Almost exactly one year ago, ClimateEdu's premiere issue included a story about several Utah organizations and universities that switched to a four-day workweek schedule on a trial basis, hoping to reduce GHG emissions and provide an extra benefit to employees. One year later, they have released their findings, and so far the program seems to be working.

A Scientific American article examines the results, noting that the state projects a 12,000 metric ton reduction in carbon emissions from commuting and building electricity use annually, and $1.8 million in savings from utility bills as of May, 2009.

In our original story from August 2008, we reported that "Not only is this change likely to keep a few more cars off the road in a state that has weak public transit infrastructure, it is also expected to save a significant amount of building-generated emissions by turning off most of the lights, heat, and air-conditioning in almost 1,000 non-essential government buildings every Friday. Preliminary reports estimate that shutting down six sample buildings for an extra day would lead to an annual CO2 reduction of more than 3,300 tons per year, and this number is likely to go up depending on which additional buildings are selected."

Although the $1.8 million that Utah has saved on utilities so far is shy of their original estimate ($3 billion), which may be partly due to lowering energy costs, the carbon dioxide emissions savings seem to be higher than officials planned. And employee morale is also higher, according to the Scientific American story. "'People just love it,' says Lori Wadsworth, a professor of public management at Brigham Young University in Provo. She helped survey those on the new Working 4 Utah schedule this May and found 82 percent would prefer to stick with it." Other research shows that employees are not fatigued by the new schedule, show less stress, and are taking fewer sick days. Anecdotal evidence even suggests that volunteerism is up, though it's not clear if that shift can be attributed to the change in work schedules or a general trend.

Other universities are experimenting with flexible schedules, such as Georgetown, Cornell, and the University of New Mexico, with mixed results. Not all regions will be able to save energy in their buildings this way, and tracking the amount of emissions saved can also be difficult, particularly when it comes to including commuting emissions in a climate action plan.

However, managers and legislators seem to feel it's worth a try. "As we move further into the 21st century, governments need to look for ways to become more efficient," says Michael N. Gianaris, a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly. "Moving to a four-day workweek should be at the top of the list. It helps the environment. People like it. It's a no-brainer."

Here at Campus Ecology, we try to find big, manageable ways for campuses to cut their emissions. However, we definitely don't want to ignore the fact that small choices, over time and with enough participation, can yield big dividends. So today's post comes to you courtesy of MIT's Sustainability Office, who concluded that up to 8x as much air is exchanged when using a swing door as opposed to a revolving door. That's 8 times as much air that needs to be heated or cooled, depending on the season. MIT calculated that if everyone exclusively used just two of the 29 revolving doors on campus  (as opposed to the nearby swing doors), that the college would save almost $7500 in natural gas bills, and prevent the release of about 15 tons of CO_2. Imagine if they used all 29!

We have all heard it a million times: EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR YOU!

But exercising can be good for the environment too. How many times a week do you hop in your car to drive a mile or two down the road to grab one thing at the grocery store? Or what about running to the ATM? Or to a friend’s house? According to the EPA, 40% of all personal trips are 2 miles or under! Instead of getting into a car, why not walk, run, or ride a bike?

Every gallon of gas consumed releases 19.4 pounds of CO2. If you replaced just two miles of driving a day with biking or walking you could save about three gallons of gas a month. That comes out to about 60 pounds of carbon a month!

Not only can you save on carbon emissions, but on calories as well. On average, 100 calories are burnt every mile walked (varying slightly from person to person). According to the EPA those who exercised regularly had 14% fewer claims to their health insurance than those who did not exercise.

By replacing short car trips with biking or walking, some of the benefits include:

• No release of carbon emissions
• Money saved on gas, health care costs, and vehicle maintenance
• Added time and enjoyment of being outdoors
• Physical fitness
• Decreased amount of time wasted and stress caused by traffic

Many college campuses have taken initiative and established bike programs on campus to decrease traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Check out our fellows, Alex Pocock, Ryan Campbell, and Anita Yip, to learn about bicycle programs on their campuses. 

We all know how much college students love to sleep! Unfortunately most college students do not let their computers sleep at all—many are left on 24 hours a day! Computers are undoubtedly necessity for many college students and offices, although it is hard to believe they are used every minute they are powered on. According to the University of Pittsburg idling computer monitors throughout the United States uses $900 million in energy costs every year.

Several simple solutions can help curb energy costs and carbon emissions:

1. When shopping for a new computer, look for Energy Star qualified computers and purchase a flat screen monitor to reduce energy use.
2. Limit the use of screensavers, as they do not save energy and can keep the monitor from going into sleep mode.
3. TURN IT OFF! When you know your computer will not be used for several hours (especially at night) shut it down. Frequent shutting down does NOT decrease the life of the computer. This was true years ago when computers and hard drives were not as efficient. To the contrary, letting your computer rest and shutting it down can reduce heat stress and mechanical wear.
4. LET IT SLEEP! Most computers have power-saving modes built in. Computers go into a sleep mode, and with a flick of the mouse the screen pops back up without loosing any information or time. For those addicted to an internet messenger, you can still receive messages in sleep mode! Check your computer settings and make sure your computer is set to go into sleep mode after 5 or 10 minutes.

Check out the Energy Star Showcase Dorm Room set up by NWF’s 2002 fellows at Tulane University, to see about computers and other energy efficient appliances and how to use them to curb energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Whether you use your computer to work on term papers or email your boss, you can reduce your own environmental impact simply by letting your computer sleep!

Elevators are a necessity for people physically unable to use the stairs or who are transporting heavy items. But if possible, take the stairs when you can. To be safe, make sure the stairs are well lit. Read more about energy conservation initiatives from National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Campus Ecology members at the NWF Campus Ecology website.