(Microsoft PowerPoint - Colgate\222s Guide to Greener Living v2)

$: (Microsoft PowerPoint - Colgate\222s Guide to Greener Living v2)$
2009-10

Colgate’s Guide toGreener Living

www.colgate.edu/green

I. Climate Action

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas

(GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an

individual, organization, event or product. In order to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, you should know what

goes into calculating your carbon footprint and how your

daily actions affect it. The way we use energy, the types of

transportation we choose, the food we eat, the amount of

waste we generate – all contribute to our carbon footprint.

Do you know how large your carbon footprint is? Here are

a few carbon calculators, which can help you find out:

http://www.carbonfund.org/

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Interesting statistics:

In 2007, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 7,150.1

million metric tons. Overall, total U.S. emissions have risen

by 17 percent from 1990 to 2007. Emissions increased from

2006 to 2007, by 1.4 percent (99.0 million metric tons).

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html

Colgate’s Carbon FootprintIn January 2009, Colgate became a signatory of the

American College and University Presidents' Climate

Commitment (ACUPCC). As a signatory, Colgate

committed to carbon neutrality. Being carbon neutral

is the act of achieving net zero carbon emissions by

balancing the total amount of carbon released with an

equivalent amount that is either sequestered or offset.

During the summer of 2009, sustainability intern Ben Taylor ’10

helped complete Colgate’s first comprehensive Carbon Footprint.

Here are some examples of Colgate’s sources of emissions:

Colgate students planting trees on Earth

Day 2009.

Interesting Fact:A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at

a rate of 48 lbs./year and release enough oxygen

back into the atmosphere to support two human

beings. Tree planting is one way to take climate

action.

Source: http://www.coloradotrees.org/benefits.htm

For more information contact:Bob Turner - Professor of Economics and

Environmental Studies:

[email protected]

John Pumilio – Sustainability Coordinator: [email protected]

What is Colgate’s Carbon Footprint?FISCAL YEAR 2008-09

SOURCE OF EMISSIONSTons of

Emissions

SCOPE 1

Fuel Oil #6 4,368Fuel Oil #2 1,864

Vehicle Fleet 393Refrigerant (HCFC-22) 1,247Fertilizer 46

SCOPE 1 TOTAL 7,918

SCOPE 2

Purchased Electricity 1,885

SCOPE 2 TOTAL 1,885

SCOPE 3

Faculty/Staff Commuting 1,626Cruisers/Bus Travel 96Air Travel 4,647

Solid Waste 1,012Paper Consumption 139Animal Agriculture (Cows) 57

SCOPE 3 TOTAL 7,577

FISCAL YEAR 2008-09 EMISSIONS 17,380

17,380 Tons = 1.2 Million Balloons of

Greenhouse Gases per Person

� Gross Emissions = 17,380 Tons

� Forest Sequestration = 1,072 Tons

� Net Emissions =

16,308 Tons

What is Colgate’s Carbon Footprint?

6,232

393

1,247

1,885

1,626

4,647

1,012

338

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Em

iss

ion

s (

ton

s)

Fuel Oil Vehicle Fleet Refrigerants Electricity Commuting Air Travel Solid Waste Others

TOTAL EMISSIONS =17,380 MTCDE

Other

4%Landfill Waste

6%

Air Travel

27%

Commuting

10% Electricity

11%

Refrigerants

7%

Fuel Oil

35%

II. Energy Efficiency & ConservationThe Energy Connection . . .Fossil fuels are made up of hydrogen and carbon. When fossil fuels are

burned, the carbon combines with oxygen to yield carbon dioxide. The

amount of carbon dioxide produced depends on the carbon content of

the fuel. Natural gas, oil, and coal are all fossil fuels that release carbon

with coal releasing the greatest amount of carbon per unit.

Fossil fuels supply 85 percent of the primary energy consumed in the

United States and are responsible for 98 percent of emissions of CO2.

Electricity generation consumes 40 percent of U.S. primary energy and is

responsible for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. In the electric

power sector, coal accounts for 83 percent of the emissions.

