Happy Friday everyone! Time for an energy campaign update but first, the latest edition of the sustainability bulletin is here!
Flip through the October Edition of the Sustainability Bulletin to learn more about the Energy Campaign, the Campus Crunch (happening today at noon!), and to find events happening on campus and in our community.
Slay Energy Vampires
We are entering the home stretch of the Energy Campaign, and each week we get closer to our goal of 10% reduction of electricity.
Next week, we will focus on eliminating vampire power. Whether you call them energy vampires, phantom loads or standby power , appliances and electronics still use electricity when plugged in even if they are turned off. Individually, your cell phone charger may not put that much strain on the local power plant, but the big picture is far more troubling. In the United States alone, vampire power costs consumers more than $3 billion a year.
If you're not using an electronic device, unplug it -- that's the blanket approach to fighting vampire power. You can make this step even easier with a surge protector. Plug multiple items in the strip and simply turn it off when you're not using the devices. If the strip is off, you don't have to worry about leaking electricity.
Our Impact
In just six weeks, we’ve saved 228 metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. All of our small actions have added up for a significant impact. Two-hundred and twenty-eight metrics tons is the same as not driving 543,333 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle or eliminating 81.8 tons of waste sent to the landfill. It is also the same amount of emissions from 531 barrels of oil .
You’re Invited
Mark your calendars for November 13 th at 3PM in the Science Library’s Standish Room . We’ll recognize our sustainability standouts of the fall semester, including our Terra Award winners , offices who’ve completed the Green Workspace Challenge , and the top performers of the Energy Campaign.
Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen Mallia, PhD
Director of Environmental Sustainability
University at Albany
Business Administration 309
518-442-2601
www.albany.edu/gogreen
Facebook: UAlbany Green Scene
Twitter: UAlbanyGreenScn
