Minimize your computer's impact on the environment

• Avoid wasting electricity
• Avoid wasting paper
• Dispose of old equipment responsibly
• Specific actions for IU instructors

Avoid wasting electricity

• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
  Note:

  At Indiana University, computers in campus offices may be set to receive updates while you are not using them; check with your local UITS support person for options before changing your current practices. However, it is always safe to turn off your monitor when not in use and, with older monitors, can make a significant difference in energy use.
• Use power management settings, available on most newer computers. Power management settings determine when the computer and monitor shut off, or go into sleep or hibernate modes, which use less power than regular operating mode.
  Note:

  Power management settings are different from screen savers. Screen savers use more energy than allowing the monitor to go black, and are unnecessary on all but very old monitors.
• Turn off peripherals, such as printers, scanners, speakers, external drives, and gaming systems, when not in use.
• Fight phantom power, the power electronics use when they are in standby mode, which accounts for up to 10 percent of the power electronics use. Plug all your electronics into one power strip, and turn the strip off when you are finished, or use a smart strip, which can turn off peripherals automatically when you shut off the main device.
• Use a laptop or tablet instead of a desktop. Laptops typically consume less power than desktops, and tablets even less.
• When buying a new computer, consider energy efficiency and environmental impact. Look for the Energy Star label to identify devices that are more energy-efficient than similar products. Consult the EPEAT registry to find computers with favorable environmental-impact ratings based on criteria that evaluate the full lifecycle of an electronic product.

The IU Energy Challenge invites members of the IU Bloomington community to compete to conserve the most electricity and water in three divisions: residence halls and apartment complexes, Greek houses, and academic buildings.

Avoid wasting paper

Print only what is necessary. Share information electronically, and read on the screen when you can. If you need a hard copy, finish editing first rather than printing early drafts, and print on the fewest number of pages possible. Recycle any unwanted paper; at IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis, recycling bins are available in most buildings, and all Student Technology Centers and Residential Technology Centers.

Dispose of old equipment responsibly

Computers, monitors, and other peripheral devices frequently contain toxic materials, such as lead and mercury; thus, you should never throw old equipment in a landfill. In addition, Indiana law prohibits the disposal of electronics in the trash; see Indiana Regulations Affecting Electronic Waste.

Departmental equipment

For proper disposal of computer equipment and other electronic waste owned by IU, see Departmental disposal of equipment at IU.

Personal equipment

Residents of Monroe County, Indiana, can take their unwanted personal electronics to the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District's Hazardous Materials Facility. Although most items can be recycled for free, some require a fee. For information about specific items, fees, locations, and hours of operation, see:

• Electronics Recycling
• Hazardous Materials (including batteries)
• Recycling Centers

If you have questions, call the Monroe County Indiana Solid Waste Management District (The District) at 812-349-2020.

At IUB, many residence halls and buildings on campus have ways for you to recycle cell phones, used toner cartridges, and old batteries. Several of these programs allow for the items to be remanufactured and used again, extending their lives and avoiding the landfill altogether. Campus housing residents can ask their center desks for information. In the IMU, there is an eco-cell dropbox for working or non-working cell phones located on the southwest side of the main level near the literature desks.

For more, see the US Environmental Protection Agency's Sustainable Management of Electronics, including the guide to Electronics Donation and Recycling.

Specific actions for IU instructors

At IU, instructors can reduce resource use both in and out of the classroom:

Save paper

• Accept and grade assignments electronically with Canvas.
• Share information electronically. Keep class resources in Canvas or cloud storage for students to access, or email documents to students.
• Encourage students to print only what is necessary. Consider carefully whether students need hard copies to meet learning objectives before asking them to print materials. When students must print, encourage them to use print settings that minimize paper use (for example, using duplex printing or smaller margins, if acceptable).

Save classroom projectors

• Turn projectors on when you need them, not at the beginning of class. Bulbs cost a lot of money, and burn electricity even when they aren't visibly shining.
• Log out of the system, and power the projector down at the end of class.