To "go green" means to take care of where you live- Earth. – Is that defined as chaining yourself to a tree in

front of an impending massive bulldozer? No.– Is it defined as using only products not tested on

animals? No, again.

Going green means having the three R's become a part of your life. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

What programs do

participate in to be

The university participates in several local and nationwide programs that help achieve a eco-friendly community.

The Office of Environmental Task Force, Task Force on Environmental Sustainability, UAlbany Students for Sustainability, Sustainability Coordinators, and Sustainability Council are all present on campus and are involved with the various “green” activities.

Students living in the residence halls have reduced their electricity consumption and saved over $39,000. The money was rewarded to all the quads and apartments as an incentive to promote electricity conservation.

We’re now creating monthly bills for students living in

Empire Commons. Students that have extremely low

electricity bills (~220 kWh/month) will be rewarded

prizes from one of the program’s Sponsors.

The Bin Shoot is a way to Promote Recycling on Campus. A fun and interactive way to show that You can have fun Recycling.

One of the things we did was hand out T-Shirts. If

students could make it from the 3pt line, and if

they made it from the Foul line, they were given a

“You’ve been mugged” coupon which was good for

1 Free coffee with a reusable mug.

Instead of wasting it

just turn the

water off.

Leaving the faucet running while brushing your teeth can waste up to 2-gallons of water.

Reduce your use of disposable items such as throwaway cups, plates and silverware.

Set up a recycling system in your home. Create one area for mixed paper and another for glass, cans and plastic.

Do you recycle at school? There are programs that allow you to recycle juice boxes at school and get money for them!

Before you throw away thathalfway printed page,how about using the other side for scrap paper?

Do something productiveGo outside, Go for a walk…

Turn off the appliances,

Turn off the T.V.Turn off the lights when leaving

a room. Even turn off your computer,

including the monitor and speakers!

Unplugging appliances while not in use is the best tip in

Don’t blow all your cash on new gadgets or outfits.

Look for opportunities to swap video games with your friends or in stores.Shop at second hand stores like Plato’s closet.Appreciate hand me downs!!

Not only do you get to reuse a unique or vintage item, but youalso stop factories from makingmore items and creating pollution, and that greatly reduces your carbon footprint.

Reusable waters bottles are 100% recyclable at the end of their very long

lives. Single use, disposable water bottles and plastic bags create millions

of tons of unnecessary waste each year and take 1000 years to

biodegrade.

Dishwashers use a lot more water than when hand washing them. So it’s best not to use the dishwasher but if you do, only run a cycle when you have a full load and select the air dry setting.

When you share a ride, it means fewer people have to use gas and

when you walk or bike, there is no fuel burned at all…. Except maybe

your breakfast!

Lower your heat in the winter and lower the air conditioning

(or go without) in the summer.Dress in layers in the winter and

grab a blanket. Dress lightly when its hot and close the blinds

to keep the heat out. This will saving your parent’s money on

their energy bill and reduce the effect on the environment.

Playing games on the computer and TV uses a lot of energy. You should always turn off your games when not in use. Wii systems use the least amount of energy. Get rechargeable batteries for use in games that require batteries.

See, you can go green without making drastic changes in your life!

It’s all about how much effort you want to put into living an eco-lifestyle, and all of these steps can easily be incorporated into your everyday activities and make a large difference.

www.albany.edu/gogreenMary Ellen Mallia

Director of Environmental SustainabilityUniversity Hall 212E

MMallia@uamail.albany.edu 518-956-8120

Our Blog http://ualbanygoesgreen.org/