Ithaca College

Please help Ithaca College conserve energy, save money, and lighten our collective "carbon footprint" during the upcoming Thanksgiving break. Here are some tips on how you can do your part to reduce electricity waste. Before you leave your office for the vacation:

1) Turn off your computer, monitor, and audio speakers. If these are all plugged into a power strip, eliminate "phantom load" by switching off the power strip as well! This is a good habit to get into -- not just at break periods, but every night and certainly over the weekend! It doesn't hurt your computer to turn it off. Modern computer equipment doesn't require much energy to turn on, and it saves much more energy to have the equipment turned off when not in use. In addition, switching off and rebooting your network-connected equipment on a daily basis actually helps the College by allowing ITS to update your programs and run virus scans.

(2) Switch off all office copiers, network and desktop printers, fax machines, research equipment, and any other noncritical electric equipment. (Again, any of these items that can be plugged into a power strip, please do so and turn the power strip OFF!)

(3) Turn off all overhead or task lighting.

(4) Make sure any under-desk heater is turned off and unplugged. Better yet, take it home and leave it home. Help support the College's thermostat "set-point" policy. Bring in a sweater instead when you return from vacation.

(5) If you're the last one out of your area: after you turn off the overhead lights, take a quick look around for any little glowing green, orange, or yellow lights. Each little light means that piece of equipment is still drawing power. If it's not critical that that particular piece of equipment stays on, please turn it off.

Safe travels and have a happy Thanksgiving! Know that the good folks in Facilities will be VERY thankful knowing all members of our campus community are doing their part to reduce College electricity waste.