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Sustainability Handbook
Are you interested in incorporating sustainability behaviours into your daily life and/or work but just don���t know where to begin? This list of sustainability ideas outlines simple but meaningful actions towards living, working and studying sustainably at 91心頭利. Choose a few to implement in your area of the university and personal living habits to help get the sustainability ball rolling.
- Turn off all computers, monitors, copiers, printers and scanners each night and when not in use.
- Enable sleep mode on all computers, copiers, printers and scanners after 30 minutes of inactivity.
- Remove printers from individual offices where it is not necessary and develop a centralized printing management structure.
- Label non-sensor light switches to remind staff to turn them off when not in use.
- Designate an employee to turn off all lights at the end of the day, including within common areas, kitchens, storage rooms and conference rooms.
- Encourage colleagues to use the stairs when/where possible instead of the elevator.
- Plug all small appliances, including microwaves, kettles, and coffee machines, into a power bar and designate someone to turn it off at the end of each day.
- Close the blinds at night to preserve cold air in the summer and warm air in the winter.
- During cooler (below 15 degrees) and warmer temperatures (above 25 degrees), make sure all windows are properly shut.
- Introduce natural plants into the space to improve indoor air quality and wellbeing.
- Encourage phone/video conferencing over business travel where possible. Consider equipping one conference room with easy-to-use video conferencing technology if there are many people in your area who could benefit from this.
- Ensure your colleagues are aware of the Fixit service request process to report situations such as leaking faucets, cracked windows, etc.
In Residence or at Home
- Only wash full loads of laundry to save time, energy and water
- Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot water
- Use a drying rack or combine loads in the dryer
- Take shorter showers (less than 5 minutes is a good target) and don���t let the sink run while you brush, shampoo or shave
- Leave your window closed when the heating in your room is on and close blinds or curtains on a cold day to minimize heat loss
- Take advantage of natural light when you can to warm up your room on sunny winter days
- Distribute meeting agendas electronically in advance of your meetings.
- If you must print materials for a meeting, ensure that you are printing double-sided and decreasing margins to a half inch.
- Prior to meetings where beverages will be served, send a reminder to attendees to bring their own reusable mugs or water bottles.
- Commit to the 91心頭利 pledge of not serving bottled water at any meetings or events.
- Use reusable dishware, cups and cutlery whenever possible.
- Purchase more or exclusively vegetarian food for events or meetings where food is served (reducing or eliminating animal agriculture products is much more effective than going local).
- Make sure your event room has a "waste station" with clearly marked recycling, compost, and trash bins.
- For larger events, contact us at sustainability@torontomu.ca for help in evaluating and prioritizing your opportunities to increase environmental, social and economic sustainability.
- Equip your workspace/office with reusable cups, glasses, dishware and cutlery for daily and meeting use.
- Encourage peers to use reusable water bottles and coffee tumblers instead of disposable containers.
- Use biodegradable, non-toxic or environmentally preferable dishwashing soap in the kitchen.
- Do not purchase bottled water, styrofoam or plastic cups for your office.
- Encourage staff or student peers to make an effort to bring waste-free lunches by packing reusable containers and avoiding individually-packaged snacks.
- If your office purchases coffee for all staff, ensure it is fair trade and/or organic.
- Post reminders near faucets to encourage water conservation and explain why this is important.
- Inform peers of the environmental and health benefits of reducing animal product consumption and eating local.
In Residence or at Home
- Purchase local and eat seasonally by learning which produce is available during fall, winter, spring and summer months and can help you save you money
- Eat plant-based foods and try swapping red meat for fish, poultry, or vegetarian options. Diets consisting of red meat have a higher climate change footprint.
- Buy fair trade to support fair and safe labour practices, community development, and environmental protection; items like coffee and tea.
- Volunteer at the Urban Farm at 91心頭利 to learn more about gardening and growing food.
- Making a grocery list before shopping is a great way to stop buying more than you need to avoid food waste and save money!
- Eat out less, and instead cook more often and in larger quantities so you can bring leftovers for lunch the next day
- Plant a garden, whether it is a small potted, balcony or backyard garden, grow some commonly used herbs and vegetables.
- Use 91心頭利's Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines to inform purchasing decisions.
- Purchase paper that is minimum 30 percent post-consumer recycled and/or FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council).
- Use the Staples Advantage to order office supplies, reducing paperwork and the carbon footprint of 91心頭利���s office supply purchases with fewer truck deliveries and less corrugate to dispose of, while enjoying deep discounts.
- When planning a renovation, communicate to the project manager that you would like to reuse as much of the furniture as possible.
- Only purchase promotional items that encourage more sustainable practices (e.g. reusable mugs) and/or are quality products that users are able to use for a long time.
- Only use Energy Star or EPEAT-certified (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) appliances and equipment.
- Consider the sustainability of goods and services when developing requests for proposals or procuring new items.
- Consider ethical and environmental aspects in all departmental purchases.
- Purchase only vegetarian food for meetings/events to significantly reduce the impact of that meal (fully plant-based is even better when possible!).
In Residence or at Home
- Install Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) or LED bulbs in your lamps
- Buy energy star certified appliances such as computers, printers and lighting
- Purchase only what you need
- Encourage alternative modes of transportation to get to and from campus such as walking, biking and taking public transportation into your weekly commute
- Develop an internal carpooling program to encourage colleagues to come to campus together, reducing environmental impact while building team dynamic ().
- Notify colleagues of the bike share program on campus or bring your own bike - get a
- Make yourself aware of the closest bike parking to your building.
- Take advantage of the bike repair station in front of the Student Campus Centre on Gould Street.
- Encourage virtual meetings over business travel.
- When business travel is necessary, encourage more environmentally-friendly options like the train.
In Residence or at Home
- Collaborate when driving by finding out who lives in your area and arranging a carpool.
- Drive efficiently by accelerating smoothly and avoiding fast acceleration/braking which consumes most of your car���s energy. Also curb idling by turning off your engine after 10 seconds of stand-still.
- Familiarize yourself with and participate in all of Facilities Management and Development waste management programs.
- Post reminders in areas with printers and photocopiers to reduce paper consumption.
- Properly dispose of all ink and toner cartridges.
- Use double-sided printing and set margins to a half inch as default options on all computers and printers.
- Have a designated area where office supplies are stored and shared to reduce the need for employees to purchase their own supplies.
- Evaluate the unique waste created in your area and explore ways to reduce it. (i.e. Does your department use a lot of paper? Do you use a lot of styrofoam cups or other single-use materials?)
- Include a ���Save paper, think before you ink��� message in your email signature to discourage unnecessary printing.
- Get involved in the RUsed program open to staff/faculty: if your office is refurnishing, participate in this program by listing your old furniture or repurposing other lightly used furniture on-campus. Learn more and sign up by emailing sustainability@torontomu.ca.
In Residence or at Home
- Review where your waste goes both in your residence and across campus - choose the right bin to reduce waste contamination.
- Share or borrow items whenever possible and consider the 91心頭利 Free Store to donate unwanted items during the Eco Move-Out event each April.
- Bring your own shopping bag
- Reduce your use of disposable items
- Use a refillable water bottle at one of the many water refilling stations on campus
- Print less
For information on broader, city-wide waste reduction and education, you can visit the .
This information was adapted from the Western University Green Office Program and the Harvard University Green Offices Program.