• Shade Grown: Many farmers now use full sun to grow their coffee crops which leads to deforestation.  Shade grown coffee also uses less water and is better for wildlife.·        
• Organic: Coffee grown organically doesn’t involve pesticides that can be harmful to workers and that can also get into the water system. ·        
• Fair Trade: Items with the Fair Trade distinction mean that a fair trade of the profits goes directly to the farmers.Gourmet Dining Services runs the Tech Café which serves Starbucks coffees and teas.  Starbucks is committed to environmental stewardship and fair trade practices.   Play their free Planet Green Game at game at www.planetgreengame.com/  and see what affect you can have on global warming.   

6. Clean Green and Make a Salad!

Instead of using toxic cleaners that can contribute to indoor air pollution and contaminate water, check out natural-based cleaners instead.  Or use natural household items to clean, which are often less expensive, such as baking soda, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar and olive oil (sounds like a great salad dressing too!).   ·        

• Make an all-purpose cleaner with equal parts vinegar and water, put it in a spray bottle and use it to clean windows, mirrors, countertops, sinks, and toilets.  ·        
• Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your laundry to soften clothes and cut down on odors.·        
• Mix baking soda and water to form a paste and use it to scrub fixtures and tile.  ·        
• Clean your toilet by sprinkling baking soda in your toilet, adding some vinegar to make it fizz, and cleaning with a toilet brush.
• Clean wood surfaces by combining 2 parts lemon juice with 1 part olive oil and put it on a rag and wipe.  ·        
• Find out how to clean green at www.thegreenguide.com/doc/120/diy.   

7. Buy Local! Eat Local! Play Local!

Much of our food travels an average of 1500 to 2500 miles to get to us—that’s a lot of carbon emissions.  To reduce the transportation impact of food and other items, while also supporting your local economy, consider buying local goods.  NJIT’s Gourmet Dining Services is committed to buying local produce and goods, and even offers a steamed organic veggie station in the Anytime Dining Cafeteria.  ·        

• Buy books, including used ones, at a local (NJIT Bookstore) or independent bookstore.  ·        
• For food, check out local community farmers markets, farms and gardens.  Many markets and some grocery stores offer organic and local produce.  Read the signs in the store.  Check out  www.localharvest.org  for more info.·        
• Read the labels and become more aware of where your food comes from.  Try to buy items made or grown within 500 miles of where you live.  For more info on your food miles, check out  www.locavores.com. ·        
• Check out local businesses for products and entertainment to see what they have to offer.  Many of them give discounts to students by showing your NJIT ID.  
• Some local places to check out (where you can walk or take NJ Transit) are the Newark Museum (free to NJIT students), NJPAC, Prudential Center and Bears Stadium.   

8. Buy Recycled!

There a many products out there that are made of or are recycled materials such as:·        

• Paper and cardboard (think about the packaging!)·        
• Toilet paper (yes!), tissues, and paper towels·        
• Paper and plastic bags.  Better yet, get a reusable bag!  The NJIT Bookstore sells cool black “Used Saves” bags for just $1.
• Clothes (yes, those too!).   Vintage (used) clothes are also popular and often cheaper!·        
• You can also buy recycled items found at garage sales and second hand shops.  ·        
• When you’re ready to get rid of something, consider if it can be used again.  Donate it to charity, organize an “end of the year stuff drive” or have a garage sale or just give it away. 
• Check out  www.freecycle.org,  www.swapstyle.com and  www.clotheswap.org for more ways to get and get rid of your unwanted stuff.   

9. Report It!

If you see a faucet dripping, don’t look the other way!  If the heat or air conditioning is too high, don’t just open a window to counteract it.  Instead, report it so something can be done right away.   This way you can help save water and reduce energy use and waste. In the residence halls, report it to your RA, the Area Coordinator or the Residence Life Office in Cypress Hall.  In the Campus Center, report it to the office behind the information desk.   For other areas on campus, report it to Physical Plant in the Specht Building (by SOA).  And don’t forget about reporting it when you go out too!  