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

kW

h

$0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

$1,400,000

$1,600,000

Co

st

Electricity Use

Total Cost

Fiscal Year 2009:

� 31,571,030 kWh used� $1,363,200 spent� 1,885 tons of emissions� most used; most spent in Colgate history

Here are a few tips conserve energy and reduce your carbon footprint:

II. Energy Efficiency & Conservation

• Turn out the lights when not in use. A large percentage of the charges on electric bills are from unnecessarily lighting rooms. Get in the habit of flipping the light switch off everytime you leave a room for more than 15 minutes. Another good option is to install motion-sensors so that lights automatically turn on when someone enters a room and off when they leave.

• Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescent or LED light bulbs. CFL’s use 75% less energy than incandescent light bubs and last up to 10x longer. For each incandescent light bulb you replace with a CFL you could eliminate 100 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. According to Green America, if each home in America replaced one bulb with an Energy Star CFL, it would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 800,000 cars.

• Unplug laptop/phone chargers after your device is fully charged. Chargers can draw as much as 5 to 20 times more energy than is actually stored in the battery if you continue to leave them plugged in!

• Heating and cooling. You can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10°–15°for eight hours each day. You can do this automatically without sacrificing comfort by installing an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.





• Plug all electronics into a power strip or a Smart Strip and kill Phantom Load. Electronic devices continue to consume energy even when they are turned off. This is known as Phantom Load. According to Energy Star, Phantom Load is responsible for 40% of your electrical usage! In fact, a quarter of the energy used by your TV each year is consumed when the TV is off! This unnecessary waste of energy costs you money and harms our environment. Smart Strips can put an end to Phantom Load. Simply, plug all your electronic devices into the appropriate outlets on the smart strip and the problem is solved! Power strips work equally as well but require a little more workon your end - you have to flip the switch off everytime you are finished using your device. TVs, DVD players, computers, printers, and cell phone chargers are just some of the devices that leak power even when they aren’t on.

• Turn off your computer monitor when it is not in use. Leaving your monitor in standby mode rather than switching it off wastes energy and money. That is why all monitors in Cooley Science Library are turned off every night.

• Wash laundry in cold or warm water, never hot. According to the US Department of Energy about 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. Most clothes don’t need a hot or even a warm water rinse; with new detergents designed for cold water washing, you don’t even need to turn on the hot.

• Let your dishes air-dry. Forget about the energy intensive “drying cycle” on your dishwasher. Let your dishes air-dry instead!



Learn more at www.energy.gov

• Do a home energy audit. A home energy audit will help you begin the process of becoming energy efficient. The US Department of Energy provides helpful instructions for a Do-It-Yourself Audit, and they also provide resources if you decide to have a professional energy audit on your home. When purchasing new appliances or electronics choose ENERGY STAR products. ENERGY STAR labels appear on appliances and home electronics that meet strict energy efficiency criteria established by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

• Make your fridge more efficient. Keep your refrigerator's coils clean to boost its overall power, and store jugs of water in any empty space inside, because water retains coldness better than air. According to Green America this could result in 4% energy savings per year.

• Don't waste energy on TV. If you shop for a new television, look for an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen, which uses six times less energy than a plasma screen. Instead of staying in front of the TV, go out and get active – meet new people and join the many different clubs and events at Colgate.

• Save energy through landscaping. The US Department of Energy found that the proper placement of as few as three shady trees will save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

Renewable Energy at Colgate

Colgate's wood-fired boiler

Colgate's wood-fired boiler satisfies more than 75 percent of the campus's

heat and domestic hot water needs. Installed in the early 1980s, the boiler

processes approximately 20,000 tons of locally and sustainably harvested

wood chips per year. Last year, this renewable, carbon neutral resource

helped Colgate avoid consuming the equivalent of 1.2 million gallons of

fuel oil and saved the university over $1.8 million in heating costs.

Fiscal Year 2008-09:

� 21,808 tons woodchips (76%)

� displaced 1.2 million gallons of fuel oil

� prevented 13,838 tons of emissions

� saved $1.8 million

http://www.colgate.edu/green

III. Alternative Transportation

The Transportation Connection . . .

Transportation sources accounted for 29 percent of total U.S.

