1. Purchase With Purpose |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Packaging makes up 30-50% of municipal waste.
- On average, food on the dinner table traveled 400 miles.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Learn about green products and companies.
- Look for local food in the dining centers.
- Shop locally.
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2. Green Your Ride |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Burning one gallon of gas emits 20 gallons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
- Cars consume about 8.2 billion barrels of oil daily.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Walk or ride your bike.
- Carpool.
- Ride CyRide.
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3. Unplug the Unused |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Electronics use 75% of their power in sleep/standby.
- Small appliances can equal 40% of your electricity bill.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Unplug small appliances after use.
- Unplug chargers when devices are finished charging.
- Plug electronics into a power strip and turn the strip off when not in use.
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4. Make Your Flow Low |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Reducing your shower by one minute saves four gallons of water.
- Fixing a leaky toilet can save up to 1,000 gallons of water (about 16 loads of laundry) a month.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Turn off water for teeth brushing or shaving.
- Get cold water from the refrigerator.
- Save dish washing and laundry for full loads.
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5. Power Down |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Sleep mode saves $25-$75 per computer annually.
- Gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Wii) can cost $250 a year to power.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- When not using your computer or game console, turn it off.
- When you do need these items in standby mode, make sure you enable the low power modes. Check out this step-by-step guide.
- Avoid using the DVD player on your game console. A stand-alone DVD player uses 24 times less energy.
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6. Not Around, Turn It Down |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Adjusting your thermostat at night can save 5-10% off your heating bill.
- Ceiling fans use 90% less energy than a cooling system and lower room temperature 7-10 degrees.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Turn your thermostat down when you are gone.
- Get a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature throughout the day.
- Use fans or blankets before changing your thermostat.
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7. Green Bag It |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Worldwide, more than 500 billion plastic bags are used each year, and only about 1-3% are recycled.
- The annual plastic bag consumption cost could send nearly 75,000 students to college for 4 years.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION?
- Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) to reduce personal disposable bag demand.
- Don’t use a bag at all if you don’t need one.
- If you need a bag, reuse it.
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8. Twist Your Lights |
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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.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs.
- If you live in Frederiksen Court, take advantage of the light bulb exchange program.
- Live off-campus? Look into city rebates.
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9. Bring Your Own Bottle (or Mug or Cup) |
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DID YOU KNOW?
- The oil used to supply the American demand for bottled water could fuel 100,000 cars per year.
- Each disposable cup you replace with a personal mug saves 1.25 pounds of CO2 emissions.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
- Bring your own water bottle or canteen to refill.
- Bring your own mug or cup for to-go drinks.
- Stores often discount for bringing your own mug. ISU Dining offers a $0.35 discount at all their retail locations.
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10. Remember the 4 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink |
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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
- Make use of local recycling programs.
- Consider a reuse opportunity such as Goodwill.
- Before throwing away, ask yourself: Can it be used again or recycled?
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