Emory is dedicated to green sustainability efforts!

You know that Blue and Gold make Green…read on to see how Emory continues to go the distance in true colors! Give yourselves and each other a hand for we have much to celebrate for 2013!

In the first few years of our 21st century, Emory began making plans to reduce energy; in 2006 we made an institutional commitment to reduce energy use by 25% per square foot by 2015 from 2005 levels. Since then we have earnestly learned to reduce, reuse and/or recycle so much: white paper, other paper, plastics, aluminum, CD’s & DVD’s, electronic equipment, sachet waste (wrappers!) and even compost food and food containers. Check out the Sustainability dashboard to see “How we are doing“.

One of our major energy savers is the Holiday Turndown: three two-day periods this holiday season (December 24 – 25, 28 – 29, and December 31 – January 1), where the heating systems in some buildings will be programmed to maintain a 55° F minimum set point to reduce energy costs while still protecting building contents. A number of academic buildings are on the list, but our very own 1762 Clifton, 1599 Clifton and Candler Library are featured on the list. Way to go LITS!

Make your own LITS turndown…if you can – turn off the computer, the monitor, the surge protector, the fan, the heater (gasp! unplug it), the printers, the lights wherever possible – before you go on vacation.

Grace Notes for 2013 Sustainability at Emory:

• We won first place in the Waste Reduction category at the 35th Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Awards of 2013!
• We also won first place amongst Higher Ed Institutions for the “Best of Green Schools 2013” from the US Green Building Council! Best of Green 2013 There’s a great article on the site that reminds us of Whitehead’s inception as the first LEED certified building in the Southeast, 2002; we’ve come a long LEED way since then.
• We continue to work on the Green Office Initiative AND the Green Event Planner…coming soon to a space and time for you.
• Composting is a huge win this year and Woodruff Library should be very proud of its recent rollout! Emory uses this compost to enrich the landscapes that we enjoy on a daily basis.

Did you get a holiday tree this year and wonder what you’ll do with it when the season ends? A number of Home Depot stores will have a tree recycling center right after New Year’s Day and DeKalb County will pick them up on Mondays throughout the neigborhood to chip into mulch for use throughout the county AND for you (free but bring truck and shovel).

May 2014 be Energy Efficient and bring us closer to the -25% by 2015…Be Green and Be Happy Everyone!