Sustainability

Decorative graphic

Commitment

Greener Living Program

Sustainability Council

Office of Sustainability

Events & Conferences

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

Sustainability Archives

Greener Living Guide:

What Can You Do to Live Sustainably?


Last year, members of the Evergreen community sent over 660,000 lbs. of solid waste to the landfill and 19,890 metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. These two indicators represent an unsustainable lifestyle.  The decisions we make everyday directly impact our environment, economy, and community.  By choosing to live a more sustainable lifestyle we can have a positive impact in our communities and on our planet.

This guide offers a few practical suggestions for Greener Living that can be applied at home, at school, at work, and in your community!  If you have any questions, contributions, or need additional resources, please contact Evergreen's Office of Sustainability.

Alternative Transportation

Commuting to Evergreen alone in your car is expensive, contributes to global warming and creates environmental and health problems.  Sometimes this is unavoidable.  Other times, however, better alternatives are available. 

Here are a few options for Greener Living:

  • Ride Intercity Transit Bus Service: Every Evergreen community member can ride the bus for free! Simply show your college issued ID card and away you go!  Doing so will reduce your commuting costs and your personal carbon footprint.  Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/commute.
  • Bike: Bicycling is a quiet, clean, and healthy way to travel. Bike for fun! …to work or school!  …or to run errands! Combined with transit, cycling can also be a part of a longer distance commute. Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/commute/bike.htm.
  • Rideshare: Joining Evergreen’s Rideshare program is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and help the environment. You will also make friends and build community. You can announce the time and starting location of your commute and where you are driving to. Other Evergreen community members respond to your request and you receive a direct email from them. Sign up at: www.evergreen.edu/commute/rideshare/.  It’s easy!
  • Carpool: Carpooling will save you money, help the environment and, in the Puget Sound region, help you get there faster when you use the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes.  Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/commute/carpool.htm
  • Vanpool: Intercity Transit has a good program that can provide direct service and is very accommodating. It is easy to set up a new vanpool or you can join an existing one.
  • If you Drive, Drive Less:  Combine errands and trips together and make your outings as resourceful as possible.  Could you make your vehicle more fuel efficient? Learn more: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/drive.shtml.

Clean Energy and Energy Conservation

The Evergreen State College is committed to renewable energy and energy conservation. Currently, Evergreen’s consumption of electricity and natural gas contributes over 15,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and costs our college over $3 million annually. Through efficiency and conservation, we can significantly reduce our dependence on finite and polluting fossil fuels and be well on our way to carbon neutrality by 2020.  Together, we can achieve this goal!  Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/sustainability/energysystems.htm.

Here are a few options for Greener Living:

  • Turn out the lights when not in use. A large percentage of the charges on electric bills are from unnecessarily lighting rooms. Install motion-sensors so that lights automatically turn on when someone enters a room and off when they leave.
  • Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescent or LED light bulbs. CFL’s use 75% less energy than incandescent light bubs and last up to 10x longer. For each incandescent light bulb you replace with a CFL you could eliminate 100 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.  According to Co-op America, if each home in America replaced one bulb with an Energy Star CFL, it would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 800,000 cars.
  • Unplug laptop/phone chargers when not in use. Chargers still drain energy even if nothing is plugged into them. Only 5% of the power drawn from chargers is actually used to charge your electronics! The other 95% will continually be wasted if you leave it constantly plugged in.
  • During the winter months set your thermostat to 62 degrees and in the summer set it no lower than 78 degrees. It conserves energy and will significantly reduce your heating bill. Learn more:  http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12720
  • Plug all electronics into a power strip and turn off the power strip when you are not using it. Electronic devices continue to consume energy even when they are turned off. This is known as Phantom Load. According to Energy Star, Phantom Load is responsible for 40% of your electrical usage! In fact, a quarter of the energy used by your TV each year is consumed when the TV is off! This unnecessary waste of energy costs you money and harms our environment. Power strips can put an end to Phantom Load. Simply plug all your electronic devices into a power strip and turn the whole strip off when not in use. TVs, DVD players, computers, printers, and cell phone chargers are just some of the devices that leak power even when they aren’t on.
  • Turn off your computer monitor when it is not in use. Leaving your monitor in standby mode rather than switching it off wastes energy and money.
  • Only wash laundry in cold or warm water, never hot.  According to the US Department of Energy about 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.
  • Let your dishes air-dry. Forget about the energy intensive “drying cycle” on your dishwasher. Let your dishes air-dry instead!
  • Do a home energy audit. A home energy audit will help you begin the process of becoming energy efficient. The US Department of Energy provides helpful instructions for a Do-It-Yourself Audit, and they also provide resources if you decide to have a professional energy audit on your home. Learn more: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11160
  • When purchasing new appliances or electronics choose ENERGY STAR products. ENERGY STAR labels appear on appliances and home electronics that meet strict energy efficiency criteria established by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more: http://www.energystar.gov/
  • Make your fridge more efficient. Keep your refrigerator's coils clean to boost its overall power, and store jugs of water in any empty space inside, because water retains coldness better than air. According to Co-op America this could result in 4% energy savings per year.
  • Don't waste energy on TV. With the switch to digital TV coming in 2009, many people are buying new, digital-ready TVs. If you must shop for a new television, look for an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen, which uses six times less energy than a plasma screen.
  • Save energy through landscaping. The US Department of Energy found that the proper placement of as few as three shady trees will save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

Sustainable Food Practices

In 2007, The Evergreen State College purchased 32% of its food from local and organic sources!

