Go Green at your Texas College or University

November 17, 2010 | By In living green | Comments(0)

You’re probably familiar with the saying “go green.” Individuals who live “green” do their part to preserve natural resources and keep Earth’s air, water, and land clean. Homes and offices in Texas and throughout the world have adopted eco-friendly habits in order to reduce unnecessary waste and pollution. Now it’s time for Texas college students to do the same. Read below to learn easy but effective ways to live green while in college in Texas.

Take a Bus or Carpool to Class

Depending on the size of your Texas college’s campus, you can significantly cut down on your carbon emissions by riding a bicycle to class. If you’re not a bike person, carpool with friends or use a form of public transportation.

Carry your own Water

Texas college students can save money and help the environment by taking their own refillable water jug to class instead of buying a bottle of water at a store. Most student stores sell sturdy water jugs with the school’s logo on the front, so that you can show school spirit too!

Write in the Margins

Although you were taught at a young age to stay inside of the margins, you’ll use less paper and help the environment by breaking those rules and writing outside of the margins. Using the whole page will result in less paper use and fewer stacks of papers on your desk. Better yet, take a laptop to class and type your notes!

Avoid Unnecessary Waste

In college, it’s important to set a good example for other students. One great way to do that is to lessen the amount of waste you produce and properly dispose of any and all waste in your sight. Texas college students can reuse paper; recycle bottles, aluminum, and electronics; and swap clothing, books, and other materials with college friends or roommates. There are countless ways to help the environment and reduce pollution, so get started today!

Reconsider your Printing Habits

Texas college students use a lot of paper. From class notes to term papers to newspapers to printouts, it can all quickly add up. In addition to recycling used papers, college students can also go green by printing less altogether. You can save a ton of paper by printing on both sides of the page. Another way to protect the environment is to use remanufactured printer ink instead of store-bought ink. Remanufactured cartridges have been recycled, emptied, and refilled with new ink. These environmentally-friendly cartridges not only cost half the price of store-bought cartridges, but they also last just as long.

Use Natural Light

In most colleges across Texas, library and dormitory lighting can produce both headaches and high electric bills. Rather than suffer under incandescent lights, raise the blinds of a nearby window. Natural light is not only better for you, it’s also better for the environment. If it’s nighttime and you require a light source, replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. CFLs use a lot less energy and last 10 times longer.

In Closing…

By reducing waste and recycling all applicable goods, you can help to improve the quality of our land, air, and water. Texas college students: Go Green today!

This article was written by Christina from http://www.inkforcheap.com.
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Environmental Issues – They Concern Chefs as Well!

July 18, 2010 | By In environment | Comments(0)

It has not probably escaped your notice that environmental issues have captured people’s interest. You can probably say that this is not surprising considering the fact that people are finally experiencing the effects of decades of environmental abuse. Mother Nature is indeed lashing back. Environmental debates are fairly common these days. Being a chef does not excuse you, however, from getting involved. You create your own ecological footprints and you are accountable for them.

Environmental issues generally fall under three categories – bizarre global climate changes, excessive use of resources, improper waste management.

Bizarre Global Climate Changes

There are numerous environmental issues but the one thing that you have likely heard people talking about is the bizarre climate that the whole world is experiencing. The effects of these weird climate changes have caused devastating damages, taking lives and properties. Unfortunately, there are many factors that contribute to climate change. Many of these factors are largely created by man.

Excessive and Abusive Use of Environmental Resources

There are many environmental issues that fall under this category. You have deforestation, land degradation and land being stripped off of fossil fuels. These three are just some of the many problems that arise from abusive use of environmental resources.

Improper Waste Management

Many environmental issues have resulted from people’s inability to manage their waste or trash properly. This category basically embraces all kinds of pollutions caused by humans which include air, water and land pollution.

Resolving Environmental Issues Your Way

It’s certainly a good thing that many people are getting involved in correcting environmental issues. As a chef, you can do a lot of things in order to reverse the damage that has been done to the environment. You can make positive contributions. Being environmentally friendly does not end with disposing potato peelings properly. As a leader, you can influence people to be more environmentally conscious.

Adopt an Environmental Cause

If you own your restaurant, you can get your staff or employees to volunteer for environmental causes. Since you are working in the food industry, perhaps you can get your employees to volunteer for a food feeding program.

You can also adopt environmental programs and support them. For instance, you can adopt a program which aims to provide clear water to many places in Africa or you can support one project that is designed to protect the rainforest in the Amazons. Support any environmental conservation schemes. Try to raise funds if you can in order to support a conservation program.

Recycle!

Another way of helping the environment is to adopt a recycling program in your workplace. You should also make sure that you get recyclable supplies. If you are going to purchase disposable dishware, you should get recyclable or biodegradable ones. Encourage your staff or employees to do the same.

Cut Back on Gas Consumption

There are also various ways of cutting back on gas consumption. You can also get your employees involved in your save-your-gas scheme. You can offer incentives to employees who choose to leave their cars at home. In fact, this method is proving effective among hospitality entrepreneurs. Aside from encouraging your staff to take the bus, you can also get them to set up a carpool system.

Another way of saving gas and cutting back on delivery expenses is to impose minimum order requirement. This will discourage small deliveries and unnecessary use of gas.

Prefer Local Producers

The food service industry has finally recognized that they have a social responsibility to support local producers within their community. If you choose to purchase products from local farmers, not only will you be able to help the local economy, you will also help in minimizing environmental wastages.

Spread the Word

You need to spread environmental consciousness. You can start with the people around you – your employees perhaps. Challenge people to care. Over time, you will eventually get people involved. Employ people who are environmentally conscious – people who purchase organic products and who boast of eco-friendly practices.

You can also train your staff and teach them how to be more eco-friendly. After all, you will reap the benefits as well. You will likely notice a considerable decrease in energy consumption once your staff learns how to conserve energy.

You can also spread the word and influence your guests, customers and clients. You can offer rewards or incentives to guests who adopt eco-friendly measures in order to address environmental issues. You don’t have to stop with your employees. Ideally, the more people you educate, the better it will be for the environment.

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