So here is my concern. I am going away to college in the fall and am worried about what I can do to my dorm to make it more efficient when living with other people and not owning the dorm. Then I got to thinking about all the other dorms, and whether or not the school has taken it upon itself to save some green while making the dorms green. I do not know what I could do to the dorm to make it better when living with well...strangers, and don't know who I would talk to about my concerns. I know that I will be washing most of my clothes by hand, and when using the school's washing machine for jeans and towels will use my environmentally friendly detergent and fabric softener sheets, but it's the appliances and overall use of them that I am concerned about, and don't know what I could do about it. The thermostat is also an issue I am concerned with, the other people I am living with might want the air conidtioner at a much lower setting than my usual 78 degrees and when it's nice out to open all the windows. It's basically my worries about wasted energy use in the dorms,and what is recycled on campus.
Any ideas anyone has about how I can make my dorm better, and hopefully all of the dorms better, and what to do about possible disagreements with what is done in the dorm would be much appreciated. :)
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Dorm Room Concerns
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Not a problem
Don't even worry about it.
In my dorm, the washers were huge. So I never hand-washed my laundry. I did one big load every week or so. (I did have a large dorm, though, and brought a lot of clothes.)
Get a CFL bulb for your desk lamp. Get a power strip for your computer/lamp/cell phone charger and unplug it or turn it off before you leave for class.
Recycling on my campus was great. However, each item had to be done separately (glossy paper, colored paper, white paper, plastic, glass, aluminum...) but I did that once or twice a week so it was never burdensome. We had one very small recycling bin in our dorm so it got full quickly and there was never a lot to sort.
Just have a talk with your roommate. Mine was actually very awesome and we agreed to always turn off/unplu before leaving. It was her compromise to my lifestyle, as I agreed to turn off the main light when she went to bed, use headphones and have phone conversations outside if she was sleeping or studying. If you are conscious of her, she will show you respect as well.
Recycling
In my dorm last year we had a recycling challege. It was headed by the dorm directors and RAs. We recycled paper, plastic, glass etc. And we also had a clothing donation within our dorm too to help local shelters get more clothes and other things.
I think it would be a good idea to talk to you floor advisor and maybe as a floor make a Green Challenge or Contest. They are always looking for ideas to get more students involved and joining groups. Also, talk to your roommates and tell them that you are trying to conserve energy and recycle and if they could try to do their part you would be very thankful. Telling them right away will help keep drama low.
it says someone replied to
it says someone replied to my post but i dont see the reply..
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Agree to Disagree
My roommate liked to have the dorm at a much colder temperature than I did (I would have preferred to leave the AC off). I ended up having to give in and wear sweaters.
The best suggestion I have is that you should just do your best to stay green and hope that others will follow your example. From what I see, a LOT of energy is wasted in the dorms. The hallway lights are ALWAYS on, there are tons of lights on outside, etc.
Also, we have recycling bins but I've seen our janitors just throwing them away. It's a shame that no one seems to care :o(