1st - 7th September, 2008

How to be a super recycler!

This great article from the government, outlines how to be a better recycler.

25th - 31st August, 2008

If you have a dripping tap, do something about it!

A dripping external tap can cause damp if the water begins to penetrate the wall. It has been estimated that a constantly dripping tap wastes at least 5,500 litres of water a year - enough to fill a paddling pool every week for the whole summer. Faulty bath and shower seals - problems that are simple to address - are another prime source of dampness and decay. (Sustain Your Building)

18th - 24th August, 2008

Save paper by printing on double sided.

Many printers on campus are capable of printing double sided (or two-sided). By using this function when you print, you can output the same information, on half the amount of paper. Also, many of the available photocopiers offer duplex printing as an option, so if you insert single sided documents into the paper feeder, the stack will be photocopied double sided automatically.

"If offices throughout the country increased the rate of two-sided photocopying from the 1991 figure of 20% to 60%, they could save the equivelant of about 15 million trees." (from Choose To Reuse by NIkki & David Goldbeck, 1995).

4th - 17th August, 2008

What fraction of household waste put in the general bins is
actually compostable organic matter?

One third. In a landfill, this "green" material breaks down anaerobically to produce methane - a greenhouse gas some 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Separating out materials such as vegetable and fruit peel and cardboard packaging gives you free "fuel" for a compost heap, which will generate nutrient-rich
matter to condition your soil and nourish your plants.

11th - 10th August, 2008

Save energy as you search with Black Google.

Just click on and http://www.blackle.com all will be revealed. Blackle is basically Google inverted. Using Blackle as your search engine saves energy because the screen is predominantly black - a monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen. It has been calculated that using "Black Google" saves 8.3 Megawatt-hours a day worldwide.

28th July - 3rd August, 2008

Recycle your cardboard box waste with OFM.

If you have just purchased a new piece of office equipment, or perhaps reloaded your printer with paper, you may have carboard boxes and waste lying around, taking up valuable space. Rather than dumping it in the rubbish skip, or filling your VISY bin, lodge a request with OFM for them to take the rubbish away. It will then be properly recycled and not consume your space.

21st - 27th July, 2008

Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Most of the globes used in Macquarie University are fluorescent. There is a myth that it is better to leave them switched on all the time, rather than turning them on and off all the time, as it uses less energy (with the assumption that the startup sequence consumes a lot of energy, compared to the low amount of energy used as they operate). Based on research, the myth is not true. We recommend that you turn off your lights if you are going to be away for more than five minutes. MythBusters, a popular tv program, conducted some tests which proves this, however, for some more conclusive and academically sound information, this article from SCIAM is a good read.