SUNY Fredonia has been working to meet and to exceed the energy efficiency standards set forth in former Governor George Pataki's June 2001 Executive Order #111. The campus has reduced its overall energy consumption by 8.8% since 1989/1990 FY and has increased its use of power from renewable sources to 10%. Additionally, the university has adopted LEED green building standards for its new science and technology center, and has been purchasing energy-efficient equipment and products made from recycled materials for several decades. In order to reduce Fredonia's carbon emissions and larger environmental impact, however, all members of the campus community need to work together to conserve resources. Reducing the amount of energy and goods we use on campus will not only help the environment, but will also save the university money. These savings can potentially keep tuition costs down and help support the professional needs of faculty and staff members. Let's all do our part to reduce waste, reuse and recycle appropriate materials, and reduce our personal global footprints.
Tips for Students
For the Classroom
• Try to keep computer printing to a minimum and use the double-sided print option whenever possible.
• If a class requires that you print lecture notes or reserve reading selections, share a set with a classmate and ask your professor if the materials can be reused in a future class once the semester is over.
• Walk or ride your bike to class whenever possible, or try to carpool if you commute to school.
• Donate unwanted books to local organizations such as Literacy Volunteers, Rural Ministry and the Salvation Army.
In the Residence Halls
• Power down your computer when it will not be in use for several hours, and turn the monitor off when you'll be leaving the computer in sleep mode for shorter periods of time. Visit this site for directions.
• Buy new or used energy star appliances if possible, and consider purchasing or acquiring used television sets. Check out Freecycle and other Internet sites as well as local second-hand store for purchasing and donating options.
• Install a compact fluorescent light bulb in any lamps you bring in with you. The campus already saves $7.00 in energy costs per lamp each year on lamps using compact fluorescent spring bulbs. Just be sure to give expired bulbs to a custodian for recycling; they can not go out in the regular trash or campus recycling bins.
• Keep a houseplant or two in your room.
• Turn off the lights and other appliances when you leave your room.
• Always empty, clean out, and unplug your refrigerator over breaks.
• Inform your RA if there is a problem with the heat and conserve energy by not opening windows in the winter.
• Try to shorten the length of your showers and turn off running faucets or showers in the bathroom.
• Take only the food you plan to eat in the dining halls to cut down on waste.
• Use refillable coffee mugs and water bottles to reduce the number of Styrofoam cups and plastic bottle in your personal waste stream.
Tips for Staff and Faculty Members
For the Classroom
• Have students print materials from your Ereserves and Angel sites sparingly and encourage reuse of printed readings.
• When appropriate, have students submit papers electronically.
• Encourage double-sided printing when students submit hard copies of papers and take-home exams.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the classroom-especially at the end of the teaching day and on weekends.
• Always turn off the LCD projector after you're finished using it-a single bulb can cost between $200 and $400, and a bulb usually only has a lifespan of 1,000 hours.
• Walk or bike to class if possible, or consider carpooling to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
In the Office
• Power down your computer when it will not be in use for several hours, and turn the monitor off when you'll be leaving the computer in sleep mode for shorter periods of time. Visit this site for directions.
• If you are the last one in the office, turn off the lights before you leave for the day.
• Keep the sleep function on all copying machines enabled; this mode is designed to save energy.
• Unplug any charger or converter that is not being used; a charger or converter will continue to use power anytime they are plugged into an electric circuit.
• Use refillable coffee mugs and water bottles to reduce the number of Styrofoam cups and plastic bottle in your personal waste stream.
• Reuse inter-office envelopes and try to cut down on paper correspondence.
• Purchase environmentally friendly products and goods made from recycled materials.
• Cut down on the amount of junk mail that you receive by removing yourself from mailing lists.
• Use double-sided printing options and recycle office papers regularly
• Unplug appliances such as coffee makers when they are not in use.
• When appropriate, try to reuse office equipment and contact Lois Valentine at 673-3216 to have computers and equipment removed for reuse or scrap recycling.
• Participate in one of the campus's print cartridge recycling programs.
Additional Ideas and Resources
There are so many small things that we can do in our everyday lives to conserve resources and to help the environment. Whether it is planting a tree, supporting local farmers, or even just making sure that our car tires are properly inflated, we can all do our parts to reduce our carbon footprints and to improve our local environments. The links (give location for sidebars) offer sites for calculating your carbon impact and adopting more environmentally friendly practices. The links below offer some ideas and suggestions for getting involved with campus and community sustainability efforts: Learn more about Fredonia's Environmental Affairs Committee and their activities on campus. Read about SUNY Fredonia's current programs to reduce student energy consumption, see ED TECH's May/June 2007 "Green Machines" article and participate in one of the campus's other energy conservation programs.Learn more about organic farming and community supported agriculture, and patronize one of the area's local farmers' markets Gong Garden www.gonggarden.com Chautauqua County Farmers' Markets www.nyfarmersmarket.com/regionwestchattauqua.htm