April is Earth Month, with Earth Day celebrations occurring on April 22. These celebrations coincide with the spring-cleaning season and the end of the semester, making this month a great time to further develop environmentally friendly habits.
The Environmental Center shares tips to help campus community members implement sustainable actions and habits.
Spring cleaning?
Many special material items you may no longer need can be recycled through CU Recycling and the Environmental Center. These include:
- Old cell phones, chargers, batteries, iPods, MP3 players or portable CD players
- Computer disks, DVDs, jewel cases, floppy disks, VHS tapes and other magnetic tapes generated by campus departments (personal CDs and DVDs cannot be recycled through CU Recycling).
- Office supplies such as printer and toner cartridges, Tyvek envelopes, transparencies, interdepartmental mail envelopes, three-ring binders, dividers and folders.
- Lab supplies
Learn more about collection and drop-off locations for recycling special materials, office clean outs and shredding services on campus.
Commit to reusable mugs, bottles, bags and more
There are many reusable items to keep around your office to help cut down on waste.
- Bring your own coffee tumbler and water bottle to campus to fill up throughout the day. Plus, most coffee shops offer discounts when you bring your own mug.
- Bring your own silverware to wash and reuse instead of using plastic disposable silverware.
- Keep reusable grocery bags on hand to avoid accumulating plastic bags that inevitably end up in landfills.
The 25th annual Campus Sustainability Summit will feature informative panels from campus and community leaders, collaborative sessions and opportunities for interdepartmental discussion. This year’s recipients of the Campus Sustainability Awards also will be honored.
View the day’s agenda, and register before April 19 to reserve your spot for lunch.
Wednesday, April 25
UMC, Glenn Miller Ballroom
Tune up your bike
The warm spring days are perfect for biking around campus. Faculty and staff can visit the UMC and Folsom bike stations for repairs, tune-ups and advice from mechanics on bike commuting.
Earn your Green Office Certification
The Green Office Certification is a campus sustainability program through the Environmental Center that incorporates many campus sustainability initiatives. Earning a Green Office certificate can be done in five easy steps with lasting environmental and financial impacts.
From Student Affairs is a series for discovering the roles of Student Affairs on campus as a resource for not only students but also faculty and staff. Read more From Student Affairs: “Tips for writing recommendation letters,” “Managing stress before it gets bad,” “Talking about alcohol and other drugs,” “Self-care tips for spring break,” “Supporting survivors of sexual assault.”
