Sustainability Works

Looking for a few ways to "green" your day at work? From your morning commute to wrapping up the workday, here are a few tips for reducing your impact on the planet.

This list is also available as a PDF form that can be completed online. Download it here to set goals, track your progress, and submit information to the Center for Sustainability.


Getting to Work

• Bike, walk, carpool or take public transportation to and from work. Visit the KU on Wheels and Lawrence Transit web sites for routes, schedules, and riding instructions.
• Utilize the Park and Ride bus service to avoid congestion close to campus.

Did You Know?
• Starting in August 2008, KU students, faculty, and staff can ride KU on Wheels buses for free by showing your KUID.
• Using a bicycle to commute four days a week for four miles could save as much as 100 gallons of gas annually.
• Switching from an average new car to a 13 mpg SUV for a year would waste more energy than leaving a refrigerator door open for six years, a bathroom light burning for 30 years, or a color TV turned on for 28 years.

Outfitting Your Office

• Before buying new supplies, see if your office has used items that can be repurposed and reused and ask colleagues if they have surplus supplies.
• When ordering new supplies, see if the supply catalog has an option for supplies made of recycled content or other "eco-friendly" materials. For example, Corporate Express labels a variety of "Ecoffice" and recycled products, including everything from paper to pens to scissors.
• If you have desk or floor lamps in your office, use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs.
• Add plants to your office to help your office's indoor air quality.

Did You Know?
• The electricity used by a conventional light bulb costs about five to two times the cost of the bulb. It is worth the money to buy bulbs, which last ten times longer (7,500 hours) and use one-fourth the energy (per hour) of an incandescent bulb.
• Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. In addition, it can cause headaches, dry eyes, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue. People who already have respiratory diseases are at greater risk.

At Your Desk

• Keep a stack of previously used paper near your printers Use it for drafts, scratch paper or internal memos. If your printer has multiple paper trays, fill one with used paper for printing drafts
• Keep a box under your desk for recycling. Take it periodically to your office's central recycling station. If you don't have an in-office recycling station, find the nearest university recycling station and empty your materials there. Recycling locations are listed on the Environmental Stewardship Program web site. (Deskside recycling is available in a few buildings)
• Reduce the margins, font size and spacing on documents that you compose as much as you are able (e.g. 0.75" margins, 11 pt font, 1.5 spacing). Look for ways to reduce pages and white space from handouts to print on fewer pieces of paper.
• Edit documents on-screen as much as possible. Use "print preview" before you print to make sure your document is set up the way you want it and uses the fewest number of pages possible. Visit the Environmental Stewardship Program web site for additional waste reduction tips and instructions.
• Make use of the "Track Changes" feature on Word or generate PDFs to send documents to coworkers for editing instead of printing multiple drafts.
• If you do need to print or photocopy, use duplex features (double-sided printing) when possible.
• Avoid printing/photocopying on dark colored or neon papers. (Pastel colors are OK.)
• Use departmental network folders to share large files that would use excessive paper or a lot of storage space on the email system
• When saving copies of documents for long-term records, consider saving electronically instead of printing copies of records and emails.
• When you send a fax, instead of a full cover page, use a Fax Post-it.
• Computer monitor "screen savers" do not save energy. Instead of using screen savers, enable power management features so your monitor will go blank or turn off when not in use. Enable other power management features for your CPU as well. Contact your IT support if you do not have access to change this feature.
• Eliminate the use of small appliances (refrigerators, microwaves, coffee pots, etc.) in your office or at your desk. Instead, coordinate with others in your department and/or neighboring departments to set up an area where one set of appliances can be shared.
• If possible, rearrange your workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight, and turn off overhead lights.
• Turn off your computer and monitor if you are going to be away from your desk for an extended period of time.

Did You Know?
• The average American uses over 700 pounds of paper annually.
• Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
• Paper has three major environmental impacts: 1. Destruction of forests, 2. dioxin production in the chlorine bleaching process, and 3. disposal.
• Paper products make up the largest part (approximately 40%) of our trash.
• If the United States cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases -- the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.
• An estimated 5 percent of electricity used in the United States goes to standby power or energy "vampires," amounting to about $4 billion a year.
• Approximately 30,000 lives are cut short in the U.S. each year due to pollution from electricity production.

At Meetings

• When traveling to on-campus meetings, walk or use KU on Wheels if possible to avoid driving short distances.
• If you plan and host events, consider using electronic advertising and online registrations and evaluation instead of a paper.
• Publish agendas and other materials online or email them ahead of time so attendees can choose whether or not they want to print a copy

At Lunch

• Bring your lunch in reusable containers rather than disposable ones. A reusable bag to bring your lunch to work in is a great alternative to a plastic or paper sack that you throw away. Pack food in plastic or glass containers instead of plastic sandwich bags.
• Keep a set of dishes and flatware and a cloth napkin to your office to use at lunch. Avoid disposable plates, cups and cutlery whenever possible.
• When it's necessary to use disposable items, use paper (a renewable resource) instead of plastic or styrofoam (made of petroleum)
• Bring a reusable water bottle to work and fill it as needed. Avoid bottled water.
• Replace individual condiment packets with bottles and refillable containers (for sugar, salt and pepper, etc.) .
• When eating on campus, look for local and organic options. Look for MarketFresh and other healthy options at the Kansas Union.
• Consider eating vegetarian at least once a week. It is easier on the environment, especially when the food is grown locally or organically.
• Choose seafood that is being sustainably fished. Download a pocket guide at www.seafoodwatch.org.

Did You Know?
• Have you thought about the fact that a plastic spoon or fork has an average use life of about 3 minutes and geological life in the landfill of a century or more?
• Every year Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups
• As much as 40% of all bottled water comes from a city water system, just like tap water and 60-70% of all bottled water sold in the U.S. is exempt from the FDA's bottled water standards.
• As bountiful as our nation's agriculture is, we are hardly self-sufficient. To supply the American diet, in 2001 we imported 68.2 percent of our fish and shellfish, 27.3 percent of confectionary products, 21.4 percent of fruits, juices, and nuts, 15.5 percent of vegetable oils, and 9.3 percent of red meat
• 75% of global fisheries have been fished beyond capacity.

At the End of the Day

• Turn off your computer, monitor, printer, and other equipment every night when you leave work. Even better, plug electronics and appliances into a power strip and flip the switch after everything is powered down.
• Turn off your lights when you leave at the end of the day - and when you go to lunch, the restroom, meetings, etc.

Any Time

• Set personal goals for yourself based on this list, or come up with your own ideas for creating a more sustainable work environment.
• Participate in the "Sustainability Shift" by visiting the crimson.blue.green blog.
• Encourage your office or department to complete the Sustainable Office checklist and establish departmental goals.
• Visit our Resources page for more tips for greening your home and office.