Did you know that adjusting your thermostat at night can save 5-10% off your heating bill? Or that gaming consoles consume nearly as much power when left idle as they are when being played? Or that bringing your own reusable mug to campus can save you 35 cents at ISU Dining cafes? Our How to Live Green! section is full of tips, tricks and insights to help you become more sustainable in your daily life. Not only are these green practices better for the planet but they can also save you time and money!

Live Green! yoga
College Creek
Electric bikes

STUDY GREEN

Find green classes to add to your portfolio in our Live Green! sustainability course directory.

CHOOSE A GREEN RIDE

Travel sustainability with CyRide, a campus and citywide bus system, our rideshare and carpooling websites, and our airport shuttle service.

JOIN A GREEN CLUB

Find your sustainability connection and join a sustainability-minded environmental, economic or social club. Search our student organization database for ideas and contacts.

REDUCE YOUR TRASHPRINT

Practice your 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink! Find out what and where you can recycle on-campus and off-campus.

LEARN WITH SUSTAINABLE FRIENDS

Connect with other students interested in sustainability by joining a sustainability learning community.

STAY IN THE GREEN KNOW

Keep connected with all the sustainability events and opportunities at Iowa State University as well as around the Ames community.
Molly w the CUP

SAVE SOME GREEN ONE CUP AT A TIME

Reduce waste and increase your budget. Bring your reusable mug and save 35 cents at ISU Dining Cafes and C-Stores.

GIVE BACK AND PAY FORWARD

Make a difference to our community. Check out and connect with volunteer opportunities on and off campus!

1. Power Down

 

      

Power Down Image

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Sleep mode saves $10-$100 annually, depending on they type of computer (desktop vs laptop) and the specifics of each device.
  • Gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Wii) can cost $200 a year to power.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. When not using your computer or game console, turn it off.
  2. When you do need these items in standby mode, make sure you enable low power modes.
  3. Avoid using the DVD player on your game console. A stand-alone DVD player uses 24 times less energy.

2. Make Your Flow Low

 
Person brushing their teeth and turning the water down

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Cutting just one minute from your daily shower could save two gallons of water, or over 60 gallons per month.
  • A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, which amounts to 6,000 gallons per month- enough for 150 loads of laundry. Report leaky toilets and faucets at ISU by calling 294-5100 or reporting online on the Facilities Planning and Management Report a Problem website.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Turn off water for teeth brushing, face washing or shaving.
  2. Get cold water from the refrigerator.
  3. Save dish washing and laundry for full loads.

3. Unplug the Unused

 
Unplugged coffee maker that isn't in use

DID YOU KNOW?

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Unplug small appliances after use.
  2. Unplug chargers when devices are finished charging.
  3. Plug electronics into a power strip and turn the strip off when not in use.

4. Bring Your Own Bottle (or Mug or Cup)

 
Person filling their reusable mug with coffee

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The oil used to supply the American demand for bottled water could fuel 100,000 cars per year.
  • If reusable cups replaced single-use cups, carbon emissions could fall by 69%.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Bring your own water bottle to refill.
  2. Bring your own mug or cup for to-go drinks.
  3. Coffee shops and convenience stores may offer discounts for bringing your own mug. ISU Dining offers a $0.35 discount at all their retail locations.

5. Not Around, Turn It Down

 
Thermostat turned down

DID YOU KNOW?

  • While away or when sleeping, turning your thermostat down in winter and up in summer can save an average of $83 per year.
  • Using a ceiling fan for cooling allows you to raise your thermostat setting and use 90% less energy than a cooling system with no reduction in comfort and may be able to replace air conditioning during some cooling days.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Turn your thermostat down when you are gone.
  2. Get a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature throughout the day.
  3. Use fans or blankets before changing your thermostat.

6. Green Your Ride

 
Cyride bus

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Burning one gallon of gas emits 20 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere.
  • Cars consume about 8.78 million barrels of oil per day.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Walk or ride your bike.
  2. Carpool.
  3. Ride CyRide (free for students).

7. Twist Your Lights

 
Person holding a lightbulb

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs.
  • Lights account for 5-10% of energy use. Utilize natural lighting during the day to reduce energy usage.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs.

8. Green Bag It

 
Reusable Iowa State bag

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Worldwide, more than 500 billion plastic bags are used each year, and only about 1-3% are recycled.
  • The annual cost of offering "free" disposable plastic bags ($4,000,000,000) could cover the cost of 4 years of tuition for over 100,000 college students.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION?

  1. Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) to reduce personal disposable bag demand.
  2. Don’t use a bag at all if you don’t need one.
  3. If you need a bag, reuse it.

9. Purchase With Purpose

 
Local food for sale

DID YOU KNOW?

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Learn about green products and companies.
  2. Explore local food dishes in the dining centers.
  3. Shop locally.

10. Remember the 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink

 
Recycling bin on campus

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Recycling one aluminum can conserves enough energy to power a TV for up to three hours.
  • Recycling one plastic bottle conserves enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Make use of local recycling programs.
  2. Consider a reuse/donation opportunity such as Goodwill, Overflow Thrift Store, Salvation Army or Rummage RAMPage.
  3. Before throwing away, ask yourself, “Can it be reused, donated or recycled?"

At Iowa State University, the Live Green! Initiative seeks to educate, engage and empower students, faculty, staff, campus visitors and more about the all-encompassing opportunity of living a sustainable life. Living sustainably makes a powerful impact on us individually, but also collectively on our colleagues, friends, families and communities. This impact translates into leaving the world a better place for future generations.

What exactly does that mean, to live sustainably?

Living sustainably means taking a look at our daily opportunities to do something that will benefit someone in the future. Therefore, sustainability really falls into three broad categories that are constantly interweaving with one another: environmental, social and economic sustainability. When we choose to pursue opportunities in all of these components, as the Venn diagram below indicates, we are living a truly sustainable life. 

Three Facets Diagram

Many of us are already actively engaged in sustainable activities (whether it be environmental, social, economic or a mix of two or three) and are not fully recognizing the significance of our actions. Sustainability goes much further than the traditional idea of what it means to live green -- therefore, we all have countless opportunities to make a real, sustainable difference during our lifetimes.

Below, we offer a breakdown of these three components of sustainability, offering how you, no matter where you are in the world, can seize opportunities to make your part of the planet just a little more green!