10. Send Packaging Packing!

The amount of excess packaging tossed into landfills is outrageous!  Reducing your packaging trash by 10% could save the atmosphere 1,200 pounds of CO2 per year.  You can cut back on your packaging by:·        

• Buying things in bulk to reduce packaging.  Don’t need a lot of something, go in with your friends or roommates.  Bulk shopping can also save you money!·        
• Avoiding buying items with excess packaging.  Let you favorite companies know that you do not want the extra packaging by sending them an email.·        
• Reusing some of the packaging the next time you mail something instead of just throwing it away.   If you can’t reuse it, recycle it.  Making one ton of recycled plastic versus new plastic saves 685 gallons of oil. ·        
• Washing out and reusing aluminum foil and plastic bags makes sense (and cents!) since they are rarely used-up after one use.  Better yet, use reusable containers!·        
• Using your own utensils and cloth napkins instead of using the plastic and paper ones from the local take-out restaurant.  And, reuse or recycle the plastic containers!  

11. Recycle Your Used Stuff & Help Others!

As we use stuff, it’s important for us to recycle as much as we can, including:·        

• Printer Cartridges - Drop them off in the recycling box in the Campus Center lobby, take them to a local office supply company (Staples will give you a $3 credit).  Many new printer cartridges come with an envelop to mail back the used one free for recycling. Check out  www.recycleplace.com for more info. ·        
• Cell Phones - many are refurbished to benefit women in domestic violence shelters  www.collectivegood.com. You can drop off your phone in the recycling box in the Campus Center, the Body Shop or visit  www.calltoprotect.org. ·        
• TVs, PDAs, Cameras, MP3 Players and more -   www.recycleforbreastcancer.org  will send you a prepaid shipping label to recycle these goods for a profit and then donate the proceeds to a national breast cancer charity. ·        
• Batteries - Take regular ones to a local community recycling center or drop them off in the Campus Center recycling box.  Take worn out rechargeable batteries to Radio Shack for recycling. ·        
• Eyeglasses - Lens Crafters stores will clean, repair and send old glasses to developing countries. The Lions Club also collects and distributes them to people in need.  ·        
• Sneakers - send your old ones to Nike at  www.nikereuseashoe.com. Their NikeGO campaign recycles the rubber, foam and leather to make athletic flooring for kids.  Or send gently used running shoes to  www.oneworldrunning.com for distribution to athletes in Latin America and Africa.  

12. Butts Out!

Worldwide, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are tossed on the ground every year!  They release harmful chemicals, cost lots of money, harm people’s health and make a mess.  Think about it - if you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day at a cost of $5.65 per pack, that’s $39.55/week, $169.55/month and $2,062.25/year!  In 5 years that could be over $10,000!   What’s in your wallet?  And did you know that tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals of which at least 60 are known carcinogens!  If you’re a smoker, try to make a personal effort for yourself and the environment. .  Need help quitting?  Saint Barnabas Health care offers local support at  www.instituteforprevention.com.  If you don’t smoke, then encourage your smoking friends to snuff out their butts in responsible locations.  They don’t just disappear and biodegrade! 

13. Get Loaded & Hang It Up!

When doing laundry, only wash full loads to save water, time, money, and reduce soapy chemicals from entering the water supply.  Wash clothes in cold or warm water (not hot!) to help save more energy.  If you’re really ready to make an impact, buy biodegradable laundry soaps and concentrated detergents without phosphates.   Powdered detergents are better for the environment because the packaging is usually cardboard (some are even made from recycled paper) and they weigh less, therefore using less fuel to transport to your favorite store.  If you use liquid detergents, be sure to recycle the plastic containers.  Clean the lint trap in the dryer to help it run more efficiently.   Better yet, get a portable drying rack or rope and hang up your clothes instead!  Clothes that are hung up usually last longer if they are not subject to the damaging heat of a dryer, thus saving money and the need to buy more clothes! 

14. Light Up & Shut Down!

How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?  One - and it starts with you!  Yes, those swirly compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) really do save a lot of energy and money.  The typical CFL can save about 75% of energy compared to an incandescent bulb, and they last 10 times longer!  It’s possible that when you graduate you could be using the same CFL you used as a freshmen!  If every house in the U.S. switched to just one CFL, it would eliminate the greenhouse gasses equivalent to 800,000 cars per year! Also, remember to turn out the lights when you’re not using them and shut down electronics, heaters and air conditioners.   For more info about switching to CFLs visit www.onebillionbulbs.com.  

