San Diego Mesa College: Environmental Sustainability

New Information! - Mesa and AB75 compliance powerpoint presentation

Information - Recycling Video

Get involved: Students, faculty, and staff are always welcome to attend the Environmental Stewardship Committee meetings and get involved in a project of interest. Please see the Announcements Section for current meeting times and dates.
Conserve and preserve: You can immediately reduce campus energy consumption by turning off unnecessary lights and equipment and programming the energy-saving settings on your PC. Learn what else you can do to conserve energy in offices, labs, and at home.
Recycle Learn how you can reduce and reuse to sustain a cleaner campus.
Leave your car at home: Save money and protect the environment by using one of several commuting alternatives.

Reduce waste in dining facilities. Use what you take.

Take only what you need, including food, condiment packets, paper napkins, straws, plastic drink tops, and other disposable items.
When you dine in, use real silverware, cups, and plates instead of disposable dinnerware.
Take only silverware that you will use. Whether you have used a utensil or not, it must be washed, using energy, water, and cleaning agents.
When you take food to go, use your own utensils and beverage containers whenever possible.
Buy beverages in recyclable containers instead of paper or plastic cups.

Reduce paper waste: When copying and printing.

Only copy materials that you really need.
Even small steps like changing your document margins can produce large results
Use copiers properly to avoid misprints.
Make double-sided copies whenever possible and request double-sided printing at copy centers.
Print single-spaced drafts of documents and double-spaced copies for final versions only. (Print Preview allows you to determine page limits).
If you print it, pick it up. Often, people send documents to network printers and never pick them up.
Reuse paper that has been printed on one side for scratch or note paper, or drop it off in Reprographics for others to use.

Go paperless: Use your computer instead of paper.

Edit documents on screen rather than printing copies.
Use the Print Preview function to view documents before printing.
Save files and e-mail messages electronically. Don't print hard copies of everything.
Post information on the Web or use e-mail instead of printing flyers.
Use the computer projection system to give quizzes to your students instead of copying short quizzes.
Print two quizzes on one page and cut in half for short quizzes.
Eliminate printed handouts and Powerpoint slides during meetings.

Lighting:

Turn off unnecessary lighting. Rely on low-wattage task lighting or daylight whenever possible.
Install motion sensors in common areas.

Office/ Classroom practices:

Reduce thermostat settings.
Dress comfortably for the weather; adjust your layers before adjusting the thermostat.
Turn off office equipment that is not being used, such as printers and copiers (unless such machines are "Energy Star" certified units that reduce energy consumption during periods of inactivity).
Keep rooms cool by closing shades, especially in empty conference rooms, offices, and common areas.
Use energy-saving settings on computers.
Use laptop computers if possible. They consume 90% less energy than standard desktop computers.
If possible, use ink-jet printers. They consume 90% less energy than laser printers.
Purchase energy-efficient equipment.
Select the right-sized copier. A mid-volume copier in a low-volume office can use up to 70% more energy per page than a low-volume machine.
Turn off electric space heaters. (If you are uncomfortably cool, put on a sweater.)

Home:

Avoid opening refrigerators and freezers more often than necessary.
Postpone using washers, dryers, and dishwashers until after 7 p.m. (or later) during an alert.
Avoid using high-wattage appliances, machines, and illumination.
Dress in layers to avoid using fans or portable heaters.
Purchase Energy Star products including PCs, monitors, printers, copiers, and fax machines, especially models that “power down” after a user-specified period of inactivity.
Purchase energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs.

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