Greening Your Residence Hall Room

Making your residence hall room energy efficient is simple, cheap, and will have a

positive impact on our campus.

Compiled by Zachary T. Jacobs

Meeting SUNY Energy Saving Goals• The State University of New York has set a system-

wide goal of reducing energy.• In order to reach that goal SUNY Canton’s target is a

reduction of 42%.• Conserving energy is one of the ways to reach that

goal.• Reducing energy use also helps the college maintain

the quality of its educational programs by saving money. This is particularly important during the budget crisis.

This presentation shows you how to make your residence hall room more energy efficient and to make more environmentally responsible choices.

As you are reading, compare these ideas to your own residence hall room. What ideas can you use?

Power Outlets and Plug Usage

• Plug and appliances and electronics into a power strip so they can all be easily turned off when not in use.

• Make sure you actually use the switch on the power strip to prevent “phantom power” from being drawn. Phantom power means although the device may be off, or a phone not plugged into the charger these devices still draw as much as 40% of the energy they use when on.

Computers and Laptops

• Turn off your computer at night or when your leaving for long periods of time, again to prevent phantom energy usage.

• On your own, or, with assistance from the help desk, enable the energy saving settings on your computer.

• On campus, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee is recycling ink cartridges. For more information call 7976.

• When possible, print on both sides of the paper when using your own printer. This will greatly cut down on paper use.

Appliances/Electronics

• Make sure your refrigerator is ENERGY STAR rated.• Also make sure your refrigerator is set between 38-

43°F, and closes properly.• If you have other electrical devices and appliances,

make sure they are also ENERGY STAR, and that they are turned off when not in use.

• Unplug all appliances over breaks and vacations.

Heating

• Use the wheel control knob on top of the heat register in your residence hall room to control flow of heat.

• If your room is consistently hot or cold, report it to Facilities.• Regulate your temperature with clothing, hot or cool drinks,

opening or insulating the window, etc. • Use heavy curtains or padding in the winter to keep in heat,

and keep out drafts.

Tips from Wikihow.com How to Green Your Dorm Room.

Lighting

• Utilize compact fluorescent light bulbs in ceiling, floor and desk lamps. See electricity usage graph on slide after next one. (CFLs are four times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescents. Bulbs typically use 65%-75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb to provide the same amount of light*)

• LED bulbs available from Ace Hardware stores make great computer lights, and use even less energy than compact fluorescent bulbs.

• Use small lamps instead of large or overhead lighting.

• Turn off all lights when you leave the room.

• Use natural light as much as possible.

• Every kwh of electricity conserved reduces greenhouse gas emissions by .82 pounds, and SUNY Canton cut over 600,000 pounds in 08-09 through conservation.

*Statistics from One Billion Bulbs http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/Learn

Safety NoteCompact fluorescent bulbs contain small amounts of mercury:A CFL bulb generally contains an average of 5 mg of mercury (about one-fifth of that found in the average watch

battery, and less than 1/100th of the mercury found in an amalgam dental filling).*

• Nonetheless, take precautions in the rare case when a compact fluorescent bulb is broken, open the window and leave the room for a half hour.

• Upon returning and cleaning up the glass, use duct tape to clean up contents of bulb. Dispose of properly.

• LED bulbs do not contain mercury.

* Statistics from: http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm

Garbage/RecyclingCasella, our waste hauler, reports that we have the lowest recycling numbers of

all area colleges. We can change that!

• SUNY Canton is implementing zero-sort recycling. Glass, cardboard, paper, plastics ( numbers 1-7), and metal can be put in one container. Use existing containers, such as boxes, until bins are provided.

• Separate your garbage from your recycling, and be sure to put your garbage and recycling in the appropriate containers. Keep garbage and recycling separate at all times.

• If problems occur, such as full garbage containers in public spaces in your dorm, report them promptlyto a Resident Assistant.

Transportation• Make use of local bus when possible. Check this link for the

commuter bus schedule: http://www.commuterbusinfo.com/• Remember the Roo Express Shuttle Van service runs Monday through

Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and is free for students to get into Canton and to the Wal-Mart in Potsdam.

• Car pool, get together with friends, and make the trip together to stores and other destinations. This will save you money on gas, and lower green-house gases.

• Take an alternative form of transportation such as walking, a bike, longboard, rollerblades, etc.

Shared Spaces

Bathroom:• Turn off the lights when you leave.• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.• Take an appropriate length shower (approx. ten

minutes)

Bathroom, Lounge, Laundry room

Shared Spaces. More about Shared Spaces

Lounges:• Turn off the lights/TV when you are done, or when you see them not in use.

Laundry room:• Use cold water for most laundry loads.

• Run dryers no longer than necessary to dry clothes.*

• Dry some clothes on a drying rack in your room.

*The average load of laundry uses 5 kwh of electricity to dry, creating nearly five pounds of emissions.

Lounges and Laundry room

Additional Ideas for Greening Your Residence Hall Room

• Instead of stocking up on plastic bottled water purchase a reusable stainless steel bottle. This will save you money on purchasing cases of water and kept bottles out of landfills.

• Instead of energy wasting air freshener plug-ins you could use natural air fresheners using essential oils.

Additional Ideas For Greening Your residence hall room

• Instead of synthetic materials try to utilize organic fabrics (sheets, curtains, clothing, etc.)

• Having plants in your room can be a cheap environmentally friendly way of helping with the air quality of your residence hall room. According to the organization Care2 “Houseplants are often-overlooked helpers in ridding the air of pollutants and toxins, counteracting outgassing and contributing to balanced internal humidity.”

Conclusion

• SUNY Canton has a target of reducing its energy use by 42%.

• Conserving energy is one of the steps that will help the campus to reach this target.

• Conserving energy and greening your residence hall room involve small steps and changes that can make a big difference.

Citations• WWF-http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/greenyourdormroom.html• Wikihow-

http://www.wikihow.com/Green-Your-Dorm-Room• Care2

http://www.care2.com• One Billion Bulbs

http://www.onebillionbulbs.com• *CFL Electricity usage graph-Wikipedia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Electricity_use_by_lightbulb_type.svg