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How You Can Help

"We're really making an effort to be "green" on campus — education initiatives, increased energy conservation efforts, and doing all we can to eliminate waste — but you can help too! Sustainability is everyone's responsibility."

Trina M. Marquez
Associate Vice President, Technology and Campus Operations

Tips for Conserving Energy On Campus

Conserving Heating and Cooling Energy

  • Dress appropriately for the season; layer your clothing.
  • Avoid the use of portable electric space heaters; call Facilities at 585-389-2354 for rooms too hot or too cold.
  • Keep thermostats set at 68 degrees during the heating season and 77 degrees during the cooling season.
  • Keep exterior doors and windows closed during the heating and cooling seasons.
  • Remember to close windows when rooms will be unoccupied.
  • During the heating season, open blinds, drapes, and curtains to allow solar heat gain.
  • In the evenings, close blinds, drapes, and curtains to reduce thermal heat loss.
  • Use hot water sparingly.
  • Turn off all unused electrical appliances when not in use.
  • Know and cooperate with scheduled hours of building operations; do not expect buildings to have fully operational HVAC systems during evenings and weekends when there is minimal occupancy.
  • Please report energy waste to Facilities at 585-389-2354.

Reducing Lighting Energy

  • Use natural daylight when possible.
  • If you spend a lot of time working at a computer, consider reducing the overall brightness level in your room to enhance CRT screen visibility.
  • Report any lighting problems, including burnt-out light bulbs, defective occupancy sensors, or flickering lights to the Facilities office at 585-389-2354.
  • Turn off the lights in classrooms, offices, or restrooms when the rooms are not being occupied.
  • Consider using desk lamps ("task lighting") to reduce overhead lighting in the room.
  • If your building has areas where "occupancy sensors" are being used to turn lights on and off (such as conference rooms, rest rooms, and hallways), please cooperate with their use.
  • Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs where possible.

Saving Energy/Environment While Computing

  • Do not leave your computer running overnight and on weekends. Wait until you are ready to use your computer before turning it on.
  • After 16 minutes, the energy needed to run your computer outweighs the start-up energy. So, if your computer is going to be inactive for more than 16 minutes, consider turning it off.
  • A modest amount of turning on and turning off will not harm your computer or monitor. The life of a monitor is related to the amount of time it is in use, not the number of on and off cycles.
  • Try to plan your computer-related activities so you can do them all at once, keeping the computer off at other times.
  • Do not turn on the printer until you are ready to print. Printers consume energy even while they are idling.
  • Do not print emails unless it is necessary.
  • Most computer equipment now comes with power management features. Check to make sure they are enacted.
  • The best screen saver is no screen saver at all.
  • Turn off your monitor when you are not using it. (This option is second best only to turning off your computer all together.)
  • Use "paperless" methods of communication such as email and fax modems.
  • When typing documents that will be printed, especially drafts, use smaller font and decrease the spacing between lines. Keep your document to the fewest possible pages.
  • Review your document on the screen instead of printing a draft. If you must print a draft, use the blank back side of used paper.
  • Use a printer that can print double-sided documents. When making copies, use double-sided copying.
  • Always buy and use recycled-content paper. Look for papers with 50-100% post-consumer waste and non-chlorine bleached.
  • Recycle your print paper.
  • Only buy a monitor as large as you really need. Although a large monitor might seem more attractive, you should remember that a 17-inch monitor uses 40 percent more energy than a 14-inch monitor. The higher the resolution, the more energy it needs.
  • Ink jet printers use 80 to 90 percent less energy than laser printers.
  • Request recycled/recyclable packaging from your computer vendor.
  • Buy vegetable (or non-petroleum-based) inks. These printer inks are made from renewable resources, require fewer hazardous solvents, and in many cases produce brighter, cleaner colors.
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