Many University students struggle to keep their idealistic resolutions for the new year, but local environmental organizations would like to see students make a different kind of lifestyle change – a resolution to be more environmentally conscious in their everyday lives.
Students can accomplish this feat with less effort than they might suspect, said University Recycling Program Manager Karyn Kaplan. The best way for anyone to start being more environmentally friendly is to recycle, either at home or at any of the University’s more than 1,500 campus recycling stations, she said.
At home, Kaplan said, students can also conserve energy and in turn save money. Little things such as minimizing water use or closing off and not heating unused rooms can make a large difference, she said.
Lisa Arkin, executive director of the Oregon Toxics Alliance, said an environmentally conscious lifestyle can reduce health risks as well as unnecessary spending.
Students should stay away from chemicals with strong fragrances and non-organic products, she said.
“A lot of these products have things that are hormone disrupters,” Arkin said. “For people of child-bearing age, that’s something to watch out for.”
Foods or products wrapped in certain materials can also absorb some of the toxins from those materials, she said. The most common of these is polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which is found in most plastics.
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TIPS AROUND THE HOUSE:
– Put a blanket or plastic over a cold window to keep your home warmer without using excess heat.
– Take shorter showers or lower the water temperature of your water heater so that hot water runs from the taps at 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Put a blanket under the door of an unused room to keep the cool air from escaping.
– Always have a full laundry load before running your washing machine or a full load of dishes before running your dishwasher.
– Replace incandescent lightbulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, which also last longer.
– Turn off lights when rooms are unused.
– Unplug televisions, stereos and computers at the plug when not in use.
BY THE NUMBERS:
– 7: The amount, in pounds, of garbage the average person produces each day.
– 1,500+: The number of recycling stations currently on campus.
– 5 to 7: The approximate number of gallons of water a standard shower uses per minute.
For more information, visit the University Campus Recycling Program at darkwing.uoregon.edu/~recycle/main, or the Oregon Toxics Alliance at www.oregontoxics.org
SAVING GREEN BY BEING GREEN
Daily Emerald
January 9, 2007
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