Lobby of the IDC

Staff & Faculty

We’re here to help make your offices, classrooms, and labs more environmentally-friendly.

Check out our list of ideas below, contact us for more info, or ask for one of our staff members or Student Fellows to visit your class, office, or advising group to talk about sustainability at Ursinus!

Offices

  • Print double-sided
  • Donate unwanted or unneeded furniture and office items to Sustainable Move-Out at the end of the year
  • Use a refillable K-Cup Pod or a traditional coffee maker to save plastic
  • Use energy efficient light bulbs and switch your lights off when you leave for the day
  • Use a power strip and turn it off when able
  • Use the “battery saver” mode on your computer and other devices
  • Use a refillable water bottle and coffee mug
  • Invest in a reusable lunch tote, utensils, and straw for when you pack your lunches
  • When catering events through Wismer, ask for china plates instead of disposable, and a water pitcher instead of individual plastic bottles

Classrooms

  • Allow students to turn in assignments on Canvas instead of printing (helps them save money, too!)
  • Allow students to use e-textbooks, and encourage book rentals or sharing
  • Turn off the projection screen when you’re having a discussion-based class
  • Print handouts double-sided, and allow students to turn in any printed assignments double-sided as well
  • Keep copies of your course texts on reserve in the library, and inform students of this before the semester starts so that they simply borrow the texts instead of purchasing them. This saves money, paper, and the fuel that was used to transport and manufacture those books

Labs

Labs are one of our biggest uses of energy on campus. Although things like fume hoods and refrigerators are necessary and can’t just be turned off, there are still ways to make these spaces more sustainable. Make sure to engage in conversations with your students about why it’s important to be sustainable, and the impact that their research is having on our carbon footprint.

  • Shut the Sash! Open fume hoods are one of the most significant energy consumers in a lab
  • Make sure that students taking care of animals are aware of how to avoid food wastage
  • Clean out your freezers each year so that there are not unnecessary samples or ice buildup reducing the usable space available to you
  • Find less hazardous alternatives to common chemicals
  • Turn off lights when possible
  • Print double-sided
  • Evaluate how you can cut down on plastic waste in both your classroom labs and your student research groups

Dr. Denise Finney holding flags in a field at WERS