Energy Saving Tips for the Workplace (from the Office of Sustainability Initiatives)

* Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs in desk lamps. They use about one-third of the energy and last ten times longer.

* Take the time to identify excess lighting, and use only the lights that are necessary. Always remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room for longer than a couple of minutes.

* Follow Emory's temperature guidelines: In the winter, keep office, common space, and classroom space set at 68?F and, in summer, keep office and classroom space set at 74 degrees F and common spaces set at 76 degrees F.

* Make the most of natural heating and cooling by closing blinds in warm periods. During the winter, open the blinds at the beginning of the day for light and heat, and shut them at night to avoid heat loss.

* Shut off or hibernate computers at night or when not in use. Make it a habit to turn monitors off when not in use, even if you still need the computer on. If you have questions about whether you can shut off your computers, please ask your IT representative.

* At night, make sure printers, fax machines, and all office equipment is turned off, and if possible, unplugged. Using a power strip for this equipment makes it easy to turn it all off at night.

* Use double-sided printing and copying, and only print, copy, or fax when absolutely necessary.

* Recycle white and mixed paper, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles number 1 & 2 in the proper receptacles. Glass recycling is usually located outside the buildings due to safety issues with broken glass. If your building does not have glass recycling, call Emory Recycles at 404-712-8921 for a bin.

* Whenever possible, take alternative transportation--carpools, walking, biking, Cliff shuttles or MARTA--or telecommute. Doing so saves gas, cuts down on air pollution, and can give you more exercise.

* Make sure heating and cooling vents are not blocked.

* Use the stairs! You will burn calories and save energy.

* Have people bring their own, washable mugs and cups to the office to reduce waste. Use fair-trade, organic coffee beans and a reusable filter in the coffee pot.

* Report any water and HVAC/ energy-related problems to maintenance immediately--call 404-727-7464.

* Purchase a water cooler or water filter for the sink rather than purchasing individual water bottles for your department. A pitcher and reusable mugs can be used for meetings.

ARTICLES of INTEREST
I'm happy to post any new articles you run across, please email them to me.

There's a new article by Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," in the NYT Sunday magazine, addressing the frustrations and challenges inherent in creating a more environmentally responsible culture. From the article:

"Thirty years ago, Wendell Berry, the Kentucky farmer and writer, put forward a blunt analysis of precisely this mentality. He argued that the environmental crisis of the 1970s — an era innocent of climate change; what we would give to have back that environmental crisis! — was at its heart a crisis of character and would have to be addressed first at that level: at home, as it were. He was impatient with people who wrote checks to environmental organizations while thoughtlessly squandering fossil fuel in their everyday lives — the 1970s equivalent of people buying carbon offsets to atone for their Tahoes and Durangos. Nothing was likely to change until we healed the 'split between what we think and what we do.' For Berry, the 'why bother' question came down to a moral imperative: 'Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, then we have to choose: we can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living with it the best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we think and live.'”

Some information on a "green museum" opening in San Francisco Fall 2008.

"Big Foot" by Michael Specter: an interesting article from the New Yorker magazine on "carbon footprints" and green capitalism.

"Put a stake in it: cut up to 10 percent of your electric bill simply by turning off 'vampire' appliances that run all night" by Rebecca Clarren (Salon.com) (skip past the ad)

Printed paper vs. online? " Should I Cancel My Newspaper Subscription" by Brendan Koerner (Slate.com)

Have you heard of the giant floating island of plastic trash, twice the size of Texas, in the Pacific Ocean? (sorry for the "what matters to men" motto for this magazine! obviously, this kind of thing matters to everybody.) There is another, older (2003) article by Dr. Charles Moore on this topic here.