Keep on keeping on

Natalie Stocker poses with the One Million Acts of Green window she painted in the SUB. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Do you remember Hurricane Juan? The category-two hurricane blew into Halifax, leaving extensive damage behind. We witnessed the awesome power of nature as thousands of trees were knocked over like toothpicks.

For awhile, regular life was disrupted. I remember barbeques, long line-ups at stores, washing in cold water and people helping each other. There were many small acts of kindness.

If only we could respond other environmental disasters the same way. But perhaps large global issues like industrial warming or deforestation are harder relate to. But one way we can help the environment and each other is by making many small acts of “green” kindness.

Since October, CBC has been running a campaign called One Million Acts of Green. The focus of the campaign is to get individuals to commit to doing green acts.

As part of One Million Acts of Green, we initiated a challenge against Acadia, and committed ourselves to completing 16,000 acts of green. We did so well—registering 18,000 acts in one day!—that we issued a second challenge, this time to Trent University in Peterborough. Trent proved a formidable adversary and met their target (35,000 acts) handily. At 55,000 acts, our goal was more ambitious because we’re the bigger school.

With 37,000 acts tallied, we’re not there yet. And, with several weeks left in the campaign, there’s no stopping us!

Instead of competing against other universities, departments and residences are encouraged to sign up on the website (http://green.cbc.ca/default.aspx), register with the Dalhousie group, and then challenge other departments and residences to see who can accumulate the most acts. Every week a different “act of green” will be featured.

This week for example, the featured act of green is: “turn off your lights and computers when not in use.” A normal bulb will use 60 watts of energy an hour. You could conserve nearly 22,000 watts of energy per year by just switching off one bulb for one hour every day. Look for the new featured act of green on the LCD screens around campus each week.

Here are a few other acts for you to consider:

• Use refillable containers (water, hot beverage, food) and avoid unnecessary waste. You can save money by receiving a 10 per cent discount when you use a reusable mug at any coffee location on campus. 
• Don't idle. For modern cars, it’s better to turn off your car if you’re parked for more than 10 seconds to a minute. Idling for more than 10 seconds burns gas almost twice as fast as driving. Idling emits 20 times more pollution than a car driving at 50 km/hr. For heavy duty vehicles turn off after three minutes.
• Turn off the computer when you aren’t using it. By shutting computers down when you don’t need them, you can easily conserve and reduce CO2 emissions. During the day, turn off your monitor during times when you are periodically out and think about removing screen savers as they consume extra energy.
• Reduce your printing. Paper represents more than 70 per cent of office waste. A recent Dalhousie audit showed that half the paper in the sample paper recycling bin was one-sided. Print a document if you need it. A recent study showed the over half of printed office paper was recycled or in the waste stream after 24 hours. If you’re looking to buy a printer, check to see if you can network with other printers or multi-functional devices in the area first. Look for machines that can print on both sides. Make double-siding the default setting in your printer software. Dalhousie computers labs recently made double-sided a default.

Rochelle Owen is the director of Dalhousie’s Office of Sustainability.