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The individual decisions residents make on a daily basis, even if seemingly small, play a critical role in the University’s sustainability initiatives. Saint Mary’s College seeks to recognize these choices and provide residents with an opportunity to reflect on and experiment with their environmental impact by offering the Green Gael Certification program—an environmental certification available for residents living on campus.
As a reward, we are offering great campus SWAG and local gift cards for your commitment. Click below to get started. |
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In order to become certified, you must practice all five of these actions.
1. I practice good recycling habits in my room, at Oliver Hall and about campus.
Recycling is one of the most effective ways to help protect the environment and reduce the amount of waste entering landfills. Single stream (or commingled) recycling makes it easy to recycle at Saint Mary’s. Additionally, I compost food scraps and paper napkins at Oliver Hall. Click here for a full list of recyclable materials and printable posters.
2. I use CFLs in my room instead of incandescent light bulbs.
CFLs use up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, so replacing a standard 100 watt incandescent light can save more than $40 over the lifetime of the bulb. CFL’s can be disposed of at the library or by filling out a work order. CFLs should not be disposed with normal trash/recycling because they contain trace amounts of mercury.
3. I make sure I turn off the lights when they are not in use in my resident hall and about campus.
This may seem simple, but it’s easy to forget to switch off the lights when leaving a room. Lighting accounts for 14% of all electricity consumption in homes.
4. I make an effort to tightly turn off faucets and showers when not in use and report any leaks to SMC Maintenance.
One faucet dripping every six seconds wastes nearly 350 gallons of water per year. Click here to initiate a maintenance request.
5. I have encouraged or am going to encourage other residents to receive their Green Living Certification.
Your sustainable behaviors have a positive impact on the environment. The more residents that adopt the behaviors required to receive Green Living Certification, the more of a difference we can make! Residents like you play a large role in getting fellow residents involved. |
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1. I regularly use reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic bags. (2 points)
Plastic bags are non-biodegradable by-products of the petroleum industry and contaminate water, land and air during production and disposal. Paper bags actually require more energy than plastic bags to produce and recycle and they contribute to forest degradation. |
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2. I use a reusable coffee mug or thermos instead of a disposable cup when I purchase to-go drinks at food establishments. (2 points)
By using a reusable travel mug instead of disposable paper or plastic cups, you can save trees, water and energy – plus, many cafes offer discounts for bringing a reusable thermos. |
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3. I use reusable plates, cups and utensils instead of disposable alternatives. (2 points)
Low recycling rates and long decomposition times mean that plastics can take centuries to biodegrade, leaching chemicals into groundwater and posing threats on wildlife. Using reusable dishware helps avoid environmental problems associated with one-time use plastic ware. |
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4. I own a reusable water bottle and use it instead of buying bottled water. (2 points)
In the US, tap water is more strictly regulated for safety and health than bottled water. In addition to health concerns, the process of manufacturing one year's worth of bottled water emits over 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, requires twice as much water as what actually goes into the bottle and over 17 million barrels of oil. This much oil could fuel 1 million cars and light trucks for a year |
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5. I make an effort to reduce the amount of paper towels I use. (2 points total)
· In my kitchen and bathroom I use reusable towels, rags and sponges so that my use of paper towels is minimal. (1 point)
· In communal or public bathrooms where only paper towels are provided, I make an effort to reduce the amount of paper I use. (1 point)
Using paper towels contributes to deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, air pollution and climate change. The production of one ton of paper towels requires the use of 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water. Every day in the US alone, over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced.
To learn how to use 1 paper towel while drying hands, watch this TED talk (3-4 min). |
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6. I print double-sided on my personal printer, if I own one. (2 points)
Double-sided printing is a great way to reduce paper use. Click here for more information on how to set up double-sided printing on your printer. |
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7. I reuse paper that only has text on one side and keep a scrap paper pile near the printer for use whenever possible. (1 point)
Using both sides of a sheet of paper reduces your paper consumption by half and saves money. |
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8. I reduce paper margins and/or font size in order to decrease the length of documents printed (especially for non-formal documents). (1 point)
Reducing font size and paper margins to the “narrow” setting on MS Word or other word processing programs decreases the number of pages printed, saving paper, money and other valuable resources. |
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