THE NEW SCHOOL EMPLOYEE SUSTAINABILIT Y GUIDE
Waste collection signs on campus were designed by Parsons students through a Green Fund award.
Recycle Right
Use Less Paper
Shop Responsibly
Follow the directions on the color-coded recycling signs around campus to properly sort your paper, glass, metal, and plastic waste. It’s the law—and it keeps waste out of landfills.
Use double-sided (duplex) printing This can reduce The New School’s paper consumption by 30 percent (approximately 1,200 cases) each year. Most network printers have double-sided printing capability. Employees are expected to use this function for everyday printing. Read How to Set Your Computer to Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing.
Use eco-friendly office products—Using products with recycled content reduces the consumption of raw materials and energy. All standard office paper and toilet tissue on campus contains 100 percent recycled content, and all paper towels contain 70 percent recycled content.
–At everyone’s desk, there should be a blue bin for recycling clean paper only. If you do not have a blue bin at your desk, or your office does not have easy access to a recycling station, contact Facilities Management to remedy this: facilitiesmanagement@newschool.edu, 212-229-5456. –Take all glass, metal, and plastic waste from your workstation to a nearby recycling station (usually placed in main corridors and kitchens). –If your office lacks appropriate signage, download recycling signs to print and post by communal bins.
–Order office supplies sparingly. Inquire whether others in your office have surplus supplies for your use before reordering.
Paperless Agendas—With so many conference rooms on campus equipped with AV capabilities, consider projecting your meeting agendas instead of using printed agendas. If paper agendas are more effective for you, encourage attendees to use them to take notes on or collect them for scrap to be reused in the office.
–Green items are available in several categories in W.B. Mason’s online catalog and appear first on The New School’s preferred items list. Purchase paper products that have a minimum of 30 percent recycled content. –Offices are required to purchase cleaning products, including spray surface cleaners and dish soap, that meet The New School’s Green Cleaning Program guidelines to
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ensure a safe and eco-friendly workplace. Look for “non-toxic” and “biodegradable” labels when buying these products. Bleaches and aerosols are discouraged.
BYOMug Disposable coffee cups make up a large part of the university’s waste stream. –If your office does not stock reusable mugs, bring your own or develop a plan with your colleagues to purchase reusable mugs and glasses for the office. –You can fill up on fair trade coffee or tea at any campus eatery for only 99¢ when you bring your own mug.