Green Initiative

Green Tips

Do you have a Green Tip to share?

Green Tips are a service of the NKU Presidents Climate Commitment Task Force. Their purpose is to share information with the NKU community about small individual behavior changes that can make a major impact on the university's use of resources - electricity, paper, water, etc. - and/or provide major cost avoidance.

Tips will vary. Some will deal with behaviors that will impact only one's personal space, home or dorm. Others will effect the university environment. All green tips will encourage people to use what they need but no more.

Helping us all tread more lightly on our Earth is the goal. If you have ideas and/or tips to suggest, please contact us and don't forget to include your source. We value your input.

 

QUICK TIPS

 

Leaky faucet? Report it so we can save some green...
Leaky faucets and running toilets waste thousands of gallons of water each year. It is literally money (as well as a valuable resource) down the drain. You can help by making sure faucets are turned off and by reporting dripping faucets and running toilets to Facilities Management.

Office Lights
According to the Sierra Club, artificial light accounts for 44 percent of the electricity used in office buildings. Turn off the lights when you leave any room for more than 15 minutes, and use free, natural light whenever you can. Studies show that it can brighten your mood.

Zap Your Meals
Microwaves are between 3.5 and 4.8 times more energy efficient than traditional ovens. Cooking with microwaves can reduce up to 70% of energy use for cooking as compared to conventional stove tops and ovens.     --Earthshare.org

One Button Is All It Takes...  (computer monitors)
A computer monitor that's turned on makes up for 60% of the energy used to run the entire desktop. Don't forget to turn off the monitor when you leave work for the day!
--Colorado State University  (source: http://www.today.colostate.edu/story.aspx?id=4177)

Turn the Dial & Stop the Dryer
Dry your clothes on a laundry line rather than throwing them in the dryer. Clothes dryers are the third-largest energy users in the home, behind the refrigerator and washing machine, according to Project Laundry List.  90% of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water. Turning the dial from hot to warm will cut your energy use by 50% per load year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Stop the Junk Mail!
Each year, 100 million trees are cut down and turned into junk mail, with Americans receiving a total of 400 million tons of it every year. Earthworks Group, an environmental consulting firm, said cutting out junk mail is one of the most effective things people can do to reduce pollution. Look for companies that will monitor junk mail lists to prevent most junk mail from ever entering your home.     --Bankrate.com

Step Away From the Plastic
Use reusable cloth or canvas bags instead of plastic. They are sturdier, stronger, and carry many items, saving you trips from the car to the house, plus the bonus of a little upper-body workout. Leave some in your vehicle at all times and take advantages of incentives at stores for using your own bags. If you happen to get a few plastic bags, reuse them as much as possible until they can be used no more. Small trash can liners, doggie waste bags, take lunch to work in them, cover your hair should you get caught in the rain. Keep one bunched up in your handbag for those impromptu purchases.     --ReuseThisBag.com

Phantoms, Vampires, & Energy Waste, Oh My!  (appliances & electronics)
Many appliances use electricity even when they're turned off. It's called vampire electricity or a phantom load, and as much as 75% of the electricity used by home electronics and small appliances is used while they're turned off. Only 5% of the power a cell phone charger uses actually works to perform the charge. The simple solution is to unplug small appliances and electronics when you aren't using them. Or, plug them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you aren't using those items.     --Sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife

Keep It Simple (cleaning products)
Instead of spending money on expensive cleaning products, try common products that are already found in your home. Vinegar can act as an all purpose cleaner for use in the kitchen, bathroom, outdoors, and is even safe enough to use on clothes! Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with baking soda, and use it to scrub dishes, stains, and hardwood furniture.
--Housekeeping.about.com

Think Before You Print
The average office worker is responsible for an entire tree in paper use per year.  Read through a document before simply printing the whole thing out to handle later. Could you electronically file the information or copy-and-paste only the portions you need and then print out a single page rather than a dozen? With online media, look for the printer-friendly button so that the article uses as few pages as possible. If you are able to, use both sides of the paper.     --Corporatekindness.org 

Save Some for the Fish!
Letting your faucet run for just five minutes uses as much energy as running a 60-watt light bulb for 14 hours. Consider turning off the faucet when washing hands or brushing teeth and only turning it on to rinse.     --Earthshare.org

The Job Is Done With One  (paper towels)
If you use at least two paper towels, you could cut your waste in half by reducing to one paper towel. Paper towels take energy to produce and they end up in a landfill when thrown away. Look for other small ways in your life to cut your energy use in half!

Bottled Water vs. Filtered Tap Water
The average cost of a case of water times one case purchased every two weeks equals about $104 per year - $4 X 26 = $104
The average cost of a water filter and replacement filters cost about $65 per year - $39.98 + $24.97 = $64.95
In addition to saving about $40 a year, you would be saving 624 plastic bottles if you made the switch!     --Walmart.com

 

 

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