(858) 534-6105ESS Newsletter: Green Tips Archive
Engineering Student Services would like to do our part in UC San Diego's quest to be the greenest university in the nation. We now include a "Green Tip of the Week" in our weekly newsletter News You Can Use. You can now look through our past "Green Tips" and if you have a "Green Tip" you would like us to post, feel free to email us.
Tip #11: The following tips are 10 ways to stay cool without using your air conditioner this summer.
1. Buy a ceiling fan. They use a lot less energy than air conditioners and are easy to install.
2. Eat cold foods like cold fruit or ice cream and popsicles. Iced tea or cold water will also do the trick.
3. Keep your fridge closed; the more it's open, the more energy it uses and the more heat it releases.
4. Turn off (or hibernate) your computer and lights when not in use as they release heat when they're on.
5. Heat rises, so lie on a bamboo mat on the floor instead of sitting on the couch.
6. Use bamboo blinds to keep out the sun so you can open windows to circulate the air.
7. Hang your wet clothes in front of your windows; the evaporating water will make a nice cooling effect.
8. Take a quick cool shower. It's a great way to cool off fast and keep the air in your home cool.
9. Go to a movie or an indoor mall during the day - you can also save money by going to a matinee.
10. And finally, if you must use the air conditioner, use an electric fan in addition to the AC. This will let you raise the thermostat, which will lower your energy consumption. And remember to keep doors and windows closed to maximize cooling.
Tip #10: PRECYCLE! Precycling is reusing and reducing to minimize the production of waste. In addition to the precycling tips we've mentioned before (eg. using canvas bags, not drinking from disposable water bottles, and buying rechargeable batteries), here are some new precycling tips:
-Take hangers back to the dry cleaner.
-Donate your magazines to doctors' offices, hospitals, or community places.
-Use both sides of paper before you recycle it.
-Water plants with leftover drinking water or from washing your fruits and vegetables.
-Buy in bulk to avoid excess packaging and save money.
And remember that buying recycled is the third step in the recycling loop because without it, you're not really recycling.
Tip #9: This week's green tip is brought to you by Target:
"10 Ways to Reuse Your Target [or any other store] Bag"
1. Tiny trashcan liner
2. Doggy duty
3. Water balloon
4. Roadtrip rubbish
5. Soggy laundry
6. Ice pack for head lump
7. Toiletry tote
8. Kitty litter liner
9. Tomorrow's lunchbag
10. Care package padding
Tip #8: Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. By buying rechargeable batteries, you reduce the amount of batteries and packaging that end up in landfills and you also save money by not having to continuously buy new batteries.
Tip #7: When doing laundry, set your water temperature to "cold". Cold water is usually adequate to clean white and colored clothes, unless your clothes have oil or grease stains (in which case, use "warm" instead of "hot" water). In fact, washing clothes in cold water with cold-water detergents allows fabrics to retain their color and strength longer. By using cold water, you can reduce the energy use by half!
Tip #6: Chargers for cell phones, iPods, laptops, etc... and appliances left in an outlet continue to use power - even if they're turned off. Not only are you using energy you don't need to use, but it goes on your energy bill. So while it may be convenient to leave your chargers plugged in, take the few seconds to unplug them when you're done charging.
Tip #5: Use a reusable sport bottle to drink water from as bottled water produces large amounts of container waste.
Tip #4: Paper or Plastic...or Canvas? Disposable plastic bags can take over a thousand years to break down in landfills. Paper bags pose staggering environmental impacts and enormous energy costs. Canvas bags are strong, reliable, and reusable. Whole Foods, Henry's and Trader Joes' are just some of the stores providing incentives for customers who bring in their own bags. So next time you go food shopping, bring your own bag and make a difference!
Tip #3: Researchers have found that when taking the stairs, rather than the elevator for one or two floors, they arrived at their destination more quickly than riding the elevator. The reason? The waiting time for the elevator, of course! So turn your impatience into action and take the stairs (burning calories, not energy).
Tip #2: Though screen savers are great, they don’t save energy. So when you go to lunch, are heading to a meeting or leaving for class, turn off your monitor.
Tip #1: Encourage individuals who are not disabled to not push the handicap button that automatically opens doors since this is an unnecessary use of energy.
