Back to Sustainability at Trinity

Faculty and Staff Guide

Steps you can take while at work to contribute to a more sustainable campus.

tips to reduce your carbon footprint

 

How to be more Sustainable at Trinity

  1. Turn off lights and power off electronics when not in use, especially at night, on weekends, and holiday breaks.
    1. Change your computer settings to sleep after 15 minutes or less.
    2. Turn off projectors when leaving classrooms.
    3. Use a power strip so you can turn off all of your electronics easily at the end of the day.
  2. Use natural light whenever possible and opt for floor or desk lamps instead of overhead light.
  3. Don’t open your office or classroom windows when the heat or A/C is on.
  4. If you see any light bulbs that are out, water fountains with low pressure, or have any other maintenance requests click here.
  1. Use Public Transportation as often as you can. Check out the live map that displays real-time bus data created by the Liberal Arts Action Lab.
  2. Walk or ride your bike to work. Fewer personal cars on campus reduces traffic, congestion and CO2 emissions.
  3. Teach your students how to ride the bus. Class field trips are a great way to help students explore the city of Hartford.
  4. If you have to drive, try to carpool. If you have an electric vehicle, Trinity has charging stations located at Crescent St.
  5. Attend events and conferences virtually whenever possible
  6. If you’re traveling within 350 miles (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.), take public transit rather than flying.
  1. Help us reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill. Here are a few tips:
    1.  Carry your own refillable water bottle at all times.
    2. Bring your own mug to Peter B’s or the Underground and receive a discount.
    3. Order your drinks in real cups or mugs if you don’t need them ‘to go’.
    4. Only take food that you will eat. If you end up with food waste, make sure to compost it.
    5. Have reusable dishware and silverware in your office for events and daily use
    6.  Before disposing of office supplies, check with Joe Barber to see if they can be donated to the Office Supply Swap table or the COOP, or offer them to the Trinity Community on our new Freecycle Listserv.
  2. Compost
    1. Faculty and Staff can sign up to compost their home food scraps for free at Trinity. If you are interested, fill out this google form.
  3.  Reuse
    1. Before ordering office supplies, check the Office Supply Swap table in the basement of Mather and the COOP in the basement of Jackson Hall. Also ask for the item on the Freecycle Listserv.
    2. If you are need of office furniture, reach out to Hayley Berliner to find out if Trinity has the item you’re looking for in storage.
    3. Only print when absolutely necessary, and make sure to print double sided.
    4. Use the back of one-sided prints as scrap paper.
  4. Recycle
    1. Trinity College participates in single stream recycling. This means all your recyclables go in the same bin. All of our dining facilities compost kitchen scraps, and in Mather Hall you can compost any food left on your plate. For more information on recycling and composting click here.
    2. Some items are harder to recycle, such as light bulbs, batteries, small electronics and plastics bags. Bring those items to the recycling center in Mather Hall. We also recycle ink cartridges, bring them to the Office of Community Service and Civic engagement in the basement of Mather.
    3. You can also donate items that could be reused to stock The Coop, the Book Swap table, the Office Supply Swap table or be given to a local organization. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to donate.
      1. During the spring of 2019 the Office of Community Service and Civic engagement partnered with the Office of Sustainability to create a Bantam Office Supplies Exchange in addition to the existing Book Swap. Both are located in the basement of Mather Hall by the elevator and are open all year as long as there is inventory.
  1. Order paper with 50% or more recycled content.
  2. When ordering supplies, try to consolidate small orders into one larger order to reduce transportation emissions.
  3. Before ordering new, check with the Trinity community on Freecycle to see if you can get the item used (and for free).
  1. Use the Green Events Guide to make your event as sustainable as possible.
  2. Tag your event as “sustainable” on LiveWhale
  1. Students, faculty, and staff can also lead a sustainable lifestyle by acquiring a plot at our community garden. Trinity College’s Community Garden is managed by Trinfo Cafe, a community space connecting Hartford to Trinity College. The community garden is a space where local residents can connect with rest of the Trinity community and build relationships based on mutual interests, like gardening, composting, cooking or beekeeping.
  2. Trinity’s recreation department offers a variety of fitness classes on and off-campus, including but not limited to rock-climbing, Zumba and yoga. All classes are open to Trinity faculty and staff.
  3. Get outdoors and schedule a walking meeting.
  4. Sustainability is about finding a balance in all aspects, not only environmentally. Please visit our Health and Wellness page to find more information on our Counseling and Wellness Center, Spiritual and Religious Life, fitness, and the Health Center.
GET IN TOUCH

Sustainability Coordinator

Hayley Berliner 300 Summit Street
Hartford, CT 06106
[email protected]
860-297-5247