Bring a water bottle and refill it from water stations in the building to keep hydrated. Bring a mug from home and leave it on your desk for those afternoon tea breaks. Have a keep cup handy for when you go to the cafe to get your much needed coffee/tea/hot chocolate. Reusable coffee cups get discounts at most coffee shops. Get the Squid app which is accepted at most cafes at UCD, for every ten drinks you purchase, you get one free.
When boiling the kettle only fill with as much water as needed. We could each save 40kWh per year by just doing this one simple measures alone. (of course it depends on how much tea or coffee you drink! – this is based on 3 cups a day!)
Recycle your waste
We have segregated waste bins, you can find out where to put mixed dry recyclables, compost waste and general waste. Check the pictograms on the bins or ask anyone in the School Sustainability group.
- Shared lunch utensils in the kitchen area
- Shared microwave allows for homemade lunches to be reheated
- Tissue used for hand drying can be recycled
There is already extensive on-site segregation in the UCD Student Residences, residents are provided with facilities to manage their waste into four separate streams:
- Mixed Dry Recyclables
- Glass Bottles and Jars
- Compost and Food Waste
- General Non-recyclable Waste
A trial project is underway in the Agriculture and Food Science Building to investigate in-building waste segregation for the academic section of the campus.
Switch PCs off
A desktop PC running idle on a screensaver uses 550kWh over a year during evenings and weekends alone. Switching off a desktop PC every evening for 10 weeks would amount to 100kWh of energy savings.
Electric heater use
UCD's air handling system is designed to monitor room temperatures and adjust them accordingly to a specified temperature controlled by UCD Estates. Using an electric heater to heat an office will not only use more energy, but the elevated room temperature will cause the air handling system to blow cold air into the room to adjust it.
General electrical tips
Consider the energy rating of electrical appliances before purchasing them.
Switch off computers and monitors at the socket at the end of the day instead of leaving them on sleep mode where possible. Idle energy consumption ranges from 5-10% of the energy utilised when the device is powered on. When numerous screens, laptops, monitors, TVs, and other appliances are multiplied across the University, this energy usage quickly adds up.
Recycle electrical items or reuse them where possible. Can the item be repaired by an electrician or specialist engineer? Before purchasing something new, check whether it is already stored somewhere or has been purchased before.