This web page focuses on small things you can do as a member of the Saint Mary's College community
to help reduce the waste of resources related to technology at the College and help the
environment at the same time.
Estimated paper use in the Writing Center and Trumper Computer Center
Save a tree - paper conservation
Tips you can use to reduce paper waste
LCD versus CRT - energy conservation
Sleep is good - energy conservation
How to put your computer monitor to sleep (Mac OS and Windows)
Questions
Estimated paper use in the Writing Center and Trumper Computer Center
These estimates are based on the submitted reports from Residential Computer
Consultants attending to the Writing Center printer and the Cluster Consultants attending to the
printers in the Trumper Computer Center:
Trumper Computer Center printers:
- January 2004:
over 53 reams of paper used
over 26500 pages printed
average 18.93 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
- February 2004:
over 92 reams of paper used
over 46000 pages printed
average 32.86 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
- March 2004:
over 100 reams of paper used
over 50000 pages printed
average 35.71 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
Writing Center printer:
- January 2004:
over 25 reams of paper used, over 12500 pages printed
average 8.93 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
average 25.51 pages printed per Le Mans Hall resident
- February 2004:
over 44 reams of paper used, over 22000 pages printed
average 15.71 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
average 44.90 pages printed per Le Mans Hall resident
- March 2004:
over 43 reams of paper used, over 21500 pages printed
average 15.36 pages printed per Saint Mary's student
average 43.88 pages printed per Le Mans Hall resident
These estimates should be considered to be representative of the least amount of paper used during
these time periods in these locations. Averages based on 1400 students studing on
campus this semester and 490 residents of Le Mans Hall. Also, there were 14 class days in
January, 20 class days in February, and 18 class days in March due to semester and spring breaks.
Save a tree (or two, or three, or ten, or a hundred . . .)
Saint Mary's College has a paper recycling plan in place. Please put unwanted paper in
the blue recycling bins provided in the computer clusters, classrooms, and other
locations on campus.
Did you know?
Here are some helpful tips you can use to reduce paper waste:
- Preview your document.
Almost every program has a print preview feature. Make sure you are getting what you want
before you send the job. Print preview can catch mistakes that are easy to make, like printing
with the wrong orientation (landscape or portrait) or printing on the wrong size paper.
You can also spellcheck your document the spell checking tools included with most word
processors, including Microsoft Word.
- Print only one copy.
The printers are not intended to be used as copy machines.
Please do not abuse your free printing privileges by printing multiple copies of a document.
- Be patient for your printouts.
Some documents, especially those with large or detailed
graphics, take a long time to print, it can sometimes seem that your job didn't make it
to the printer. You may also have your document stuck in the queue behind another person's
job that is taking a while to print. You can ask the cluster consultant on duty to check the
printer queue for the status of your print job in Trumper.
- Talk to your professors.
Some professors may allow you to e-mail assignments to them
in order to reduce paper waste. In classes where you have to provide handouts for a
project, send copies to a class e-mail list or listserv.
- PowerPoint handouts can be made with three or more slides per page.
This option is available under the printing menu on both Macintosh and Windows computers.
Instructions for printing out multiple slides per page can be found at
http://www.saintmarys.edu/~clusters/powerpoint.html.
Do not print out PowerPoint presentations with less than three slides per page.
- Print drafts out double-sided.
The Xerox printer in the Trumper Computer Center can print on both sides of a sheet of
paper. This option is available under the printing menu on both Macintosh and Windows computers.
Instructions for printing on both sides of a page can be found at
http://www.saintmarys.edu/~clusters/xeroxduplex.html.
- Use scrap paper. Paper that has already been printed on is not suitable for
use in the printers again. Use the back side of printed paper to take notes
or write messages.
LCD versus CRT
Information Technology began replacing CRT monitors with LCD monitors on Saint Mary's
campus during the summer of 2003.
Liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors are commonly referred to as flat panel displays, and they
are usually much smaller and lighter than their cathode ray tube (CRT) predecessors.
While on the average LCD monitors are more expensive in purchase price than their
classic competitors, LCD monitors offer the consumer a lot in return.
