Energy

From Wittenberg Green Guide

Contents 1 Electricity in Ohio 2 Let there be light 3 The power of power strips and surge protectors 4 Remembering way back when... or learning from those who live without 5 How to become carbon neutral 6 What are other colleges and universities doing?

Electricity in Ohio

• We all have a tremendous reason to conserve our use of electricity in Ohio: 90% of Ohio energy comes from coal-burning power plants. Using coal to generate electricity is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissionsnot to mention the mercury and other toxins it releases into the air.

Let there be light

• One of the easiest things you can do to reduce your energy use is to replace your regular incandescent bulbs with those swirly light bulbs that look a little bit like an ice cream cone. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's) use up to 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light and last as much as 10 times longer than a regular bulb. It's hard to come up with anything easier to do for such a remarkable savings in energy use -- 75% -- crazy! These bulbs have come way down in price and are available in most hardware or home improvement stores. This is something we can do wherever we live: dorms, appartments, homes (as long as we're plugged in). They last a long time but when one finally wears out, you should be aware that like other fluorescent bulbs, CFL's contain a small amount of mercury. Remember that compact fluourescent light bulbs decrease the amount of mercury emitted when compared to incandescent bulbs but they should still be disposed of properly. One option is to store them in a safe place in your residence until the recycling programs catch up (the EPA is pressuring stores to offer CFL recycling programs). If you want to check out other possibilities for recycling these bulbs, try earth911.orgor lightbulbrecycling.com.

• The New York Times recently reviewed a number of energy efficient light bulbs. The article is available online (requires subscription free for faculty and students): "Any Other Bright Ideas?" by Julie Scelfo. 10 January 2008.

The power of power strips and surge protectors

• Many appliances, computers, and other devices use a small amount of energy even when they're turned off due to built-in clocks, remote control sensors, or even leakages. These small amounts add up when you think of all the electronics in one household, appartment or dormitory over the course of days, weeks, and years. To stop this flow when you're not using these devices, you can either unplug them or invest in power strips and surge protectors to easily turn entire systems on and off (stereo, computer, television and DVD/VCR sets, for example).

Remembering way back when... or learning from those who live without

• There are plenty of activities we take for granted as necessarily electric, "plugged in", "wireless", battery-powered, etc. It's easy to forget that it hasn't always been that way and that others around the world might be doing things differently. If we take some time to understand what folks did a few generations back or what people who live without electricity do now we can learn how to cut back on our consumption of electricity. Some ideas are:
  • Give the dryer a break! In the summer, fresh air and sunshine do wonders for the scent of your laundry. In the winter, drying clothes in your room, house or appartment can add moisture to the dry winter air.
  • Wash your dishes by hand! It's not that bad, especially when someone helps dry.
  • Try eliminating or lessening your use of other electrical tools or appliances. Do you really need to use the food processor to chop those vegetables? Have you ever tried a non-electric mixer, the kind that has a handle on the side for turning by hand? Can you cut back on your use of the electric screwdriver? What about a solar cooker? How about a solar cooker you could make out of a pizza box?!
  • Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot. Can you tell the difference?

How to become carbon neutral

• CO2 offsets are a way to counterbalance your own carbon emissions by paying someone else to do something that will lessen greenhouse gas pollution -- let's say for example, by building a wind turbine. Suppose you've taken as many steps as you can to reduce your energy use. Well, you're probably still using some energy, aren't you? (Are you reading this online?) Once you've cut back as much as you can, you can purchase CO2 offsets to achieve a net zero for greenhouse gas emissions.

One place to do this is Native Energy where they offer online calculators to help you determine how much carbon you produce. For those of you who live in a dorm they even have suggestions for acheiving carbon neutrality in your dorm. If you'd like to find out more about carbon offset options, check out Co-op America

What are other colleges and universities doing?

• The U.S. government has challenged colleges and universities to purchase some or all of their electricity from green sources through their green tag program. See where Wittenberg and other Ohio schools appear on the government's chart.
• Here are some recent victories at colleges and universities across the nation.