The
Dept of Astrophysics is trying to become a more environmentally
friendly department. By implementing a few simple initiatives
we can lessen the impact our daily routine has on the environment
substantially.
Recently
the Green
Office Program (GOP) rated 100 UNSW schools and departments
(Kensington campus) in terms of their environmental performance.
The
School of Physics recieved a Green
Office Rating (GOR) of 1 (out of 5) which means
we are: "Below average. This office has a substantial
effect on the environment. No efforts are currently being
made to reduce the environmental impact". We were
actually third from the bottom - one of the worst environmental
performers at UNSW.
There
are 4 specific areas in which we can make a difference:
Our
department, like many, is grossly inconsiderate when it comes
to printing. Every week we go through reams of paper for printing,
alot of these print jobs remain uncollected by the printer.
Here are a few simple things to do to cut back on paper usage
in the department:
Print
using multiple pages
There
are many programs that enable you to print multiple pages
per sheet. If you have a ascii (text) file print it using
a2ps, by default a2ps will stack 2 pages per a4 sheet
a2ps file.txt | lpr
Linux
by default doesn't come with a2ps, linux's alternative is
mpage. To print 2 normal pages per A4 sheet the command
is
mpage
-2 file.txt | lpr
With
postscript files you can use psnup to print multiple
pages per sheet. The following example will print '2' pages
of the file 'file.ps' per A4 sheet
psnup
-2 file.ps | lpr (or psnup -2 file.ps > temp.ps
to output to a file)
DVIPS
also enables you to print just the page(s) you need in your
latex document
dvips
-pp43,44,70 file.dvi
will
print page 43, 44 and 70.
To
find out further info on using any of these commands as
most have a variety of options check the manual pages (eg:
man psnup).
Remember
combining these commands with double sided printing decreases
paper usage by 4!!!
Always
do double sided printing
Always
send large print jobs to p62fd for double sided printing.
In UNIX the command lpr -Pp62fd will accomplish this.
In
windows you need to install the correct drivers, HP4050TN,
which can be obtained here.
Once the printer drivers are installed enable duplexing
in the printer properties dialogue box.
Don't send the same print job multiple times - Check the print
queue
This
is one of the most common mistakes made. If your print job
doesn't come out it is most likely that the print queue
has stalled, sending your job multiple times will not reactivate
the print queue it will just result in the job being printed
multiple times once the print queue is active again.
All
print jobs in the school are spooled through newt. Therefore
if you send a print job and it doesn't come out you need
to check the print queue's. On the machine from which you
sent the print job (for example bat), type lpq -Pp62fd,
if your job is just sitting there, the print queue on bat
may have stalled, in that case contact astro-help@phys.unsw.edu.au.
If the print queue is empty your job has been spooled to
newt and you need to log into newt to check if the print
queue is progressing. If the print queue on newt seems to
have stalled email help@phys.unsw.edu.au,
(Remember I cannot reset the print queue on Newt you need
to tell Kristien or David via the helpdesk).
Don't print documents unless absolutely neccessary, especially
emails!
Paper
Recycling
Finally,
don't forget to recycle all your paper using the
big blue recycling bins provided. Do not put paper in your
office bins as it won't be recycled, in fact you will find
most cleaners will not empty your office bin if it is found
to be full of paper.
Nearly
50% of all waste generated in buildings at UNSW is paper.
A waste audit in 1996 found that less than half of this
is recycled. To find out more about recycling at UNSW go
here.
Cardboard
recycling
Remember
that you can recycle cardboard too. Just fold it up and
leave it next to the big blue paper recycling bins for collection.
Recycling
The
department of Astrophysics now has a bin for recycling drinks
containers. It can be found in the kitchen area of Astrophysics
and is clearly labelled.
Did
you know that twenty cans can be recycled into new cans
using the same amount of energy required to produce just
one can from raw material? Sounds like a good enough
reason to make that extra effort and walk over to the recycling
bin to dispose of your recyclable rubbish. Especially considering
the Astrophysics chocolate club can go through over 24 cans
in one week!
You
can put aluminium cans, glass bottles and jars
and PET bottles in the recycling bin. Items such
as tin cans, tetra packs, milk cartons and take away plastic
food containers should not be placed in the recycling bin.
You can find more info on drinks container recycling here.
Energy
Conservation
Did
you know that over one year a computer and monitor left
on all the time requires the energy produced from burning
500 kilograms of coal which produces more than 1000 kilograms
of carbon dioxide. This single computer is equivalent to
the green house gas emissions produced by an average car
driving 3700km.
Remember
energy conservation results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- if all offices in NSW were equipped with energy efficient
office equipment, the greenhouse gas emission savings would
be the equivalent to taking 50,000 cars off the road. Find
out more about energy conservation at UNSW here.
Lighting
Switch
off unnecessary lights - one fluorescent tube releases one
kilogram of greenhouse gas every 15 hours. An energy audit
in 1999 found that 18% of lights were left on at night in
UNSW offices.
If
you are the last person to leave of a night, switch off
all the lights in the main Astrophysics areas as you leave.
Most importantly when you are at work during the day, open
your blinds and make use of the natural light.
Heating
Many
people use personal heaters to keep warm during winter.
UNSWITCH will replace your existing heater with a new energy
efficient heater - for free. If you would like to swap your
old heater for a new energy efficient heater please e-mail
the Green Office Program.
More information on the 'Swap your heater' campaign can
be found here.
Computers
and Monitors
By
now you are probably all familiar with the UNSWITCH'sTurn
off your PC campaign. The main points to remember are:
Shut
down computers at night and on weekends -This saves
significant energy without affecting the performance,
and may increase (rather than decrease) the operating
life of the equipment.
If
your computer doesn't have energy saving software installed
you can still save energy by switching off the monitor.
The monitor can consume up to three times as much energy
as the PC.
In
cases where the computer is deliberately left on for network
services or remote access the monitor can be safely shut
off without interfering with the running of the computer.
Computer
monitor 'screen savers' do not save energy - this a very
common misconception,
In
the 2001 energy audits, the Faculty of Science and technology
had the highest CO2 emissions of any faculty at UNSW. Not
surprisingly the School Of Physics hit rock bottom again
and was ranked 104 out of 110 (where 1 is most environmentally
friendly) in terms of the total annual CO2 emission for
monitors. Our monitors generate approximately 42,000 Kg
of CO2 per year!
Here
is a guide with step by step instructions that will enable
you to activate the Energy Star software in your computer
if available. Many computers, printers and copiers allow
you to change the time interval before they slip into their
low energy state - the shorter the interval, the greater
the savings.
The Astrophysics Green Office Initiative was started on
2nd May 2001. Please help our department become a more environmentally
friendly environment. If you have any questions or further
suggestions email melinda@phys.unsw.edu.au.
