Green Tips

  • Register for the Canadian Marketing Association's Do Not Contact service to avoid receiving junk mail..
  • Avoid food waste and spoilage by only buying what you need.
  • Use markerboards or blackboards instead of paper flipcharts.
  • Don't print out email unless you absolutely need to.
  • Don't use a cover page for minor assignments - put a textbox with your name and ID in the upper right corner.
  • Avoid single-serve juice and pop bottles.
  • Use automatic hand-dryers; not paper towels.
  • Buy second-hand.
  • Buy food in bulk to minimize the amount of packaging going in the trash. Bring your own containers if you can.
  • Buy less stuff.
  • Buy durable items, not cheap stuff that will wear out or break quickly. Avoid purchasing disposable products.
  • Centrally post, circulate, or e-mail memos rather than giving out individual copies.
  • Donate your old grocery bags to the Small Animal Clinic as "poop scoop" bags for dog-walkers.
  • Re-use envelopes.
  • Share or borrow items with friends, family and neighbours rather than buying new.
  • Re-upholster furniture rather than buying new.
  • Refill cider bottles at farmers' markets.
  • Return egg cartons to farmers' markets.
  • Return maple syrup bottles to farmers' markets.
  • Buy milk in reusable bottles.
  • Cut open and reuse milk bags.
  • Use reusable water bottles instead of disposables.
  • Repair old items, rather than replacing them.
  • Make your own notebooks by having scrap paper bound at a local print shop.
  • Reuse not-so-dirty dishes the same day or the day after, rather than re-washing and re-washing.
  • Reuse non-dirty paper towels to dry your hands again later on.
  • Keep canvas bags in a backpack, purse or car for shopping bags.
  • Don't throw out old clothing, give it away to charity.
  • Pack your own lunch in reusable containers.
  • Bring cloth bags to the grocery store for shopping.
  • Eat at cafeterias that provide reusable dishes.
  • Carry a cloth napkin with you to use instead of disposables.
  • Carry a reusable container with you to takeout leftovers to avoid polystyrene.
  • Use a reusable mug instead of disposable coffee cups, and receive a discount!
  • Use reusable dishware and cutlery on campus and receive a discount!
  • Use a reusable menstrual cup instead of tampons.
  • Use washable cloth pads instead of disposable menstrual pads.
  • Use handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues.
  • Use reusable cloth gift-bags instead of wrapping paper.
  • Take notes on the back of scrap paper
  • Print assignments on scrap paper. (Double-check with your prof if you're worried about the consequences.)
  • Photocopy file copies on scrap paper.
  • Use a reusable mesh coffee filter, or at least unbleached paper filters.
  • Shower less (1-3 times a week).
  • Report dripping or running taps on campus to Physical Resources, ext. 53854.
  • Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until it gets cold.
  • Install a valve in your shower to stop water flow while soaping up.
  • "If it's red or brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow."
  • Only flush every second use of the toilet.
  • Put a closed glass juice bottle (open and close underwater) in your toilet tank. This will take up room and reduce the amount of water needed for one flush.
  • Divert the dirty water ("grey water") from your bathroom sink and use it to flush your toilet.
  • Take short showers, not baths.
  • Turn off dripping taps when you see them.
  • Don't leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
    1. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescents.
    2. "Shrink wrap" your air-leaky windows in winter - you can pick up kits at the hardware store.
    3. Put a sweater on - don't crank the heat.
    4. Turn your computer off when you're away from it for more than 20 minutes.
    5. Use power bars to cut off power to your computer, accessories, and entertainment systems when not in use. Even when they claim to be off, some electronics still draw a considerable amount of power.
    6. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs.
    7. Walk, carpool and use public transit! If you're a student at U of G, you have an unlimited bus pass! Trust me, you will miss it when it's gone!
    8. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
    9. Turn the thermostat down when you're away (15°C).
    10. To save more on central AC costs, try cooling your home to only 24 or 25 °C. Each degree below 26 °C will noticeably increase your electricity use!
    11. Turn the lights off when you're away.
    12. Open curtains and blinds in the winter on sunny days to use passive solar heating.
    13. Close windows and curtains in the night in the winter to keep heat in the house.
    14. Keep windows closed in places where you can't control the temperature - it's like creating a hole for all the hot air to rush out, and the cold in. The building sees this as a need to make it even hotter, thereby off-setting any temperature decrease you managed to enjoy, and sucking up even more energy.
    15. Close curtains and blinds in the summer on sunny days to keep the heat out of the house.
    16. Exercise to warm up instead of cranking the heat.
    17. Open windows at night in the summer to let in the cool air. (Keep them closed during the hot hours of the day.)
  • Get a programmable thermostat for cental heating. Set it to 15°C at night and when away, and 21°C when you're home.
  • Seal air leaks and cracks around windows and foundations with caulking and foam.
  • Blow foam insulation into uninsulated wall and foundation spaces. (You may need to get a professional to do this.)
  • Buy energy-efficient (preferably EnergyStar) appliances when it's time to replace or upgrade.
  • Weather-strip old doors to prevent air leaks when the door is closed.
  • Remove temporary window air conditioners before the cold hits to prevent cold leaking in around the edges.
  • If you need to use a window air conditioner, consider permanently installing it with insulated boards and sealing it with weatherproof caulking.
  • Turn off your computer when away from your desk for more than 30 minutes, and especially at the end of the day.
  • Turn off the lights when you are way for any period of time.
  • Agree to a schedule or rule that the last person out of your area turns off the lights and powers down equipment at the end of the day.
  • Have a meeting to discuss the necessity of having ventilation fans running after hours - see if Physical Resources can power your area down overnight and on weekends.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevators.
  • Eat less meat. One calorie of meat causes more carbon emissions than a calorie of anything else, and will make you just as full. Try one meat-free meal a week.
  • Choose to buy locally-produced goods and food to avoid the emissions caused by transportation. Ask your grocer to carry locally grown food.
  • If you decide to buy a car, pay close attention to its fuel efficiency. Better yet would be to buy a bicycle or bus pass.
Sustainability Office
Physical Resources
University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East
Custodial Services Building
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
Canada
Tel: 519-824-4120 x58129
Fax: 519-826-5281