Use a Reusable Mug and Clamshell

First-year students are issued a reusable mug and clamshell to help reduce waste from disposable dishes on campus. These reusable items can be used to transport food and beverages outside the dining facilities, cutting down on associated waste from alternative disposable products. Diners can exchange dirty containers for clean ones upon entering any Claremont Colleges dining hall.

Did you know that faculty and staff can also purchase these mugs and clamshells and help cut down on waste both on campus and at most restaurants around the Village? Ask your friendly dining cashier how to get one today.

Take Shorter Showers

We love our showers! They help us feel clean and cozy and even help us relax and unwind. Showers account for close to 20% of indoor water use. With the average national shower length coming in at around 10 minutes and the typical shower head flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute, a typical shower uses around 25 gallons. Multiply that by seven showers a week and sometimes more, and we’re looking at well over 5,250 gallons per student per year in showers alone.

We don’t often take cold showers either, so every shower is also using energy to provide us with that warming flow. Eighty to ninety percent of the energy used to heat your shower ends up down the drain. With about 130 watts needed per gallon of water, reducing your shower by two minutes can save 650 watts, or 120 cellphone charges!

Unplug It

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Eat Your Veggies

Southern California is in the middle of an extreme drought, and food choices can have a huge impact on water consumption. Paying attention to what we eat is an easy way to reduce our water footprint.

Beyond water use, raising livestock may be the single largest human activity to have an impact on the planet. Factory farming in the United States is criticized for its contribution to antibiotic overuse, air and water pollution from animal waste containment and crop chemical use. While meat production needs to change, you can make a big difference with your meat consumption choices. The largest carbon footprint comes from beef, which produces twice the emissions of pork, four times that of chicken, and 13 times the emissions of equivalent vegetable protein like lentils, beans, and tofu.

So choosing vegetable protein over meat can make a huge difference! If you do choose meat, only take as much as you will eat so all of this energy use does not end up wasted and thrown away to the landfill.

Hang Cold Wash to Dry

Your laundry habits provide a great opportunity for conserving not only water but also energy. Each load of laundry in a high-efficiency front-loading washer uses about 15 gallons of water. Washing on cold guarantees a 90% lower use of energy for the load, without compromising effectiveness and allowing garments to remain intact and newer-looking for longer.

Don’t stop with just cold washes! That clothes dryer is not only an energy hog, it is also largely unnecessary in our Mediterranean climate. Stop by Story House today to check out a drying rack to skip the dryer and hang out your laundry.

Walk or Bike

Don’t forget your legs! Give your legs and lungs some healthy exercise by opting to use carbon-free transportation in your commute and around town. Employees can participate in the Rideshare program which offers generous subsidies for public transportation like riding the bus or Metrolink and even gives a daily cash prize for riding your bike, walking, and even carpooling or driving a zero-emissions vehicle.

Students, also remember to ride your bike, rideshare and use public transportation when you move around the area. The Metrolink Trip Planner is a great place to get started! Those small trips like to class, the Village, and Trader Joe’s are the perfect opportunity to walk and use zero carbons. Small trips add up fast!

Know Your Recycling Stream

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