Columbia University Housing

Whether you do all of your studying and socializing in your res hall room, or you spend most of your time in the city and only go to your room to sleep, these tips apply to every Columbia student.

• It's a no-brainer, but when you leave your room, remember to turn your lights off.
  
  
• Speaking of lights: Make your desk lamp or torch more energy-efficient for FREE!  Housing provides superlong-lasting, energy-conserving fluorescent bulbs from the Hospitality Desk in Hartley Hall. These bulbs give off the same light as an incandescent at a fraction of the energy use. Drop off old bulbs with your residence hall custodian for proper disposal, as they may contain mercury.
  
  
• Look for Energy star-labeled mini fridges to conserve energy. You can save even more energy by adjusting your fridge to a moderate setting instead of cranking it to the coldest temperature.
  
  
• We all feel like we’re at the mercy of the res hall heating systems – it's always too hot, so we open our windows.  But the cold air on one floor can make the building thermostat turn the temperature up even higher!  In the winter, you can avoid this vicious cycle: don't leave your window wide open for hours at a time. If your room still feels way too hot, turn your heater to a LOW (not "off") setting and send a maintenance request to Facilities.  And don't forget to close your windows when you go out of town or leave for vacation.
  
  
• Air-conditioning is a big energy consumer in the hot months of the year.  If you're lucky enough to have a unit in your building, be sure to turn off the A/C when you leave your room. When the A/C is on, try to keep it at a low energy-saver setting.
  
  
• A word from Facilities: to keep all of your heating and cooling units working efficiently, don't block the units with furniture or clothing.
  
  
• Your laptop, video game system, TV, DVD-player, cell phone, or iPod charger still consumes energy when it's left plugged into the socket, but not actually charging anything.  If you unplug your gadgets  when you don't need them, the energy savings add up.
  
  
• Make sure your move-in and your move-out are green. Recycle your cardboard boxes by dropping them off in the first-year residence hall lounges during Move-In, and participate in the Give and Go Green Program at the end of the Spring term.  Your unwanted clothing and appliances will go to Salvation Army and your extra food to City Harvest.  Look for emails from Housing and Dining closer to the end of the year for more information about GGG.
  
  
• At any time during the year, you can donate clothing at any of the New York City Goodwill or Salvation Army locations.  The Broadway Presbyterian Church at 114th St. and Broadway also sometimes accepts clothing donations as well.