Goucher College
Information
Technology
Environmentally Friendly Initiatives
for the Future of Our Planet
Global Disposal of e-Waste
A pile of plastic burning in the center of a
village in Lagos, Nigeria
A worker surrounded by vats of acid in
Guiyu, China
Did You Know?
Thousands of tons of e-Waste are created each year (discarded computers, cellphones,
printers, monitors, children’s toys, etc.)
This waste is frequently shipped to China, Africa, or India to be “recycled” or left in
landfills
Recycling in these locations is done without regard to the environment, often with
young children sifting through the waste looking for valuable elements which can earn
them money.
These practices cause poisoning of groundwater, land, and human and animal life.
Toner Cartridge Recycling(?)
A man in Guiyu, China,
surrounded by used
cartridges, which will be
burned.
Did You Know?
• Each time a new toner cartridge is made, it must be formed from new
plastic-- requiring energy.
• Unfortunately, many used cartridges go to towns such as Guiyu, China,
where they are improperly recycled, becoming a risk to humans and the
environment.
Community Commitment
Environmental Sustainability at Goucher
Dear Members of the Goucher College Community,
I am so pleased that our efforts to become a greener Goucher now have a dedicated page on
the college’s official website. In recent months, we have made important strides in making
environmental sustainability and stewardship a priority on our campus -- but we still have
much work to do. That is my challenge to you now -- help Goucher College go
"green." Find ways to conserve energy, to recycle, to plan environmental events, and give
us new ideas to help us live up to our promises of environmental responsibility. As you
know, environmental sustainability is a critical component of the college's Strategic
Plan. It is primarily through the efforts of our students, faculty, and staff that we can
become a more environmentally-friendly place to work, learn, and live.
Thank you for your efforts,
Sandy Ungar
President
http://www.goucher.edu/x23316.xml
Community Involvement
• Involve IT in Community discussions
surrounding the environment and recycling
efforts
• Listen to student, faculty, and staff input
and ideas
• Make a difference – work within the
College schedule and offer easy recycling
opportunities
Large Electronics
Benefits:
CDM is a local company that refurbishes all usable equipment
for discounted resale with warranty
CDM recycles all other equipment on site - efficiently and
within strict environmental regulations - without damaging the
environment
Results:
•Promotes sustainability
•Reduces need for new manufacturing
•Reduces need for new material manufacturing
http://www.cdmecycling.com/
Printer Toner Cartridges
•Cartridges for a Cure recycles
Goucher’s used toner cartridges
at no cost and donates all money
to the Sidney Kimmel
Comprehensive Cancer Center
at Johns Hopkins.
•This ensures that used cartridges
are recycled properly and can be
refilled and resold, reducing the
amount of energy used and waste
created from new manufacturing.
TIP: When
ordering, check
with toner
http://cartridgesforacure.com/index.php vendors to see if
they have an inhouse recycling
program.
Personal Items
The Big Green Box
CD Recycling Center
Need a tape
Take a tape
Shelter Alliance
The Paper Retriever
http://cartridgesforacure.com/index.php
http://www.shelteralliance.net/
http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/hopeLine.html
http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com/
http://www.biggreenbox.com/
Reduced Paper Usage
Did You Know:
**1 Tree = 80,500 sheets of paper
**80,500 sheets of paper = 676,777 grams of Carbon Monoxide (CO)
During Spring semester 2005, Goucher’s
most-used printers consumed 642,729
sheets of paper, using approximately 8
trees and creating 5,527,469 grams of
Carbon Monoxide
During Spring semester 2006,
Goucher’s most-used printers
consumed 327,949 sheets, using
approximately 4 trees and creating
2,820,361 grams of Carbon Monoxide
In Spring of ’06, Goucher implemented
the Print Wisely Program which:
1. Provides students with 600 free
sheets per semester
2. Automatically sets networked
printers to duplex
3. Discourages needless printing
Results:
314,780 fewer sheets of paper
4 less trees were used
2,707,108 fewer grams of CO were created
Power Saving Initiatives
Problem: There are approximately 1200 public, faculty, and staff computers
on campus. Despite use of the Power Save mode, computers drain significant
electricity, increasing Goucher’s carbon footprint.
Solution: Faculty/Staff being asked to shut off computers at the end of the
business day or, at a minimum, at the end of the week. It is recommended that
students shut down personal machines when not in use.
Outcome: Computers allowed to shut down and cool off periodically have
longer life, reducing need for more manufacturing, saving money and energy.
Tip: Turn off
your office
computers
and printers
every Friday!
Tip: Turn off
your home
electronics
when not in
use!
Green Syllabus Challenge
And then some…
Data Center:
• Lights off
• AC
• Citrix, thin client solution,
remoting
• Virtual servers - 2 versions of
VMware
• Reconfiguration into rows
User Support:
• Blackboard as Electronic
Reserves
• No printing of online
articles/documents
• Electronic documents
• Desktop messaging
• Wimba communication
• Gmail
Computing Services:
•Unified fax
•Energy star CPUs
•Power options on PC image
•Phasing out CRTs
•Altiris Dell Client Manager
•Power down on weekends
•Standby mode on variety of
electronics
•Electronic golf carts
•Monitoring of power consumption
Networking/Telecom:
•No UPS in residence hall closets
•VPN
•Summer network shutdown in
residence halls
•Telecommuting
•Efficient Communication Closet