The Evergreen community strives to improve the many dimensions constituting a sustainable food program. The Center for Ecological Living and Learning (C.E.L.L.), the Organic Farm, several active student groups, The Flaming Eggplant, and academic programs such as Ecological Agriculture and The Practice of Sustainable Agriculture, serve as a great foundation on which to continue improving our sustainable food services.  Learn more:  www.evergreen.edu/sustainability/sustainablefood.htm. 

Here are a few options for Greener Living:

  • Buy local. If you don’t buy from local sources your food is likely to have traveled more than 1,500 miles before you eat it! With the dangers of global warming and high prices of fuel, can you really afford not to look at local sources for food? Instead of having a less nutritious meal that was grown or processed in distant locations and shipped to you via plain, train, or truck- you could be strengthening the social, environmental, and economic fabric of our community by purchasing local healthy food from our neighbors.
  • Try growing some of your own food. The Community Gardens at the Evergreen State College is a Student Activities group dedicated to providing gardening space to members of the Evergreen and greater Olympia communities. Supported by student fees it also provides gardening tools, seeds, watering equipment, common areas, and access to informational materials. The group also organizes workshops, work-parties, and other activities emphasizing organic and ecologically-conscious farming practices and the importance of local food systems. Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/cell/communitygarden.htm
  • Visit Evergreen’s Organic Farm. The Evergreen Organic Farm annual crop production area comprises 38,000 square feet, just 5,000 square feet shy of an acre. The perennial crop production area is in addition to this. The production from this area is sold to Aramark, from a farm-stand on Red Square every Tuesday and Thursday from 11am to 5pm during the growing season, and in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). All of the excess is given to the Thurston County Food Bank and local charities, or composted. Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/cell/organicfarm.htm
  • Visit farms in Thurston County that sell goods directly to the consumer. See the Farm Map which is a listing of farms in Thurston County that sell their goods directly to consumers. It’s a tool for making that direct connection between you and the products grown, raised and made by your neighbors.
  • Shop at the Olympia Food Co-op. The Olympia Food Co-op operates two stores and offers a wide selection of natural foods and products while specializing in organically grown food. Learn more:  http://www.olympiafood.coop/index.html
  • Visit the Olympia Farmer’s Market. Located near downtown Olympia, the Farmer’s Market is open from April through December.  For their schedule: http://www.olympiafarmersmarket.com/

Waste Reduction

The Three R’s of waste reduction are fundamental to sustainability at Evergreen.  However, we all need to focus on the order of the Three R’s: 1st Reduce, 2nd Reuse, 3rd Recycle.  Recycling is the last option in the cycle.   Reducing and Reusing are essential aspects to a sustainable lifestyle.

Here are a few options for Greener Living:

Reduce- The 1st step in Waste Reduction

  • Question your shopping habits. Do we really need all of the things we buy?  Does shopping really make us happier? Watch the Story of Stuff for an entertaining and educational way to learn about our shopping habits. Obviously, we all need to buy some stuff. Before you do, however, check out http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/livemore/when-you-need-to for some cool tips.
  • No more plastic bags! Use reusable tote or canvas bags whenever you go shopping.
  • Avoid disposable products.
  • Don’t purchase over packaged products, and look for products that contain recycled material.
  • Buy in bulk - it reduces packaging.
  • Buy products that are well-made and last a long time.
  • Start hosting potlucks, events, and parties (on and off campus) that have a Zero Waste theme! The City of Olympia has created a helpful guide to plan your first Zero Waste Event. Learn more: http://www.ci.olympia.wa.us/cityutilities/garbage/wastereduction/zerowastereductioneventplanning.htm

Reuse- You’re not done yet!

  • Before you make the next purchase for your dorm, home, or office consider shopping for a reusable item.  There are many opportunities at Evergreen and in Olympia/Thurston County to find reusable products for free!   Not only will you save yourself some green, you will create a sustainable environment by keeping useful items out of our landfills!  We also encourage all Evergreen community members to visit the Free Store located on campus in the Housing Community Center.
  • Learn more about these great sites and make a truly “green” purchase: (You can also use these valuable resources to recycle unwanted items by "gifting” it to someone else.)
    • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OlyReusables/
    • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freecycleolympia/
    • http://www.2good2toss.com/thurston/?site_id=thurston_county
  • Bring reusable bags when you shop, instead of using more paper and plastic
  • Go to the library instead of purchasing a new book or movie
  • Carry a reusable cup for coffee, tea, or the beverage of your choice
  • Use cotton cloths for everyday use, rather than buying paper towels and napkins.
  • Always try to donate before throwing something useful away

Recycle- The last step in closing the waste reduction loop!

  • Compost your food and yard waste. In Fall Quarter 2008, Evergreen implemented the "Food Plus Recycling Program" in our Campus Activities Building (CAB). This program will reduce Evergreen's landfill waste through increased composting and recycling. We encourage everyone to make composting a part of your daily life. Composting reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. For some quick tips on composting visit the EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/compost.  Also, see EPA’s GreenScapes Program for tips on how to improve your lawn or garden while also benefiting the environment.
  • Visit Evergreen’s Recycling Services website for detailed information on how to recycle effectively on campus.
  • Visit Thurston County Recycling website for detailed information on how to recycle effectively at home.
  • Visit The City of Olympia’s Garbage and Recycling website.