Student Sustainability Tips
Download sustainability tips for undergraduate students and graduate students!
Bike to and around campus
Visit UNH Transportation Services at the UNH Visitor's Center near A-lot, show your UNH ID, and borrow a blue Cat Cycle - for free! Then happily ride all over campus knowing that you are improving your health and our air quality.
Conserve water
Only wash full loads of clothes, and wash with lukewarm or cold water, not hot. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Take shorter showers, and turn the shower off while you scrub. (You can turn it back on to rinse.) When washing dishes by hand, use a sink full of water instead of running water. If you use a dishwasher, only run full loads and use any energy or water efficiency settings available. Report any leaks and drips in sinks, showers, and toilets to your Hall Director or to UNH Facilities Maintenance at 862-1437.
Deck out your dorm efficiently
Check out our virtual energy efficient residence hall room for how to easily deck your dorm or apartment out with energy saving electronics and lighting. Don't bring a fridge or car to campus. Buy previously owned items from UNH Trash-2-Treasure. And if you need to buy new, use the UNH ENERGY STAR® 10% Discount for Students & Parents from Best Buy® Newington, NH.
Don't Dump Down the Drain
Don't dump anything down sewer drains or kitchen and bathroom sinks. What you dump reaches our watershed, including local rivers like College Brook and Oyster River and ultimately Great Bay!
Eat local and organic
It's easy to do at any of our dining halls. From July to October, shop at the UNH Organic Garden Club Farm Stand and Durham Farmer's Market. And don't forget the annual Local Harvest Feast each fall!
- "Eat Good, Do Good," a food guide for UNH students
- UNH Slow Food organization and Organic Garden Club
E-news
Stay in the know with our newsletter! Sign up now.
Flip the switch
Turn off lights when you leave the room. Use natural lighting - read or work near windows or outside when you can.
Get involved in sustainability-related groups
Get involved in the work of groups on campus like the Ecological Advocates, Students Without Borders, the UNH Organic Garden Club, the Student Environmental Action Council, the UNH Energy Club, the Student Senate, the UNH Slow Food group, volunteer efforts of your fraternity or sorority, and various student performing arts groups. Join, pitch in, and share in the fun!
GoLoco to share rides
Use GoLoco to help you find someone with whom to carpool. Plus, if you carpool you can get a carpool parking permit from Transportation Services (as long as you both have commuter permits) and then you can park in Lot C (across from the Durham Marketplace on Mill Rd). Visit GoLoco.org or add the GoLoco application to FaceBook.
Hydrate properly
Refill a reusable water bottle in water fountains and "Hydration Stations" across campus. And bring a reusable mug to get your Fair Trade coffee.
Learn new things
UNH has many sustainability academic programs and courses from which to choose.
Light up your life efficiently
When choosing a light bulb for any personal floor and desk lamps, choose efficient lighting like compact fluorescent or LED.
Moveout sustainbly
Donate furniture, electronics, clothing, non-perishable food, and more, through Trash-2-Treasure and UNH-RENU.
Print (if you even need to!) sustainably
If you need to print, print on 100% recycled paper. UNH Printing has options. Print double-sided. Use single-sided paper for scrap. Purchase 100% recycled paper for your office.
Recycle
You know the drill. Don't use your blue UNH recycling bin for trash. Recycle paper, cans, plastic, and more. When you can, please speak to other students about the importance of recycling, and if you see someone throwing away recyclables or putting trash in recycling bins, please speak up.
Scan instead of photocopying
Dimond Library offers a free scanning service. Faculty, staff, and students can use a KIC II scanning station -- located next to the photocopier outside the Addison Reading Room -- to scan paper documents. Questions about the scanner can be directed to the Dimond IT Support Center staff.
Run by the UNH student group the Ecological Advocates, the UNH Student Energy Waste Watch Challenge is an energy use reduction competition held on the UNH Durham campus each year. The major goal is to engage students living on campus in activities that reduce their ecological footprints - in particular, energy use. Compete nationally for prizes and recognition while saving energy and emissions!
Take transit
Instead of driving solo to campus, take WildCAT Transit to save time, hassle, money, and emissions.