15. People Power!

When you can, leave your car parked! Walking and biking are great exercise and don’t release any CO2 into the environment.  And, biking 30 minutes a day may add 4 years to your life! You can sign out a bike in the Campus Center Game Room for free.  NJ Transit is another green way to go.  You can pick-up train and bus schedules in the Campus Center Lobby or on line at  www.njtransit.com.   Students can get a 25% discount on monthly passes through the NJIT Pipeline.  Also, NJ Transit has a free ride week for students from September 15—21 and again in January 2009.   Try it—you might like it! 

16. Be Green & Save Green!

Wow—have you seen the price of gas this week?!  By reducing the gas you use in your vehicle,  which helps reduce CO2 emissions, you can be green and save some green!  If one million drivers stay parked for one day, 20,000 tons of CO2 emissions would be saved. Here’s some other tips for greening your ride:·        

• Inflate your tires properly and you could improve your gas mileage by 3% - 7%. - that’s  1—2 tanks of gas a year!  The average tire loses about one pound of pressure every month, so check them regularly.  Underinflated tires don’t roll as efficiently and wear out faster.  ·        
• Keep you car working efficiently by doing regular oil changes and tune-ups.  A simple tune-up can improve your car’s fuel efficiency from 15% - 50%. ·        
• Run the air conditioning and heat only when you really need to.  Also, keeping your windows closed helps reduce drag on your car.  Cool off by opening the car’s vents. ·        
• Don’t let your car idle.  Allowing your car to idle for 10 seconds actually uses more gas then turning it off and on again. ·        
• Get rid of the junk in your trunk! Reduce the weight you carry in your car.  Heavier vehicles need more gas.  Add an extra 100 pounds and you burn an extra 2% in gas.  ·        
• Carpool to school or when you run errands.  Check with classmates to see where they’re coming from or check out the Ride Board in the Campus Center Lobby.   You may make a new friend!·        
• For more tips on greening your ride, check out www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drivehabits.shtml.  

17. BYOB To-Go Go!

No, it’s not what you think!  Bring your own bag! But bags aren’t the only things that you can bring to help reduce and reuse!·        

• Keep a reusable bag handy when you go shopping, then you won’t contribute to the up to 1 trillion plastic bags used every year!  In the US alone, it takes about 12 million barrels of oil to make all of these bags, and they contaminate the soil and waterways often hurting wildlife.·        
• Use your own mug, cup, plate, utensils — whatever!  Keep a supply in your room instead of using disposable ones.  ·        
• Bring your own mug or water bottle so you don’t have to use disposable ones.  Gourmet Dining Services will be selling reusable coffee mugs for $5, and you get a discount on coffee & tea when you bring your mug!  GDS will also let you fill-up your reusable water bottle at any of their food venues for free.·        
• Bring your own to-go container with you when you eat out. When restaurants serve huge helpings and then give you a Styrofoam to-go container, whip out your own container or bag for your next day’s meal!   Styrofoam usually lands up in the landfill and may be around for 1000 years!  It can be recycled, check out  www.epspackaging.org/info.html to find a place near you.   

18. Become a Greenie!

The best way to help create a sustainable world is learn more about the environment, the issues that affect it, and ways that you can have an impact.   Going green happens in steps, depending on your interests and efforts.  Every little bit helps.  ·        

• Read about sustainability issues.  Check out the Nature Conservancy web page at  www.nature.org for information on their campaign for a sustainable planet or  www.thegreenguide.com for general green info. ·        
• Get involved on campus or in your community.  Join a student organization such as SCEED: Students Concerned with Efficient Environmental sceed@yahoo.com design or the new NJIT chapter of the Green Energy Council.  Become part of the Campus Center Go Green Initiative or the Residence Life Green Team. ·        
• Attend a presentation such as the Technology and Science Forums.·        
• Watch a film like “An Inconvenient Truth” or read a book like The World Without Us (2007) or The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook (2007).·        
• Learn your carbon or ecological footprint at  www.myfootprint.org or  www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html or  www.safeclimate.net. ·        
• Discuss sustainability issues with anyone who will listen.·        
• Choose class projects that involve sustainable topics.