Conservation

The Department of Housing and Residence Life is committed to managing its facilities and services in ways that have the least impact on our environment as is feasible. We are continually reviewing options for decreasing our ecological footprint.

What Can Students Do To Help Conserve?

Check out these tips from the US Department of Energy, and see what you can do on campus to help

Electronics

USDE says: "Turn off your power strips or unplug electronics. Power strips can turn off several appliances with the flip of one switch.

Your electronics - computer, TV, VCR, even your phone chargers - use energy even when they're turned off. Stand-by power can account for as much as 20% of home energy use. Unplugging your devices (or turning off the power strip) can save you money."

On Campus:

All those cell phone, laptop, and i-Pod chargers plugged in and idle all day take up a lot of energy, one tiny sip at a time! When you and your roommate leave the room for the day, make sure to turn off devices that aren't being used...including monitors and chargers! Not only is it good for the environment, but it can help the Department save money, which translates into less expensive rent for you down the road!

Lighting

USDE says:" Change your lights to energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFL).

If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR CFL bulb, we would save almost six billion kWh per yearenough energy to light nearly three million homes. We'd also save more than $600 million in annual energy costs and reduce greenhouse gases by the equivalent of nearly 750,000 cars. The average CFL lasts 10,000 hours, and when you replace it, you can recycle it!

ENERGY STAR CFLs come in a number of shapes, sizes, and colors not just the spirals and the "soft white" color people are used to. To help you select the type and color of CFL that will work best for your socket, visit the ENERGY STAR Web site."

On Campus:

ETSU uses high efficiency flourescents in our light fixtures, but for lamps and bulbs provided by the students CFL's are a great option! And you can recycle your spent CFL bulbs easily at local centers such as Earth Fare grocery store just down the road!

Water Use

USDE says: "There are several things that you can do to help conserve water save expenses on water heating:

• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or washing your face.
  Try limiting showers to five minutes.
  Most laundry can be washed on Cold or Warm settings."

On Campus:

Report dripping or leaking fixtures by emailing housingwork@listserv.etsu.edu or talking your RA immediately for repairs

Cars

USDE says: "Get the junk out of the trunk and properly inflate your tires!

An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your fuel efficiency by up to 2%.

Properly inflated tires are safer, last longer and save fuel. You can improve your gas mileage more than 3% by keeping your tires inflated to the recommended pressure.

Car pooling and sharing travel makes a difference. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road decreases congestion and reduces CO2 emissions. Plus it can be a great way to make friends! The small percentages noted above may not sound like much, but it all adds up!"

On Campus:

Choosing to live on campus helps out too! Think of the fuel you're saving by being able to wake up late and walk/bike to class just right down the sidewalk! Living on campus with a dining plan can help you park your car, and keep it parked!