5 Ways to Have a Greener Day at Moravian

Feeling any ECO-guilt lately? I’m convinced we make more of an environmental impact in the winter. I know I do!

Gone are the balmy days of summer: hiking, camping, and hanging outside with friends. It seems like the only thing to do in winter is curl up, watch TV, or go out to dinner and a movie—all in our cozy, heated abodes.

Ahhh summer, why did you go so soon?
Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

And don’t even get me started on Christmas shopping…

It’s just tough. So as we move into the season where we’re frolicking less, and plugging in more, how can we stay green?

Ok, you wake up and stumble into the Blue and Grey before class for coffee.

1. Use a reusable mug. The paper cup itself might seem pretty harmless, but it’s lined with a funny plastic, polyethylene, that renders it incapable of being recycled. And that plastic makes its way into our environment as it slowly degrades. Then there’s the plastic lid!

Here are a bunch of super cool travel mugs. Guys, don’t want to carry around a girly mug? Get one with your favorite sports team on it. Then the cute girl who sits next you can tell you she likes that team, too! Win, win!

2. Unplug! Before you run to the library with your laptop, take the extra second to unplug the charger from the wall. While you’re at it, yank out your phone charger, too. These energy vampires draw out and waste energy.

Avoid leaving your laptop and phones plugged in while they’re already charged, too. Not only does that waste battery, it kills your battery life. That’s no good!

Hey! And while you’re on you’re laptop,

3. Turn down the brightness! Again, this saves energy and gets you more battery life. Try it on your phone, too. It feels so much better on my eyes.

4. Turn down the heat to 65 or better! Because you look better in a sweater. What a classic tip! But it’s true! Wear socks and an extra layer to bed, or get more to bring you your favorite blanket from home.

And maybe you don’t pay your heating bill right now, but you’ll have to eventually. And turning down your thermostat just one degree generally saves you three percent on your heating bill.

Hey! Maybe if you save your parents some money while you’re home on break, you can take double the Christmas cookies back to school, or something…

5. Do your laundry in cold water.  Ninety percent of the energy used in washing machines goes to heating the water! And most loads don’t even need hot water.

In fact, using cold water is a great way to preserve the color of your clothes, especially your dark jeans! And they’ve got some great new products like cold water detergent, that get your clothes just as clean!

Do you have any other tips for having an eco-friendly day?