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Have A Happy Green Holiday!
December marks the end of the year and the beginning of quality time, holidays and annual leave. During these times of extended absence from the office or laboratory, it is important to practice energy efficiency. Doing so is easy, straightforward and crucial for reducing the environmental impact of the NIH. Some of the ways to help include the following:
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Power down on your way out – It is paramount to turn off lights, computers, equipment and appliances before leaving. This is important, even just for the night but especially for a long stretch of leave. Wasted energy from lights and monitors adds up and energy-intensive equipment, such as orbital shakers and centrifuges, waste significant amounts of energy when left on while not in use.1
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Prevent phantom loads – Simply turning a device off doesn’t always stop it from consuming energy. Certain devices consume small “phantom loads” when still plugged in. Before leaving, be sure to unplug devices or turn off the surge protectors they are connected to, if possible.2 Refer to the October 2023 article for more.
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LED decorative lights – Some offices and labs may allow festive decorations for the holiday occasion. If you decide to set up string lights, consider using Energy Star LED types to save energy.3 Additionally, treat them as you would other lights and appliances in the office or lab by turning them off and unplugging them when no one is around!
Even outside of the office, there are simple and small actions anyone can take to make their holiday season more sustainable. Feasts and gift-giving are fun, important pillars of culture and tradition. Consider some of the following ideas to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions during your holiday celebrations:
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Buy local food – Reduce the shipping emissions associated with your meals by shopping at a farmer’s market or local supplier (i.e., bakery, butchery, etc.) for ingredients, produce and meats. The NIH Recreation & Welfare Association has several online resources about locally-sourced produce, baked goods, honey and more. They even provide healthy recipes to reference when prepping for your holiday feast.
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Combine and carpool on trips – You can save a significant amount of fuel and greenhouse gas emissions by carpooling with family members and friends to festive gatherings. When shopping for food and gifts, try to combine several trips into one outing instead of traveling back and forth from your home to each of the stores.3
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Wrapping materials – Avoid wrapping with plastic-embossed paper or using packing peanuts. You may also be able to skip some steps and wrap gifts directly instead of using boxes.3 After you have unwrapped your own gifts, explore the unique recycling opportunities your NIH campus or local area may have so you can properly dispose of Styrofoam, shrink wrap and more.
Are you able to Take Action this month? We want to see! Send us a picture of you carrying out one of these ideas and we might feature it in a future article. Stay safe and we will see you again next year!
Featured Article
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A Brief Glance at NIH Environmental History
While the NIH has a rich and extensive history in medical research and breakthroughs, it has also maintained a strong commitment to environmental health and sustainability throughout the past several decades. As we end the year, let’s look back on some events and programs whose history spans further than many may realize.
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Spotlight
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Down Memory Lane with Kenny Floyd - Energy Efficiency
William “Kenny” Floyd is the current Director of the Division of Environmental Protection (DEP). Since the 1980s, he has been working at the NIH in environmentally-focused engineering and chemistry positions, striving to make the organization more sustainable. We aim to capture his many years of wisdom and share them with you, starting with this article’s topic of energy efficiency.
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NEMS Training
Did you know? The NIH is required to purchase Energy Star-certified products when they are available, according to Federal Acquisition Regulation 23.206. The only exceptions are for products that are not reasonable available or products that are not cost-effective over the lifetime of the product. To learn more about recycling, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.
The NIH Green Zone Newsletter is a publication intended to inform NIH staff about the Division of Environmental Protection and NIH Green Teams projects and initiatives. The text contained in this newsletter is not copyrighted and can be reprinted without permission. If you use portions of this newsletter in your own publication, we ask that you please credit the source. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you.
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Division of Environmental Protection | Office of Research Facilities | Office of Management
National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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