Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff who are going to be away from the dorm room, office or home for an extended period of time over the holidays should remember to power down before they leave. Doing so is a great way to reduce one’s energy consumption and environmental impact.
Students:
- Turn off all lights, including in common rooms.
- Defrost and unplug refrigerators before leaving.
- Turn off and unplug computers, printers, microwaves, lamps, televisions and anything else that is plugged in. Many types of electronic equipment still draw small amounts of electricity (vampire energy) even when turned off.
- Check the thermostat and set it to 65 degrees.
- Make sure all faucets are completely turned off and not dripping.
Faculty and staff:
- If permitted in your area, turn off and unplug all computers, monitors, printers, microwaves, lamps, cell phone chargers, televisions, copiers, fax machines, coffee makers, etc., that will not be in use while staff is gone to reduce vampire power.
- Turn off all lights in offices, including lights in break rooms and bathrooms.
- Check the thermostat setting and set it to 65 degrees or lower.
- If you work in a lab, close fume hood sashes before leaving for the holidays.
- Make sure all faucets are completely turned off and not dripping.
- At home, consider turning down your hot water heater.
Visit the Holiday Greening Guide or the ThinkOne website for additional ways you can reduce your energy consumption and green your holidays at Vanderbilt.
For more information about Vanderbilt’s sustainability program, visit SustainVU, become a fan of the SustainVU Facebook page, or contact SEMO at sustainVU@vanderbilt.edu.
Contact: SEMO, (615) 322-9022
sustainvu@vanderbilt.edu