Do not hesitate to ask questions and try new things. If you have an idea for improving the environmental practices of the entire campus or your individual portion of it, please pass your thoughts on to your Facility Coordinator, Barbara Kviz, or a member of CMU's Environmental Practices Advisory Board.

Reducing Food Waste

Reducing Office Paper Waste

Reducing Packaging Waste/Cardboard

Tips for Reducing Energy Usage

• Perform an annual energy and environmental audit.
• Install energy efficient lighting and fans to recirculate heated or cooled air.
• Maintain and repair your equipment and tools so they last longer.
• Turn off electronic equipment and lights when not in use.

• Keep a reusable mug, plate, or silverware at your desk or in your office. Use such items when you purchase drinks or food on campus.
• Do not take a bag unless you need one.
• Pack food that you bring from home in reusable containers.

• Perform a "waste basket audit" to evaluate office recycling potential.
• Purchase only the quantity of supplies needed, especially letterhead, envelopes, and business cards, to reduce the need to dispose of outdated stock.
• Ask suppliers to reduce unnecessary packaging or packing materials.
• Limit computer printouts. Use electronic mail where possible to send and receive business messages. Review text on screen to limit mistakes on drafts.
• Minimize the use of colored, glossy, and special thickness papers that are difficult to recycle.
• Use reusable or two-way envelopes to post your inter-office correspondence.
• Make two-sided copies. Develop a policy to copy reports, letters, memos, etc. on two sides rather than one to conserve paper. Purchase or lease copiers designed to copy on both sides without jamming or malfunctioning.
• Cut down on paper for memos. Place memos on central bulletin boards for everyone to read or use. Routing slips also provide a record of who received and acknowledged a memo.
• Keep mailing lists current.
• Maintain central files instead of multiple files. This option saves not only paper but also reduces the time, space, and money spent for filing.
• Actively encourage all employees to use less paper.
• Maintain copiers, computers, and other equipment to minimize scrap generation and prolong the life of these machines.

• Reuse paper for scrap paper. Put old paper in bins and reuse it for drafts, memos, messages, calculations, etc. Reuse of scrap paper incurs virtually no added costs and saves on both disposal fees and the cost of new paper.
• Set aside special cartridges in copy machines for draft paper that is the other side of already used paper.
• Convert scratch paper into memo pads, telephone answering slips, and similar items.

• Remember that you want the product, not the packaging.
• In cases in which it is feasible, request that packaging be taken back by the supplier upon delivery.
• Request reduced packaging by volume and weight.
• Request reusable and refillable packaging.
• Request that suppliers use increasing amounts of recycled materials in packaging and packaging which is recyclable in the majority of recycling systems today.
• Apply these principles to your own packing practices.
• Reuse and recycle boxes and packaging material.