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2006. Transportation is

the fastest-growing source of GHGs in the U.S., accounting for

47 percent of the net increase in total U.S. emissions since

1990. These estimates of transportation GHGs do not include

emissions from additional lifecycle processes, such as the

extraction and refining of fuel and the manufacture of

vehicles, which are also a significant source of domestic and

international GHG emissions.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/OMS/climate/

TOTAL

FACULTY

& STAFF

AVERAGE

ROUNTRIP

COMMUTE (MILES)

TOTAL MILES

EMISSION

COEFFICIENT

(tons/mile)

TOTAL EMISSIONS

(TONS)

968 19.3 4,025,510 0.000403800 1,626

AIR TRAVELTOTAL MILES

TRAVELED

EMISSIONS

COEFFICIENT

TOTAL EMISSIONS

(TONS)

Students 5,080,336 0.000776336 3944.05

Faculty/Staff 5,960,140 0.000776336 4627.07

TOTAL 8,571.12


• Ride the Colgate Cruiser: It is convenient and FREE and provides an alternative way to meet new people. The Cruisers will take you around campus and to the village of Hamilton providing easy access to the Colgate Bookstore, Hamilton Movie Theater, Barge Canal Coffee House, off-campus residence halls and apartments, and other local stores and restaurants in the downtown area.

• Ride a Bike: Bicycling is a quiet, clean, and healthy way to travel. Bike for fun! …to work or school! …or to run errands! Combined with transit, cycling can also be a part of a longer distance commute. Use Colgate’s Green Bikes. The mission of Green Bikes is to provide Colgate students with inexpensive, convenient, human-powered transportation to decrease reliance on automobiles. Green Bikes is a community bike sharing program managed by Theta Chi fraternity.

TRANSPORTATION – What you can do:

Left: A Colgate student

using a Green Bike.


• Look for more fuel-efficient, less polluting cars. Think about trading in that old gas guzzler for a more fuel-efficient car. A car that gets 20 miles to the gallon will emit about 50 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Double the gas mileage and you cut the emissions by half. Investigate the many new ultra-clean alternative fuel vehicles available. Reconsider extra features such as automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive -- they are often unnecessary and eat into gas mileage.

• Keep your car in good condition. Get your engine tuned up regularly, change the oil, and keep your tires inflated properly -- proper maintenance can increase your car's fuel efficiency by 10 percent and reduce emissions.

• Cut driving miles. Each gallon of gas used in your car releases about 24 pounds of atmospheric-warming carbon dioxide. Cutting your driving by just five miles each day would contribute to keeping tons of carbon dioxide from entering the air.

• Carpool. If every car carried just one more passenger on its daily commute, 32 million gallons of gasoline (and the pollution produced by it) would be saved each day.

Find out more about Green Options on the Road at:

http://www.epa.gov/OMS/climate/whatyoucando.htm

TRANSPORTATION – What you can do:

IV. Sustainable Food and

Dining Practices

The Food Connection…

In the twentieth-century we have witnessed a radical

transformation of our food system from sustainably based, locally focused production, to a fossil-fuel addicted industrialized system. Agriculture has changed more in the past two generations than it did in the previous 12,000 years. Unfortunately for us, almost every aspect of our modern industrial agricultural system creates greenhouse gas emissions. The rapid growth of livestock production is another major contributor to the increased amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, to produce 2.2 pounds of beef burns enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for twenty days. Globally, beef production accounts for about 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions. That is about 6 times more than airline travel!


IV. Sustainable Food and

Dining Practices

Table 1: Main Sources of Emission from Agriculture

Main Sources of Emissions

Percent of the Total

GlobalWarming Effect of Emissions

On the Farm

Fertilizer production and distributionMethane and nitrous oxide emissions

1.5 to 2%

12%

On the LandDeforestation and other land use changes

18%

On the RoadTransportation emissions from seed to plate

Specific food-system data

unavailable

Additional SourcesWaste and manufacturing

Specific food-system data

unavailable

Estimated Total 33% of the total global warming effect can be attributed to the food system.

Source: http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/climatechange/#connection

What you can do and how to eat

sustainably at Colgate:

• Local: Buy food from local companies whenever possible. Each

pound of local food you purchase prevents a quarter pound of

global warming (C02) emissions. Support your local Farmer's

Market.