Significant electricity savings are possible through the improved energy efficiency
of the LCD technology. It can even be found that, in some cases, the energy-consumption
of an average LCD display can be half to two-thirds of that for an average CRT. LCD monitors
also generate less heat, meaning lower air-conditioning bills in the summer months.
LCD monitors also have a negligible emission of harmful radiation.
Source: EnergyStar,
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=monitors.lcd
Sleep is good
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, by setting your computer
monitor to sleep when it is not in use, you could save from 100 to 600 kWh per year depending
on your computer use habits. These energy savings are equivalent to $8.50 to $51 a year
saved at 8.5 cents per kWh. In terms of reducing carbon dioxide, this is the equivalent of planting
1,000 to 6,000 square feet of trees or preventing 1 to 4 weeks worth of car emissions.
Setting your computer monitor to sleep will not close applications you have running, interfere
with network settings, or log you out of your computer. It will just turn off your monitor
when it is not being used. Moving your mouse or hitting the space bar on your computer
will wake your computer up from sleep.
Your computer monitor also generates a significant amount of heat. By setting your computer
monitor to sleep, you can help reduce the amount of heat it produces. (This can be especially
important in small residence hall rooms, study carrels, and cramped offices.)
Visit the United States Environmental Protection Agency's
"Sleep is Good"
monitor power management web site at
http://www.energystar.gov/powermanagement/index.asp for more information.
Instructions for putting your computer monitor to sleep:
Mac OS 9
- Go to the Apple menu and select Control Panels -> Energy Saver.
- Make sure the Sleep Setup tab is selected. If it is not, click on it.
- Click on the box next to "Separate timing for display sleep" to put a check in it.
- Move the slider to 10 minutes.
Note: If you wish, you may also decide to put the system to sleep after it has been inactive
for a period of time, such as 30 minutes. Put a check in the box next to that option
and then move the slider accordingly.
- Close the Energy Saver window.
Mac OS X
- Go to the dock and click on System Preferences.
- Click on the Energy Saver icon in the System Preferences window.
- Make sure the Sleep tab is selected. If it is not, click on it.
- Click on the box next to "Separate timing for display sleep" to put a check in it.
- Move the slider to 10 minutes.
Note: If you wish, you may also decide to put the system to sleep after it has been inactive
for a period of time, such as 30 minutes. Put a check in the box next to that option
and then move the slider accordingly.
- Close the Energy Saver window.
Windows 95
- Click on the Start button and select Settings -> Control Panel.
- Double-click the Display icon in the Control Panel window.
- Click the Screen Saver tab, then check the Low-Power Standby box and set it for
10 minutes. Check the Shut Off Monitor box and set it for 20 minutes.
- If the Energy Saving Features of Monitor box is greyed-out and you know you have an
Energy Star labeled monitor:
- Click the Settings tab, then click the Advanced Properties button.
- Add a check in the box marked Monitor is Energy Star Compliant, then return to step 3.
- If you are not sure whether your monitor is ENERGY STAR qualified, make sure that
your monitor has been properly installed and recognized by the operating system.
- If you don't know how to do this, contact your administrator for assistance. Once
properly installed, if the monitor is ENERGY STAR qualified, the Energy Saving Features
of Monitor box should no longer be greyed-out.
- Click OK.
Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows 2000
- Click on the Start button and select Settings -> Control Panel.
- Double-click the Display icon in the Control Panel window.
- In the Display Properties window, click the Screen Saver tab, then click the
Settings button in the Energy Saving Features of Monitor box.
- Under Power Schemes, select Home/Office Desk.
- Set Turn Off Monitor for after 10 minutes.
Note: We do not recommend changing the power management settings for "System standby,"
"Turn off hard disks," or "System hibernates."
- Click OK.
Windows XP
- Click on the Start button and select Settings -> Control Panel.
- Double-click the Display icon in the Control Panel window.
- In the Display Properties window, click the Screen Saver tab, then click the
Power button in the Monitor Power box.
- Under Power Schemes, select Home/Office Desk.
- Set Turn Off Monitor for after 10 minutes.
Note: We do not recommend changing the power management settings for
"Turn off hard disks" or "Hibernation."
- Click OK.
Questions about setting your computer monitor to sleep?
Last Modified April 7, 2004