Clean Up, Clean Up, Staples Students Do Your Share: Tips on Conserving Energy
May 18, 2010
Carlie Schwaeber ‘12 News Editor
Teenager’s parents are always trying to save energy by telling them to make sure to turn off the lights in bedrooms, to turn off the water while brushing teeth, or to reuse bags at the grocery store. These steps conserve energy, but yet students spend a majority of their time at school.
So, how can the students conserve energy at school instead of just at home or around town? AP Environmental Science teacher Michael Aitkenhead shares some general ways in which Staples wastes energy and how students can help conserve it.
How Is Staples Wasting Energy?
Driving: Too many drive to school solo or get dropped off by mom and dad. A huge waste of gas and a huge contributor to CO2 emissions. | Photo by Carlie Schwaeber '12Keeping the computers on: Leaving computers on 24/7, and especially leaving monitors on all day, adds up in terms of energy usage.
Keeping the lights on:Staples has a lot of lighting and much of it is unnecessary. Remember to turn the lights out.
Large Meat Consumption: Got meat? Believe it or not, meat production is one of the most environmentally taxing activities on the planet. A great deal of energy goes into meat production, so every time you take a bite of a burger, you take a huge bite of the earth’s natural resources.
Heating and Cooling: It is hard to say how much energy Staples uses on climate control, but given the size of our school, it must be huge.
How Can Staples Students Help Reduce the School’s Energy Consumption?
Rethink Your Means of Transportation:Take the bus, carpool, ride a bike or walk.
Power Down: Turn off the monitor every time you leave the computer. Also, encourage the school district to go solar.
Reduce Lighting: Encourage teachers to teach with low lights or no lights if the sun is shining.
Limit your meat consumption: Try cutting how much meat you eat in half–it’s one of the best things you could do for the environment.
Hey, Turn Down the AC!It is obvious that students detest the cold blasts of air during the warmer months of school. In fact heating and cooling systems was large amounts of energy. Encourage the school district to move towards more efficient and environmentally friendly systems.