� Centralized local food purchasing: Colgate is proud of our

relationship with Dan Purdy and Sons of nearby Sherburne,

N.Y. As the only USDA federally inspected local agricultural

processors of meats, poultry and seafood in the region, Purdy

and Sons streamlines Colgate’s purchase and consumption of

locally produced food for our dining halls.

� Local produce: Mento Produce is Colgate’s produce supplier,

providing local in season produce, to the university. Mento is

located in nearby Syracuse, New York.

� Local milk and dairy: Colgate’s milk supplier is Crowley Dairy,

from Binghamton, N.Y. Crowley's delivers locally produced

milk from Madison, Chenango, and Cortland counties.

� Farmer’s Market: Every Saturday, May through October,

there is a Farmers Market on the Village Green in Hamilton. It

starts at 9am and ends at 1pm, and there you can find

seasonal products grown in local farms as well as local meat,

cheese, wine and many others.


• Ask for organic produce: Many supermarkets and green grocers

stock organic food.

� All of Colgate’s rice (white, brown and basmati) is organic.

Organic beans are used, including kidney, black, pinto, chili,

lentil split pea and navy. Ask for the organic products at Frank

or in the Coop! You can also visit Whole Foods downtown,

where you will find different products, most of which are

organic.

• Switching to a vegetarian diet is a powerful way to help protect our

environment and help ensure everyone has enough to eat. The

United Nation’s report Livestock’s Long Shadow, concludes that the

livestock sector (primarily cows, chickens, and pigs) is one of the

top contributors to the planet’s most serious environmental

problems, at every scale from local to global. Livestock production

is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases - responsible for

18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. By comparison, all

transportation emits 13.5% of the CO2. In addition, the enormous

amounts of grain required to feed livestock reduces the amount of

food available for the world's hungry. Buying organic, locally grown

food reduces global warming emissions and helps protect the

environment.

� Colgate offers a daily vegan option at its main dining facility.

Note that vegan is different from vegetarian. While

vegetarians don’t eat meat, vegans endeavor not to use or

consume animal products of any kind.

What you can do and how to eat

sustainably at Colgate:


• "Dolphin Safe" Tuna: Only purchase tuna labeled "dolphin safe".

� At Colgate we only purchases Dolphin Friendly Tuna!

• Pack a Waste-Free Lunch: A waste-free lunch means that you have

no packaging to throw away when you're done - nothing other than

apple cores, banana and orange peels, peach or cherry pits. The best

way to reduce garbage is to not create it. Here you can find “Five

Simple Ways to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch”:

http://www.globalstewards.org/lunch.htm

• Other Sustainable food options in Madison County:

� Madison County Farmer’s Market: a list of the farmer’s markets

in Madison county:

http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/regioncentralmadison.htm

� Madison County Agricultural Economic Development: The

mission for the AED Program is to maintain, develop, and

promote a viable agricultural economy that benefits Madison

County:

http://www.madisoncountyagriculture.com/

� Madison Bounty: Chenango & Madison Bounty is

headquartered in Sherburne, NY and aspires to provide easy

access of local, fresh food to all of Chenango and Madison

County citizens. You can order their products at:

http://www.madisonbounty.com/

� Common Thread: a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA)

farm serving Central New York, the Mohawk Valley and

Syracuse. The farm is located in Madison, just 5 miles north of

Colgate University near the tip of Lake Moraine.

http://www.commonthreadcsa.com/

V. Waste Minimization and Recycling

The Waste Connection . . .

Solid waste disposal contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of ways. First, the anaerobic decomposition of waste in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Second, the incineration of waste produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. In addition, the transportation of waste to disposal sites produces greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of the fuel used in the equipment. Finally, the disposal of materials indicates that they are being replaced by new products; this production often requires the use of fossil fuels to obtain raw materials and manufacture the items.

Currently, the U.S. recycles approximately 32 percent of its waste which saves an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases to removing 39.6 million cars from the road. Increasing the recycling rate to 35 percent would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 5.2 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.

Source: http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/index.html


WHyWHyWHyWHyrecycle?recycle?recycle?recycle?

