Sustainability

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

• Setting your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and a few degrees lower in the winter will save energy as well as money.

• Unplug appliances when you are not using them to cut out “phantom” or “vampire” energy usage. Vampire energy costs consumers approximately $6 billion annually, and sends more than 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. Most of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.

• Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible. Walking and biking promote a healthier lifestyle, while carpooling and using public transportation reduces emissions.

• Bring a reusable bottle to school and fill it with water from the fountain.
   
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store - if you need something to be bagged, keep the bag for future use.

• Buy local and organic. Eating organic food cuts down on fertilizers that can be detrimental to ecosystems. Eating locally reduces the emission that would have been released into atmosphere from packaging and transportation of the produce.

• Use washable tableware and silverware. Especially avoid plastic wear, as it is either burned or added to the ever-growing waste in a landfill.