Volume 2, Issue 4
A Letter from a UGA Resident
U n i v e r s i t y
Living Green
A newsletter for housing residents about department sustainability initiatives
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U n i v e r s i t y
H o u s i n g
March 2010
Loving our planet and its resources is not a difficult task. Anyone who says, “Recycling is a hassle where I live” or “I can’t afford a reusable water bottle” is just spreading the common misconception that living green is somehow disadvantageous to students. I challenge you to ask yourself how hard it could really be. The fact is, small and simple lifestyle adjustments can make a huge difference in keeping the earth healthy for years to come.
With the growing popularity of PowerPoint printing (you know, printing off the teacher’s slides then adding your own notes), printer paper conservation has become a key factor of sustainable living. All paper comes equipped with two blank sides. This means if you don’t use both sides, you aren’t getting your money’s worth. You can also use any single sided papers you get in class or find in recycling bins to put to use a second time around.
My name is Dana Schroeder, and I am a UGA housing resident who loves helping the earth. I am a sophomore Environmental Economics major, and I live in Reed Hall. I live sustainably, but it isn’t difficult, time-consuming or costly. In fact, many of my habits actually save me money, and what college student doesn’t love having a little more cash? I’ll share with you the steps I take to live green everyday, and I sincerely hope you take them with me.
Keeping your thermostat at a reasonable temperature is also important. For those with the ability to control the temperature in your rooms, keep your room no warmer than 72 degrees in the winter, and in the summer, try not to go below 74. If you are chilly in winter, just throw on a sweatshirt.
First and foremost, I recycle. The residence halls collect almost all paper products from notebook paper to cardboard. You can recycle glass, aluminum and plastic (numbers one and two). Separating your waste is simple. Most rooms come with two trash cans; just turn one into a recycle bin, and empty it into larger recycle bins on your floor whenever it gets full. The next most obvious way to live green is to conserve your use of artificial lighting. Lights should never be left on while you aren’t even in your room, and turning them off is almost effortless. In addition, lights aren’t needed during daylight hours since you can use natural light from your window instead. Studies even show that natural lighting makes students happier and more productive! I bought a reusable water bottle as soon as I got to campus, and it’s probably the best $10 I have ever spent. I always have water with me, and I always get it for free. I fill it up in water fountains, at the dining halls, or from a water-filtering pitcher kept in my fridge.
Personally, I never do a load of laundry unless I can fill a machine. Filling it ensures the residence halls aren’t wasting water. If you can’t even fill one machine, odds are you still have other clothes to wear; laundry can wait another day or two. Also, no clothes really need to be washed in warm water, because cold water gets stuff clean just the same. Press “Bright Colors” on most machines to get cold water. For those students who sometimes eat in the room, dishware choices are key to living green. I use real dishes that I can wash and use again when I am done. Disposable silverware, plates and bowls are usually made of plastic, which will take thousands of years to degrade in a landfill. I keep one bowl, one plate, one mug and one set of silverware in my room, and I wash them in my sink between uses.
Don’t miss the last movie in the University Housing sustainability film series, Blue Gold—World Water Wars Monday, April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Rooker Fireside Lounge (ECV)