Recycling:

Saves Energy

Conserves Natural Resources

Reduces the Amount of Waste In Landfills

Environmental Protection & Reduced Pollution

Reduce instructs us to

reconsider the stuff we eye

and buy, but rarely

need. Buying less and

experiencing more is a

good motto for a healthier

planet and a happier

you. The average product

we consume contains only

about 5% of the resources

and energy that went into

manufacturing and

transporting it. The other

95% is waste. We can do

a lot to reduce the waste

we produce by reducing

unnecessary material

possessions.

Reuse challenges us to

consider creative and sensible

options for our unwanted goods

besides throwing them in the

trash. Your old items can

usually find them a new home!

Donate your items to a local

organization such as Heritage

Farm in Bouckville, Hope

House and the Mohawk Valley

Resource Center for Refugees

in Utica, Worn Again clothing

shop in Hamilton, and the

Community Action Partnership

in Morrisville. Additionally, at

the end of every academic year,

the COVE will pickup your

unwanted items through their

Salvage program to donate to

local charities.

Recycle one of the

simplest and most

important things we can do

to protect our environment.

It preserves precious

resources, avoids building

new landfills, conserves

energy, and reduces water

pollution, air pollution and

greenhouse gas emissions

that cause climate

change. At Colgate, take a

moment to place your

recyclable items (i.e. glass,

plastic containers and

bottles, metal cans, paper

products, cardboard, and

electronic waste) in the

correct bin.

1. REDUCE 2. REUSE 3. RECYCLE

THREE STEPS FOR WASTE MINIMIZATION:


RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:Colgate takes Recycling seriously!

Every day, Colgate’s waste is picked up by two separate trucks:

one collects landfill trash and the other collects our recyclables.

Colgate’s recycle truck has two compartments – one for glass,

plastic, and bottles, and one for paper products.

Lend a helping hand! The first compartment in the recycling truck is

small and you can help us save time and money by rinsing and crushing all cans, so that they take less space.

We are currently working on providing recycle bins for the townhouses, as well as

for Birch, Parker, and Newell apartments. In the meantime improvise: use

cardboard boxes, or different bags to separate items. You can download the

Colgate Recycling Signs at: http://www.colgate.edu/green (scroll down to Waste

Minimization and Recycling ) and use them at your convenience.

FACT: FACT: FACT: FACT: FACT: FACT: FACT: FACT: In 2009, thanks to our recycling efforts, Colgate reduced

the amount of landfill waste by 119 tons (230 000 lbs) to a

total of 815 tons (1 630 000 lbs).

This difference of 119 tons of landfill waste is equal to:130 tons (260,000 lbs) LESS greenhouse gas emissions

= $7000 saved!!!

RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling is as easy as 1,2,3 = 3 separate is as easy as 1,2,3 = 3 separate is as easy as 1,2,3 = 3 separate is as easy as 1,2,3 = 3 separate

bins!bins!bins!bins!

1. One recycle bin for Paper products

2. One recycle bin for Plastic, Glass & Cans

3. One bin for Landfill Trash

RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:Fiscal Year 2008-09:

� 815 tons

� $54,301 spent

� recycling is FREE!

� downward trend! 238,000 lbs avoided!

Colgate Landfill Trash (tons)

740

760

780

800

820

840

860

880

900

920

940

960

2006 2007 2008 2009

Fiscal Year

815 Tons

Colgate Landfill Trash (Tons)

934 Tons

1,012 tons of emissions

883 tons of emissions

EEEEEEEE--------Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Waste Recycling:Colgate recycles its electronic waste including

computers, monitors, televisions, and printers through

Regional Computer Recycling and Recovery (RCR&R) out

of Rochester, NY. Website: http://www.ewaste.com

We strongly encourage eWe strongly encourage eWe strongly encourage eWe strongly encourage e----Waste Recycling!Waste Recycling!Waste Recycling!Waste Recycling!

Don’t throw away your electronic appliances!!!

For more information about e-Waste Recycling contact Craig

Blanchard - Inventory/Salvage Operations Coordinator:

Phone: 315 228 7485; Email: [email protected] .

BATTERIES* :Batteries can

also be recycled.

Collect alkaline

batteries, tape

their ends and

put them in a

container. Once

your container is

full, bring it to

the

Environmental

Health & Safety

Office

(subbasement of

McGregory -room SB4).

PRINTER

CARTRIDGES:

If you have any

printer

cartridges,

check with your

R.A. or your

administrative

assistant where

they can be

recycled. Printer

cartridges are

also recycled at

The Department

of Economics

Office (222

Persson Hall).

