Regardless of where you live on campus, you will find not just a place to sleep and study, but an opportunity to cultivate new friendships, focus on academics, and pursue interests and co-curricular activities.
Your residence hall is a perfect place to weave sustainability into your everyday living habits. Here are some tips to get you started!
Save Electricity
The next time you leave a room, check to make sure the light is switched off. If something you are doing requires lighting, try to see if you can still comfortably accomplish the task with less lighting. This may be turning off the overhead light and opting for task-lighting. Task-lighting is a healthier alternative to bright, fluorescent lighting. It can improve your mood and decrease eye fatigue from harsh lighting.
If you have a desktop computer, set your timer so that the monitor shuts off after five minutes and your computer goes into "hibernate" after twenty minutes. If you have a laptop computer, unplug it and the charger from the wall after it is done charging. Although leaving it on the charging port for a long period of time does not harm your battery life, electricity is still being pulled from the wall and wasted as heat. This can also be applied to phone chargers.
Consider purchasing a "smart" power strip. A smart power strip has either a switch to turn it off manually, or a timer that allows you to set a shut-off time.
Take shorter showers
It's easy to linger in the shower after a long day or when you're sleepy in the morning. However, those extra five minutes in the shower could be the cause of some serious water waste. Make taking shorter showers easier by turning off the water in between steps. You can also use a shower timer. If you'd like one for free, contact Sustainability Services at recycling@pugetsound.edu and we'll get you one!
Wash full loads
While it may be tempting to wash just a few of your favorite items, resist the urge and wait until you have a full load to do laundry. Not only does this save water, it saves energy as well. Opt for the cold wash setting to save even more energy and extend the life of your clothes.
Recycle
Every bedroom and classroom on campus has a small desk-side recycling and garbage bins for daily use. Campus community members are responsible for emptying these into the larger recycling and garbage bins so that the waste can be collected. Not sure what can be recycled? Check the Recycling Guide!
Grizz’s Garage Sale
Attention, first year Loggers! Grizz’s Garage sells high-quality, gently used dorm items (shower caddies, carpets, lamps, etc.) that have been donated and collected by sustainably minded Puget Sound students to decrease the amount of waste coming from our campus. Every year, the same items are purchased in the fall and then thrown out in the spring, and we are trying to break that cycle. By buying your dorm necessities from Grizz’s Garage instead of new from a store, you are helping improve the sustainability of our campus, supporting awareness, and getting the items you need without paying full price.
