10 easy thing you can do to help Wartburg be green
10. Unplug your electronics when not in use or charging, especially over breaks.
9. Use a CFL in your lamp instead of overhead lights
8. Use an energy star fridge in your room and use only one
7. Consider the packaging or origin of your purchases
6. Only take or cook food you will eat
5. Sign up to “Be Green Certified” with the Sustainability Office
4. Participate in eco challenges, events and clubs on campus
3. Turn off lights
2. Recycle
1. Let your voice be heard
Start the school year off the Green way
Red and gold are the colors most commonly associated with fall, but it's easy to make back-to-school season green. From school supplies to lunches to special gifts, you can find cool alternatives that reduce waste and lessen toxic exposures:
- 3.4 million tons of paper are purchased during back-to-school season. If every student used 100 percent recycled paper--available now at Staples and most other major retailers--we could save millions of trees.
- More than 14 billion pencils are produced every year--enough to circle the globe 62 times. Consider buying refillable pencils that can be used for years, or EarthWrite recycled pencils.
- Go organic for lunch. It's not only healthier; it's better for the planet.
- Plastic containers can leach toxins into drinks, so look for a reusable metal bottle like the hip ones from Sigg or Klean Kanteen. If you do pick plastic, opt for safer plastics #1, 2, 4, and 5.
- Buy a backpack that's PVC-free, which means not made out of vinyl, or better yet, one made from recycled materials (check out Earthpak, REI, or Rewarestore.com). Another thing to look for is a lifetime guarantee, so if your kids' pack needs fixing, you can send it back for repair instead of buying a new one.
- For the gadget-loving student, a solar-powered cell-phone charger comes in different colors and makes a great back-to-school gift. Solar-powered chargers also work for iPods, game players, and digital cameras. (Your college-bound kid not so into gizmos? Check out this link for green gift ideas.
It's never too early to learn that re-using is important and fun. If you have a minute figure out the amount of money that can be saved by re-using last year's supplies, and use some of that cash to go out for ice cream or another treat.
Reduce Waste in Dining
- Take only what you will eat, you can always get seconds.
- Don’t be shy to ask for smaller portions if you don’t want a full one.
- Take your own container for drinks.
- *Eat in the Mensa with “real” dishware.
- Use a cone for ice cream.
You are in control of the waste you create. Here are a couple easy ways you can reduce your waste.
- Consider packaging when making a purchase; is the packaging recyclable, is there a similar item with less packaging?
- Think of the lifelong path of a product before you buy it; where was it made and what will happen to it when you no longer need it?
- Print on the back side of pages. Wartburg College IT says this is okay in college printers if you reuse paper from the same machine.
- Take a shorter shower (yes, even women can shower in five minutes).
- Encourage professors to reduce the paper used in their classes through digital assignments, syllabi and books.
- Plug your electronics into a power strip, this makes it easier to shut down electronics and save energy.
- Only print your papers when necessary, proofread on your computer.
- Buy needed items at an area thrift or consignment store. Take your unwanted reusable items to them when you are finished.
Thrift Stores
Trinkets and Togs
114 10th Street SW, Waverly
(319) 352-8029 (next to the Fainting Goat)
Store Hours: M, Tu, W, F 9:00am-7:00pm Thu 9:00am-8:00pm Sat 8:00am-6:00pm
Goodwill
400 Technology Place SW Waverly
(319) 352-8804
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00am-10:00pm Sun 10:00am-8:00pm
Consignment Stores
Half Off Stuff
511 W. Bremer Ave., Waverly
(319) 352-4411 (next to Subway on W. Bremer)
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00am-8:00pm Sun 12:00pm-6:00pm
Main Street Exchange
309 Main Street, Cedar Falls, IA
(319) 268-7243
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am-6:00pm Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm
Treasure Chest
604 Ansborough Ave, Waterloo, IA
(319) 287-6773
Store Hours: M, Wed-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 10:00am-8:00pm