*Note: Only alkaline batteries can be placed together. Nickel-Metal Hydride

(NiMH), Oxyride, Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad), Lithium, or Zinc Chloride batteries

should NOT be put with alkaline batteries. You can bring these separately to the Environmental Health & Safety Office. If you have any questions call 315-228-7994.

COMPACT

FLUORESCENT

LIGHT BULBS:

We encourage the

use of Compact

Fluorescent Bulbs.

They last 10x’s

longer than

incandescent bulbs,

use 75% less

energy, and save

money. Please

don’t throw these

bulbs away; wrap

them in paper and

give them to your custodian.

ELECTRONIC

DEVICES:

Set aside a

separate

container for

small

electronic

devices such

as: iPods, cell

phones, PDAs,

etc. Don’t

throw them in

the garbage –

they can be

recycled too!!!

RecycleMania RecycleMania RecycleMania RecycleMania at Colgateat Colgateat Colgateat Colgate

RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for

college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction

activities to their campus communities. Over a 10-week period, starting

in January 2010, schools report recycling and trash data which are then

ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per

capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash

per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.

This year Colgate University is taking its first swing at

RecycleManiaRecycleManiaRecycleManiaRecycleMania....

For more information visit:

http://www.recyclemaniacs.org

Or contact:

John Pumilio, Sustainability Coordinator

Merrill House 004;

Phone: 315.228.6487;Email: [email protected]

RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:at Colgate:

RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:• Recycle materials you use - Recycling saves resources,

decreases the use of toxic chemicals, cuts energy use, helps curb global warming, stems the flow of water and air pollution, and reduces the need for landfills and incinerators.

Look for the recycling bins around the campus. When you print materials, make sure that you print double-sided. Remember that the COOP has three print-release stations that must be approved by your 'Gate card before going to the printer. Implemented in January 2009 these print-release stations are drastically reducing the amount of printed paper that went unclaimed and directly into the recycling bin.

• Buy recycled products - Look on the label for the products or packaging with the greatest percentage of post-consumer recycled content, which ensures that the materials have been used before. Try to buy paper products that have more than 50 percent post-consumer content.

The Colgate Bookstore sells notebooks with recycled paper.

• Buy products with less packaging - A large percentage of the paper, cardboard, and plastic we use goes into packaging -- much of it wasteful and unnecessary. When you buy a product, look at the packaging and ask: Can it be reused? Is it made of post-consumer recycled materials? Is it necessary at all? Reward those companies that are most enlightened about their use of packaging by purchasing their products. Contact companies that overpackage and tell them you will be more likely to buy if they change this policy.

RecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecyclingRecycling what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:what you can do:

• Use durable goods - Bring your own cloth bags to local

stores. Replace plastic and paper cups with ceramic mugs, disposable razors with reusable ones. Refuse unneeded plastic utensils, napkins, and straws when you buy takeout foods. Use a cloth dishrag instead of paper towels at home, and reusable food containers instead of aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

• Buy in bulk - it reduces packaging.

For more information check out ColgateFor more information check out Colgate’’s Recycling Guide s Recycling Guide

at:at:http://www.colgate.edu/portaldata/////imagegallerywww/4357/Ima

geGallery/Recycling%20Guidelines.pdf


VI. Water Conservation

Water is one of the Earth's most essential resources. All life

depends on it. In recent decades, human demand and climate

change have placed unprecedented pressure on our national

water resources. And while some regions have experienced

higher than average rainfall, many parts of the US are

suffering record dryness. Notably, in September of 2007

nearly half of the country experienced drought, and major

bodies of water like the Great Lakes and the Colorado River

have been showing significantly reduced water levels.

America’s vast water resources are limited, and we need to

protect and conserve them.

More information at: http://www.h2oconserve.org

Background image taken from: https://mrgrayotsscience.wikispaces.com/file/view/Blue_Earth.gif

This guide was prepared by:

Gergana Mouteva

Class of 2009

Email: [email protected]

For more information contact:

John Pumilio

Sustainability Coordinator

Colgate University

Merrill House 004

Phone: 315.228.6487

Email: [email protected]


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