Welcome to Conserve It!, the eco-conscious newsletter giving you up-to-date information on environmentally-friendly practices and standards. Read how you can Save It! and Can It! – not just for the Health System, but for Mother Earth's well-being!

Researchers taking charge

Lesa Begley, research associate, U-M Medical School

Welcome to the Green Room

By their very nature, research laboratories can use a lot of energy. But how can you conserve and recycle – and still protect the integrity of a lab’s research?

Lesa Begley, a research associate in the U-M Medical School, recently led a green effort in Dr. Jill Macoska’s Urology lab. Conserve It! sat down with Lesa to talk about the changes her team made.

Conserve It: What was most important to you?
Lesa: We want to recycle and conserve, but in a lab we have to make sure that our actions do not interfere with the research or with lab procedures. We also know that if being green’s not easy, people won’t do it. At the same time, every little bit counts. We try to get creative on dual-purposing any packaging materials, and we work with Occupational Safety and Environmental Health to recycle our X-ray films. 

Talking with our custodians helped. They told us we could just place our big cardboard boxes out in the hallway for pick-up, and they educated us on what can be segregated out for recycling. It helps to be aware of those materials that you work with every day that can be recycled.

We also set up a place for recyclable plastics because we dispose of a lot of plastics. We created a main bin on this floor, and all the labs use it.

Conserve It:  Laboratories can use a lot of energy. What steps did you take to help with the electrical burden?
Lesa: For a lab, conserving energy is harder than recycling because you have some equipment that can’t be turned off. But we do leave the third bank of overhead lights off, and the last person out always turns off any unnecessary lights and equipment.

Conserve It: Any other steps you’re taking in terms of training your staff?
Lesa: We make a conscious effort to train people on what biohazard waste is -- and isn’t. It turns out most of our trash can go in the regular trash.

Visit the Environmental Stewardship Web site for more information on what you can do in your laboratory, office space or clinic.

Brownouts

The Kind of Brownie Points Nobody Wants

Ah, late summer, early fall. ‘Tis the season of 90-degree weather that puts a strain on energy consumption and thunderstorms that erupt suddenly – both of which can lead to brownouts.

A brownout is a condition in which the nominal voltage on the electrical power line is reduced below 10 percent of its normal rate. Brownouts occur on very hot and humid days because the demand for energy begins to exceed the supply. Air conditioning is the primary culprit. Thunderstorms also can create brownouts when high winds push wet tree limbs against power lines.  

How to Spot a Brownout
Brownouts cause incandescent lights to dim, resulting in a brownish color -- hence the name. While this in not a problem for lights and other resistive loads like stoves and toasters, it is very destructive to motor loads like refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, fans, water well pumps, dehumidifiers and microwave ovens. Permanent damage will occur to a motor load if it’s powered during a brownout for an extended period of time, like several hours. Interestingly, the lower the voltage, the faster the damage will occur. This phenomenon can be seen when your lights dim momentarily when the refrigerator motor or vacuum turns on. During a brownout, the motor never comes up to full speed, and the excessive current causes it to heat up, eventually burning it out. TVs, computers, monitors and radios are affected by brownouts as well; however, such electronics are not permanently damaged, they just will not work during a brownout.

What to do at home and at work during a brownout:

• Report a brownout to the local utility company or the Facilities Department because this helps them troubleshoot problems.
• Turn the thermostat up to 75 degrees in non-patient areas (in patient care areas, thermostats should remain at 73 degrees).
• Use copiers or other large motorized equipment in the morning, and turn them off in the afternoon.
• Close window shades during the day to block out heat, and close any windows or doors to help keep the humidity outside and the dry, cool air inside.
• If possible, turn off or unplug major appliances: refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner, dehumidifier, etc., so as to not damage the motors.  Monitor an incandescent light to see when normal conditions return. 
• Treat a brownout like a power outage, and if you have a portable generator, disconnect the power to your home and run the generator.

Power in Numbers

877 Tons and What Do You Get?

In Fiscal Year 2006, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers recycled 877 tons of material. What does that mean in terms of savings?

3,070 cubic yards of landfill conserved
15,678 trees saved
6,163,840 gallons of water saved
2,193 barrels of oil saved
3,873,552 kilowatt hours of electricity saved

Want to see how others around U-M are doing? Visit Plant Operations’ Waste Management division online.
See recycling statistics, by building, and print out your area’s poster! 

Going Green Tips 

The Grass Could Always Be Greener…

What are green meetings?

Did you know that all aspects of a meeting -- from planning to implementation – can be considered on a green scale? Meeting location, printed materials, food, energy used and the waste produced can all be given the “green treatment.” Try some of the tips below when organizing your next event or meeting.

Paper Reduction Tips

• Don’t print agendas. Send agendas out though e-mail ahead of time, project them on a screen, or write them on a board at the meeting.
• If you must use paper, use 100 percent post-consumer recycled content.
• Use paperless technology. New media and electronic technology can help cut down paper use. Create a conference Web site; offer electronic registration and advertise using the Web and/or e-mail.
• If you must print, be sure to print double-sided.
• At the end of the meeting, collect the agendas that people don’t need or aren’t used and use them for scrap paper or printing drafts.
• Make presentation handouts available online or send them out electronically.
• Make promotional banners and wall posters that are undated, so they can be reused in the future.

Transportation Tips

• Location, Location, Location
• Stay close. Reduce distances travelled by attendees. Choose a venue that is close to as many of the attendees as possible.
• When possible, suggest public transport options or a shuttle service. If driving is necessary, try to arrange car shares to reduce emissions.
• Try to locate a hotel and meeting venue within walking distance of each other.
• Promote the use of videoconferencing, Webcasts and other electronic means to reduce travel to meetings.  And, if you have GroupWise Messenger, you can now hold a meeting via this nifty communications tool. 

Food Service Tips

• Serve food that is local, seasonal and organic to minimize the environmental impact.
• Compost as much of the food waste as possible.
• Provide reusable plates, cups and silverware.
• If disposables must be used, purchase compostable plates, cups and silverware.
• Serve vegetarian items. Methane from livestock is a major greenhouse gas contributor. Also, significantly less water is used in crop production versus meat production.
• Have your food and beverage service provider use bulk dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper, cream and other condiments.
• Encourage attendees to bring their own coffee mugs or provide them at the beginning of the conference/meeting.

General Green Meeting Tips

• Practice the 3Rs! Provide visible -- and accessible --  Reduction, Reuse and Recycling services for paper and containers.
• Ask exhibitors to minimize promotional gifts, packaging or handouts that are likely to end up in the trash.
• Turn off lights and equipment when not in use.
• Create signage that can be reused in future events.

Courtesy of U-M Plant Operations Waste Management Services

A little Green Inspiration

How Green Is Your Valley? Need a little inspiration to go green at home? The artist Chris Jordan created a gallery to help visualize the sheer volume of materials recycled from daily life. Visit the site.

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