Get to Work at Going Green

by Mary Campbell, Pinellas County Extension Director and Urban Sustainability Agent

Here are some simple things you can do to be GREEN at work:

• Print double-sided whenever possible.
  
• Narrow your margins to reduce paper.
  
• Reuse the back of a one-sided document for drafts before you recycle the paper.


• Use reusable mugs and dishes for your drinks and food during the day to reduce waste.


• Ask for and order recycled content office paper, supplies and products. Buying recycled content helps turn recyclables into new products.
  
• Turn off your lights when not in your office.
  
• Turn off your computer screen when you are away from your desk for long periods of time.
  
• Turn off your computer when not in use.
  
• Open window blinds to let in natural sunlight and turn off overhead lights whenever possible.
  
• Turn off vehicles when stopped. Idling vehicles waste energy and cause increased pollution.
  
• Use recycling containers at your desk and in common areas for unsoiled paper, cans and bottles to reduce waste going to the landfill.
  
  Remember to take the At Work Pledge at: http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/sustainability/index.shtml

Saving Water in the Home

By Mary Campbell,
Pinellas County Extension Director, Urban Sustainability


Making a commitment to change future practices is an important step to sustainable living. If you make a commitment to a new practice you are much more likely to follow through and make that practice part of your daily habits. Many practices are not difficult, we just have to remember.
Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water or is readily accessible water in lakes, streams, rivers (97% is in the oceans and 2% in the ice caps). The water cycle is continuous, so we could be drinking the same water that dinosaurs drank. Preserving our water resources is extremely important. Our daily use of water becomes a habit that may be hard to change. With small changes, thousands of gallons of water per person can be saved each year, which also reduces your carbon footprint since it requires energy to purify and pump the water to your home.
Faucets are responsible for 16% of the water use in our homes. The top three household water uses are the toilet, clothes washer and shower. Fixing leaks is very important to conserve water. To determine if you may have a leak, turn off all the water in your home and record the current reading on your water meter. Wait 30 minutes and read it again. If it has changed (remember – all water off) then you have a leak.
Find new ways to conserve water like: low volume toilets and shower heads and fill the dishwasher or washing machine before using. Flush less — remember the toilet is not a wastebasket. Take shorter showers — 5 minutes or less. Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it, such as watering a plant or cleaning.



Take the Check Your Green Commitment Pledge at: http://origpledge.awardspace.com/



Resources:
Pinellas County Utilities http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/conserve-altwater.htm

Save Water Indoors - http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/indoors/