least once a week.
• Carpool to work once a week.
• Check into telecommuting, carpooling and public transit to cut mileage and car maintenance costs.
• Combine errands into one trip.
• Replace clogged air filters to improve gas mileage by as much as 10% and protect your engine.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks.
• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
• Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car's manufacturer.
• Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks.
• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary.
• Use cruise control on the highway.
• Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly.

Home

Laundry

• Wash and dry full loads.
• Wash your clothes in cold or warm water and rinse them in cold water. Use a cold water detergent.
• Consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks.
• Don't over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it.
• Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
• Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire.

Kitchen

• Cook during temperate hours. Avoid cooking meals that require use of the oven on hot days.
• Cook with a full oven. Prepare dishes together when possible.
• Don't peek. Every time you open the oven door to look at the food, the oven temperature is lowered by 25°F to 75°F.
• Keep oven and burners clean and kitchen ventilated.
• Minimize or eliminate preheating. Don't preheat the oven if the food requires more than one hour of cooking time.
• Turn off the electric range two to three minutes before the task is done and allow the residual heat to finish the job.
• Use leftover heat as a food warmer. Ovens retain heat for up to 30 minutes after they have been turned off.
• Use microwave ovens to save energy. Microwave ovens are about 66% more efficient than conventional ovens.
• Use the broiler when possible. The broiler uses less energy, and preheating is not required.
• Use the right sized pot on stove burners. A 6" pot on an 8" burner wastes over 40% of the burner's heat.
• Cover pots and pans to keep heat in.
• Double your recipe — and freeze half for later. Reheating uses less energy.
• Defrost refrigerators and freezers before ice buildup becomes 1/4-inch thick.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
• Scrape don't rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher. Pre-rinsing can use up to 20 gallons of water.

Bathroom

• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Turning off the water when brushing teeth or shaving.
• Don't use the toilet as a wastebasket or ashtray - it wastes water every time you flush it.
• Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute.
• Repair leaky faucets promptly.
• Turn off ventilating fans within 20 minutes after you are done bathing to retain heated air.

Lighting

• Use outdoor lights with a motion sensor so they will turn on only at night or when someone is present.
• Decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
• Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
• Turn off the lights in any room you're not using.
• Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home.
• Installing a skylight can provide your home with day lighting and warmth.

Heating and Cooling

• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
• Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
• Use fans during the summer to create a wind chill effect. A ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
• Install a programmable thermostat that can be adjusted according to your schedule.
• Close the damper when the fireplace is not being used.

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