1. Meghan Morton
Greening Your Work
RAISING AWARENESS AND REDUCING YOUR CARBON
FOOTPRINT

2. Greening Your Work  Meghan Morton
1
Greening Your Work
Raising awareness and reducing your carbon footprint
Did youknow that byour everyday habits and choices,the
average American putsout 22 tonsof carbondioxide (CO2)
per year? Expertsstudying the recent climate history of the
earth agree now that global warming is occurringata
precipitousrate, andhuman activities are the dominant
forcedriving the trend. Oursmokestacks, tailpipes, and
burningforests emit CO2 andother gasses that add to the
planet’s natural greenhouseeffect,allowing sunlight in, but
preventing some ofthe resulting heat fromradiating back to
space.Many climate experts say that without big curbsin
greenhousegas emissions, the 21stcenturycouldsee
temperatures rise 3 to8 degrees, weather patterns sharply
shift, ice sheets shrink, and seas rise several feet. The
problem of global warming seems overwhelming, butthere
is a lot youcando to help. Reducingyourpersonal share of
global warming emissions is easier than youthink.
Small Steps to Take at Your Office or School
All ofus are capable of making a few small changesat workor in schoolthat can lead to big reductionsin
greenhousegas emissions, increase the nation's energy independence,and save money on energy bills. Reduce
the environmental impact ofyouroffice orschoolby raising awarenessand taking simple steps to reduce energy
use.
Manage office equipment energy use better
Officeequipment and electronics useenergy even when idle oron stand-by.Activate
the powermanagement features onyour computerandmonitor, unpluglaptop
powercordswhennot in use, andturn offequipment andlights at the end ofthe day.
Better yet, usea power strip that canbe turned off.
Encourage your employeror schoolto thinkgreen
Spearhead environmental awareness in yourofficeby asking your employer to offer
benefits that encourageworkers to take public transportationor workat home.In
schools,studentsand educatorscan worktogether to estimate the school’s
greenhousegas emissions and conceptualizewaysto mitigate their school’sclimate
impact.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Recycle paper,newspapers,beverage containers,electronic equipment, and
batteries. Youcanreduce,reuse, and recycle at the officeor in the classroom by
Theaverage car in theU.S.
releases about 1 lb. of CO2 for
every mile driven. Avoiding 20
miles of driving per week
eliminates about 1,000 lbs. of
CO2 emissions peryear.
Environmental Protection Agency

3. Greening Your Work  Meghan Morton
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usingtwo-sided printing andcopying,buying supplies made with
recycled content,recyclingused printer cartridges.Forold
electronics, investigate leasing programs to ensurereuse and
recyclingor donate used equipment toschools orother
organizations.
On the Road
The burningof gasoline and diesel fuel releases CO2 into the
atmosphere and contributesto climate change,butthese
emissions canbe reducedby improving yourcar’s fuel efficiency.
Buy an efficient vehicle
Before buyinga new orused vehicle, research the emissions and
fuel economyperformanceof different vehicles to help you
choosethe cleanest, most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your
needs (see www.epa.gov).
Drive smart
To improve fuel economyand reducegreenhouse gas emissions,
go easy onthe brakes and gaspedal, avoid hardaccelerations,
reducetime spent idling, and unload unnecessaryitems in your
trunkto reduce weight.Ifyou have a removable roofrackand
youare notusing it, take it offto improve yourfuel economy by
as muchas 5 percent.
Tune your car and check your tires
Keep your carwell-maintained and checkyour tire pressure
regularly to keep yourcar runningmore efficiently and safely.
Underinflation increases tire wear and reduces yourfuel
economyby upto 3 percent.
Give your car a break
Use public transportation, carpool,runseveral errands at once,
and walk or bike whenever possible to avoid usingyour car. If
possible, telecommute forwork,and limit face-to-facemeetings
that involve travel. Leaving yourcarat home justtwodays a
week will reducegreenhouse gasemissions by an average of
1,590 lbs. per year.
Use alternative fuels
Findout if youown one ofthe approximately 5 million Flex Fuel
Vehicles (FFV) onthe roadtoday. FFVscanbe fueled with
traditional gasoline orwith a fuel blend containing85% ethanol,
whichis producedfromrenewable cropssuchascorn.
Sources: www.epa.govand www.thegreenguide.com.
MeasureYour Impact
Shorten your shower by two
minutes and save 342 lbs. in CO2
emissions.
Replace one incandescent bulb with
a compact fluorescent light bulb
(CFL) and save approximately 55 lbs.
Use an Energy Star refrigerator and
save 500 lbs.
Recycle paper, plastic, and glass and
save over 1,000 lbs.
Replace red meat in your diet with
fish, eggs, and poultry to save over
950 lbs.
Wash at least half your laundry in
cold water and save 72 lbs.
Hang half your laundry to dry and
save 723 lbs.
Plug your home entertainment
devices into a power strip and turn it
off when not in use to save 240 lbs.
Lower your thermostat one degree
below 70° to save 320 lbs. for natural
gas heat and 236 lbs. for electrical
heat.
Raise your air conditioning
thermostat one degree above 72°to
save 121 lbs.
Lower your water temperature from
140° to 120° to save 479 lbs.