Ellison Hall Sustainability
- About Us
- Current Campaigns
- "5 Things You Can Do" to promote sustainability
- Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling
- Computer Settings
- Print Double-Sided
- TAP Program
- Ellison Hall Sustainability Initiatives
- Ellison Hall Recycling Plan
- "5 Things You Can Do" to promote sustainability
- Ellison Hall Sustainability Initiatives
- Recycle batteries and other e-waste
- Turn off computer monitors at night, don’t use screen savers, and lower the resolution on your monitor
- Double-sided printing (Link to Double Sided Printing)
- Sign up for TAP program
- Re-use water bottles and coffee mugs
The Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee is a coalition of all the staff, faculty, and students who use the Ellison Hall Building. The committee works to reduce negative impacts of the building and the users on the environment and to improve our contribution towards sustainability.
"5 Things You Can Do" to promote sustainability
Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has made it illegal to throw Electronic Waste (otherwise know as Universal Waste) in the trash. E-Waste includes batteries, CDs, anything with an electrical cord, computer parts, discs, etc…
For information on what is included or the state policies, please see:
(http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/Info/default.htm)
For anything smaller than a monitor or computer tower you can bring your e-waste to the bin on the 3rd floor cluster (on the 3600 wing) or to the 6th floor by the Elevator. For Monitors and Computers, call Steve Howson at Central Stores 805-893-3470, steve.howson@stores.ucsb.edu. Central Stores will pick up large E-waste for a small fee.
Computer Settings
The Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee measured energy usage of several computers and results showed that power consumption can be reduced with lower resolution, smaller monitor size, and implementing power-save features. Screen savers though they save a minimal amount of energy still use a lot. It is better for your monitor and for energy efficiency to simply set your monitor to turn off after a given time rather than switching to a screensaver. You can change these settings by going to "Start" and open "Control Panel" and then open "Display" on your computer.
In a theoretical exercise, going from a 17-inch CRT* on all day and in screensaver mode at night, to a 17-inch LCD on all day and off at night consumed 98% less power and saved 900 pounds of CO2 emissions.
*CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube, almost all older monitors are CRT monitors. LCD Monitors, Liquid Crystal Display, are flat screens.
Print Double-Sided
Each person in the United States consumes approximately 675 pounds of paper per year. (source: Temperate Forest Foundation)
On your computer (Windows Operating System) Select "start" and open the "Control Panel" on your computer (usually under the Start Menu) and click on "Printers and Faxes". Select the Printer that you use the most and right click to bring up the menu, you will want "Preferences" or "Settings". Click "Preferences" and then go to "Printing Preferences". Here you can set the printer to print double-sided.
You can also do this on each job by going to print and before saying ok, checking the "printing preferences" on the main printing window that comes up (where it asks you things like number of copies). If you are printing out a long document, you might also consider printing 2 pages per sheet to save on paper. This can also be done under printing preferences.
TAP Program
Re-use water bottles and coffee mugs
On-campus coffee vendors will give you a discount for bringing a UCen mug to any of their coffee stands! Sometimes it’s helpful to have two or three mugs, one in your office, bike/car, and/or backpack.
Ellison Hall Sustainability Initiatives
Compost Pilot Program
The Sociology, Communications, and Geography Departments and ICESS started a composting pilot program. Each of these departments will have a small 7-liter compost bin in their departmental kitchen which will be taken out twice a week by the Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee. The waste from these bins will be taken to a centralized worm farm on the 5th floor patio, which will be also maintained by the Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee.
This past month, the Geography Department tested this out on themselves and composted almost 5 pounds of waste a week!
We would like to thank all the departments and ICESS for their participation, as well as AS Recycling, Joe Harkins (the Fire Marshall), and Rudra (Our Custodial Zone Lead).
Ellison Hall Recycling Plan
Approximately 79% of the waste generated by UCSB has potential to be recycled. Currently we divert 54.2%. http://www.as.ucsb.edu/recycling/about.html
The Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee has devised a new recycling plan for the building. New clusters will be placed on each floor for co-mingled (plastic, glass, and aluminum) recycling. Newspapers will be able to be recycled on the first floor and E-waste on the 3rd and 6th floor.
Recycling Plan (PDF)
Packing Materials: Your departmental main office can request that mail services pick this material up when they drop off the mail. There is no fee for this, though they prefer to be called ahead of time if there is a lot they will need to pick up.
E-Waste aka Universal Waste: The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has made it illegal to throw Electronic Waste otherwise know as Universal Waste in the trash. E-Waste includes batteries, CDs, anything with an electrical cord, computer parts, discs, etc… For information on what is included or the state policies, please see: (http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/Info/default.htm)
For anything smaller than a monitor or computer tower you can bring your e-waste to the bin on the 3rd floor cluster (on the 3600 wing) or to the 6th floor by the Elevator. For Monitors and Computers, either contact the departmental main office or call Steve Howson at Central Stores 805-893-3470, steve.howson@stores.ucsb.edu. Central Stores will pick up large E-waste for a small fee.
Office Pack: Every year, Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a wall 12-feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City. (source: Browning-Ferris Industries); Reduce the amount of paper products going to the landfill by recycling paper in Office Pack bins in your departmental mail room and photocopy rooms, reusing one-sided paper, and buying products made of recycled content.
The following is allowable in Office Pack:
White paper-bond, typing, copier, index card
Colored paper-bond, typing, copier, index card
Envelopes
Fax Paper
Carbonless paper
Direct mailings
Manila and bleached file folders
Computer Paper
Heavily printed coated white paper
Metal Fasteners
Plastic Tabs
Wire Spirals
Rubber bands
Paper clips
Staples
Press-apply labels
Plastic spirals
Please do not put fluorescent Paper, Glossy/Magazines, or Newspaper in Office Pack.
More questions on what can be recycled?
Contact Eli Krispi at krispi@umail.ucsb.edu
