Today is Green Friday

Today is Green Friday

From SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)
and the USG Sustainability Committee

St. Thomas is celebrating Green Friday today to remind the campus community of ways to be environmentally friendly. Listed here is a host of celebrations, prizes and green tips.

Pick up green treats, get caught "green-handed" at men's basketball game tomorrow

Pick up some green treats during lunch time today outside the Grill and Cafeteria.

Also, today is the day to get caught "green-handed." Those caught recycling, can be entered in a drawing for a fabulous prize that will be announced at the men's basketball game Saturday.

Bring three or more clean recyclables to the basketball game tomorrow and receive a coupon for free popcorn. Halftime will feature some fun and competitive recycling games with more opportunities to win prizes.

The game starts at 3 p.m.

Thanks to survey participants

SIFE thanks all participants for the great response to the seven-question survey offered earlier this week. The results will help them determine campus recycling habits and target what needs to change on campus.

If you have suggestions on where to place recycling bins that would be more convenient, e-mail Kylie Gayan.

What is recyclable?

Recyclables include: aluminum foil, spiral notebooks with metal binding, paper that has staples or tape on it, metal can lids, bottle caps, envelopes with windows, phone books, quart-sized milk and juice cartons, all metal food cans and all metal drink cans.

What is not recyclable?

Non-recyclables include: pizza boxes, plastic bags, yogurt tubs, egg cartons, margarine tubs, frozen food boxes and waxed boxes.

Green tips

Following are a few other green tips especially for college students from the suite101.com Web site.

1. Recycle everything, especially paper. Think about how many pieces of paper you go through in a semester. There are class notes, scrap copies, term papers, daily school newspapers and assorted stuff you've printed out from the Internet. It all adds up. Look for a paper recycle bin on campus – one might be found near a dormitory or large classroom building. Recycle other items as well, including cans, bottles and cardboard boxes.

2. Use your printer wisely. Save paper by printing on both sides of the page. Many professors don't mind if you turn in a paper like this – just ask first. Save pages that you've printed and use the backs to print out drafts and other things that don't have to be turned in. In addition, many printers have multiple settings for print quality. Use the high quality print setting for things that have to look nice, but use the low quality setting for things that don't. This will save ink. Also, consider cutting down on the things you print. Is it necessary to print out that Web page, or can it be bookmarked?

3. Limit the use of disposable cups and plates. When moving into your first off-campus apartment, it can be tempting to buy disposable cups and plates to save time. These items add up to a lot of waste and money. Buy some inexpensive plates and wash them. Dishes can be washed in a dorm room, too. Many dorms have a kitchen, and if yours doesn't, wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

4. Limit the use of paper napkins. Since college students eat a good deal of fast food, napkin use can add up. It's great to be clean, but one napkin will probably do the trick.

5. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs cost more, but they last longer and ultimately save money. If you live in a dorm, get a lamp and use one of these bulbs. Lamp light is much more pleasant and environmentally efficient than overhead dorm lighting.

6. Walk, bike and limit use of a car. Most campuses are very pedestrian friendly and many college towns offer good public transportation and bike paths. Think about whether a car is really needed because if you can get by without one, you can save money on gas, repairs and overpriced student car insurance. If you do own a car, try to use it as little as possible.

7. Buy green. Buy recycled products whenever possible, especially paper. Buy environmentally safe cleaning products as well. Some of these products cost more – but many don't, or the price difference is negligible.

8. Many bottles of water get consumed on a campus every day. Save waste and money and carry a refillable bottle. If the tap water on campus is questionable, buy large containers of water to refill your bottle.

9. Use refillable binders instead of notebooks. This is a simple way to save waste. If you want to save notes after the semester is over, take them out of the binder and staple them. Or, go electronic and take all of your notes on a laptop.

10. Buy used clothing. Lots of students do this to save money, but it's also a great thing to do for the environment. Reusing clothes decreases the use of resources to make clothing and puts a dent in the problem of worldwide sweatshops.