Earth Day Every Day
Care And Respect the Earth
Virginia Western Community College is committed to operating the college in a way that responsibly utilizes
our natural resources. We encourage our Faculty, Staff, and Students to engage in behavior that supports
conservation and sustainability.
Virginia Western is a member of the Cool Cities Coalition and the
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
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Events
Earth Week 2011
Staff
Lanette Upshaw
Sustainability Committee Chair
857-6299
lupshaw@virginiawestern.edu
VW Sustainability Committee Best Practices
The following is a list of "best practices" developed by the Virginia Western Sustainability Committee. It is designed as a practical guide
to follow with the hopes of making your daily routine more environmentally sound and to promote sustainable practices in and around the Virginia Western
campus community.
Computers
- Shut down your computer at the end of every workday.
Lights
- Turn out office lights when not in office.
- Consider whether it is necessary to run all of the lights in the classroom and/or office.
- When using overhead projectors turn off some or all lights.
Textbooks
- Consider whether it's possible to even go beyond the VCCS recommendation/mandate for using the textbook for three years.
- Consider use of ebooks as well.
Recycling
- There is a battery recycling bucket in every division.
- Call the Help Desk to have toner cartridges picked up.
Applicances
- Coffee makers rather than having a pot with a heating element that stays on, use a one-cup coffee maker with a paper pod, rather
than a plastic pod to save on waste, and then compost the pod.
- Remove personal refrigerators from individual offices and use community refrigerators instead, where possible.
- Do not use space heaters as they create a self-defeating cycle in the HVAC system which creates serious energy waste. Dress warmer?
Alternative Methods of Disseminating Information
- Eliminate flyers on campus by using the VWConnect, webpage, even emails instead.
- Use half-sheets when possible, if printing is needed.
- Use the Printing Services department when possible, this saves on toner and electricity.
- Use Blackboard for all handouts, including course syllabi.
- Use Blackboard for assignment submission and for testing.
- Save Powerpoints so they must be printed four or six slides to a page.
