Green Tips

Spring 2009

• During your spring vacation, stay at a green hotel that practices sustainable operations.
• Feel the breeze and open the windows. The best way to get dirty air moving out and fresh air moving in is to open the doors and windows.
• Choose an eco-friendly vacation destination. This may involve sustainable housing, low-impact activities, and supporting local artisans and restaurants.
• Going on a Spring Break trip? Carpool as many people as you can to go with you.
• Skip the air fresheners. Buy fresh flowers. An open box of baking soda, cedar blocks, and dried flowers also add natural fragrance to the room.
• Take a trip and help the planet. Community service offices often organize trips around the state and country to do a little volunteering and discovery.
• Multi-purpose baking soda can be used for everything from freshening the air, to freshening the carpet or furniture, to scrubbing the toilet and tub.
• Taking a Spring Break road trip? Rent a hybrid car or SUV.
• Use natural fiber sponges and rags to do the cleaning. Avoid using paper towels and other one-time use tools.
• Be a green vacationer and travel by bus or train since planes and cars emit the most carbon dioxide per traveler.

January 2009

• Minimize energy used in your home. Make windows and doors well-sealed with caulking and weather-stripping.
• Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment.
• Add insulation to attic, exterior wall, and crawl spaces.
• Fan the air around. Run the ceiling fan clockwise at a slow speed to recirculate warmer air that collects at the ceiling.
• Use left over bubble wrap by placing it inside windows to act as an insulator.
• Go paperless. Distribute company information and post company material online.
• Clean your shower head periodically; scaling and sediment can collect and reduce water flow, using more hot water than needed.
• Make sure that your heating system is running efficiently. A small maintenance bill can save you the cost of replacing the whole unit!
• Save energy and boil faster. Measure out the right amount of water needed. It takes extra energy to boil too much water.
• Check your pressure - For every 5 degrees Celsius the temperature goes down, the air pressure in your tires reduces by one pound per square foot. Keep tabs on your tires for easy riding.

November 2008

• Encourage more double-sided printing.
• Replace the paper towel dispensers with hand air dryers. This saves trees and reduces paper waste.
• Use electronic versions of forms rather than paper.
• Bills, bills, and more bills! Go paperless with ALL your monthly bills.
• Happy Holidays! Replace your old string of decorative lights with LED lights.
• Recycle computers, cell phones, etc. at a location that accepts these types of materials and recycles.
• In the winter, instead of turning up the heat in the house, wear a couple more layers of clothing and socks. Use blankets to block drafts from the door.
• Stop using screensavers. Monitors consume 40% of all the energy used by a computer system.
• Remove unnecessary articles from your car; each 100 pounds of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%.
• Install faucets that have motion detectors. This will conserve water and it’s more sanitary.

August 2008

• Promote recycling by providing recycling bins in every meeting room.
• Reduce use of paper with paperless meetings or the use of double-sided copies.
• Conserve energy by installing light sensors in meeting rooms.
• Use green purchasing by buying recycled content paper and meeting supplies.
• Promote the use of videoconfercing, webcasts and other electronic means to reduce travel to meetings.
• Encourage meeting locations that minimize travel.
• Use water-based markers and pens instead of permanent inks since less hazardous chemicals are used in their production.