Yes, today is Earth Day and with it come certain responsibilities. As Dartmouth community members, we are spoiled by the beautiful campus we have. How often do we think about the 5.5 million sheets of paper used annually in public printing? We can all tell when it is too cold in our rooms, but do we worry about the 4.64 million gallons of oil we burn each year for heating, cooling and electricity? When we use disposable products and takeout dishes and throw them "away," do we think about where they go?
We are often not aware of our impact on this campus or on this planet. But this is not a day to feel guilty. Earth Day is the day to celebrate what we have and to change our behaviors, even slightly, to lessen our impact on the Earth. Since it is hard to stop global warming or save the rainforests in a day, here is a list of 20 everyday things we can all do to make this campus more sustainable:
-- Use GreenPrint. Switch to the printing system that will save more than two million sheets of paper a year, not to mention the hassle of dealing with the printout window. Blitz "GreenPrint" to learn how.
-- Separate your trash. There are new compost bins in all the dining halls and dorm kitchens. Anything that was ever living (paper, food, etc.) can be composted to help other things keep living.
-- Recycle beer cans. On a given weekend, we throw out thousands of beer cans. These could be recycled instead of added to our landfills.
-- Turn off your computers. When you leave your computer for more than an hour, shut it down (don't just put it to sleep). Contrary to popular belief, you save energy by shutting it down, and you extend the life of your computer.
-- Play outside. Skip Novack for a day and play Frisbee on the Green.
-- Recycle paper. Notes, handouts and junk mail can be recycled just a few steps from your room. Make the extra effort to recycle -- it's worth it.
-- Compost pizza boxes. Take them down to your dorm kitchen and compost them. Really.
-- Turn off the lights in your room when you leave. Leaving them on never saves energy, not even if you are coming right back. If everyone did this, we would seriously reduce our electricity consumption.
-- Turn off lights in public bathrooms.
-- Spend a couple of hours at the Organic Farm. No experience is necessary to enjoy this amazing place. Blitz "dof."
-- Leave your car at home. Walk more or ride your bike.
-- Buy a reusable water bottle. A gallon of mineral water costs more than a gallon of gasoline. For the price of two plastic water bottles, you could buy one that will last you for the rest of your Dartmouth career. You can refill your bottle with the filtered water in dining halls or from any water fountain.
-- Go to www.SaveOurEnvironment.org to learn how you can make a difference.
-- Do not throw cigarette butts on the ground. Littering is not OK just because the trash is small.
-- Save water. When you brush your teeth or wash your face, turn off the faucet.
-- Turn off the heat. It's spring, so if your heater is still on, blitz "heat" and ORL will turn it off.
-- Get out of the gym. Why run on a treadmill when you can run around Occom Pond or up Balch Hill?
-- Dine in. Take-out containers go straight to landfills. Eat your food in the dining halls, or bring your own reusable containers and utensils.
-- Use a towel. Bring your own hand towel to the bathroom instead of using a paper towel.
-- Become an ECO rep. Be a resource for other students as you promote sustainability on campus. Blitz "ECO" to find out how.
Our everyday actions have a huge impact on our natural environment. We can do all 20 of these things today. Once we do, we will have created an infinitely more sustainable Dartmouth community. Happy Earth Day, Dartmouth! Now let us do our part.
