How You Can Help

IN THE DINING ROOM:

  • Recycle all bottles and cans.
  • Use only the number of napkins necessary for the meal. Gordon students go through approximately 60,000 napkins per week.
  • Use silverware instead of plastic ware
  • Do not bring plates or silverware back to your room.
  • When getting a drink, use only one paper cup.
  • Bring your own mug to Lane rather than contributing to the thousands of paper cups thrown away daily.
  • Use a water bottle instead of a paper cup. During the 2009 Christmas Break, all of the drinking water stations in the Lane Food Court were fitted with "Aqua Pure" filtration systems. This upgrade provides the Gordon community with drinking water of a purity a taste similar to that of products like Dasani and Aquafina. Filling up a reusable water bottle at one of these stations will help save at the landfill and in your pocket.

BUY RECYCLED:

  • Request recycled materials from the bookstore. Companies are less likely to produce recycled goods if consumers don't purchase them. Show your support by buying recycled.
  • Avoid intercampus mail whenever possible--use the telephone or e-mail instead.

CONSERVE:

  • Take shorter showers. A standard shower-head uses 3.5 gallons of water per minute
  • Use warm water instead of hot when doing laundry (if possible.) Up to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water; warm water works just as well as hot.
  • Turn the heat on only if necessary- try putting on a sweater before adjusting the thermostat. Turn the heat down at night or when you are going to be away for awhile.
  • Do not leave the water running when brushing teeth. Brushing your teeth with the water running can use up to 5 gallons. One drop per second wastes more than 24,000 gallons per year.
     

PAY ATTENTION TO RECYCLING BINS:

  • Paper- Computer paper, note pads, envelopes, paper bags, newspapers and glossy papers. These should be free of contamination from food or liquid.
  • Bottles and Cans-All bottles and soda cans. These should be rinsed if possible and should not contain any food or liquid.
  • Trash - All other garbage that can't be recycled.
  • Compost - Consider composting if you live in an apartment. In an age where we produce so many things, unfortunately, we also produce a lot of waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists food waste as the third largest waste stream after paper and yard waste. In 2009, about 14% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in America was food scraps. In 2008, paper comprised 31% of MSW, while yard trimmings and wood comprised 20% of MSW.

Note: Please make sure to separate trash from recycling; recycling bags contaminated with trash will be rejected at the recycling plant and the contents cannot be recycled. 

KEEP POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WASTES OUT OF THE TRASH 
See the page on Universal Wastes to learn more about disposing of things like...

  • Batteries- Most kinds of batteries (except the alkaline type)
  • CRTs - Computer monitors, televisions sets and other display screens
  • Fluorescent Light Bulbs - Most types of fluorescent lamps
  • Motor Oil - Used motor oil, if you change it yourself on campus

LINKS OF INTEREST

To find out more about recycling and environmental issues visit...

PLEASE RECYCLE!