With the current economic climate the way it is, it is a good idea to save pennies wherever possible. One great way for students to save some green is by going green.
Moe Tabrizi, assistant director for the Department of Facilities Management, lists some simple ways that students can all go about saving energy every day.
“There are several things students can do without having any downside,” Tabrizi said.
He suggested students always turn off lights when they leave one room to go to another, leave their thermostats set at 68 degrees in the winter, be aware of how much water they are using in the shower and use cold water when doing laundry.
Using less energy can save students and the university money.
Tabrizi also said that programming laptops to hibernate after 10 minutes of inactivity and unplugging all chargers and adapters are good means of conserving energy.
“These devices usually consume electricity even when they’re not doing anything,” Tabrizi said of chargers and adapters that are left plugged in.
When it comes to how students feel about the mentality of being environmentally friendly, some said that they are not always conscious enough of the impact on the environment.
“I’m sure that there’s some kids around here that are a little more conscious than others,” said Amanda Anderson, 27, a senior studio arts major.
Allison Berger, 24, a senior studio arts major, said she is frustrated with the way students treat the environment.
“If you go up onto the Hill where most of the college kids live, it’s just so trashed,” Berger said. “I feel like Boulder in general is really good about being environmentally conscious but the college kids are a bunch of assholes.”
Tabrizi said students should keep in mind that when the world depletes its resources, they will be depleted permanently.
“The days of plenty and cheap available energy…are not forever,” Tabrizi said.
Environmentalists said wasting energy is just like throwing money down the drain.
“Wasting money on your electric bills is just wasting money,” said Dave Newport, the director of the Environmental Center. “Being responsible with energy is a really easy thing to do.”
Newport said students benefit from saving energy by having some extra cash in their pockets.
For students who are interested in learning more about how they can lessen their energy consumption, CU’s Environmental Center and UCSU have worked to organize the Campus Climate Coalition.
The Environmental Center, which was initially established at CU on Earth Day in 1970, created the first recycling program on a college campus in the United States, as well as the first bus pass program and wind energy program among other things.
Students said the Campus Climate Coalition is focused on creating awareness of the idea of carbon neutrality.
“We are basically trying to get student support and enthusiasm around the carbon neutrality plan that is going to be coming out in a few months,” said Jacob Golding, 21, a communication major and sustainability director for UCSU. “We wanted to make sure that students had input in the way things were getting done …because students are really the constituents on campus.”
On Feb. 5, the coalition is planning to unveil what they are calling “The Role.” The Role is a banner on which it is hoped students will sign their names in support of the carbon neutrality plan.
The Role will be unveiled in the atrium outside of the bookstore in the UMC, and the Campus Climate Coalition will be giving away compact fluorescent light bulbs so that students can replace their old incandescent light bulbs as well as lists of easy ways to save energy.
One particular means Golding cites for saving the environment is one that he said the coalition borrowed from Cliff Bar. It is called the “Two Mile Challenge,” and it encourages people to walk, bike or take a bus if their destination is two miles away or less.
The coalition will also be showing educational displays and video loops of clips from “An Inconvenient Truth” for students in attendance to watch.
Golding said he encourages students to play their role in being environmentally conscious because “climate change affects them and it’s going to affect them in a very big way very soon if it has not already.”
Students who are interested in finding out more about how to be more environmentally friendly can visit CU Facilities Management’s resource conservation Web site. CU has also set up a hotline where members of the community can report any concerns they have about energy waste on campus. Those who have noticed any energy waste can contact Facilities Management.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sara Morrey at Sara.morrey@colorado.edu
