Earth Week tips – Energy conservation with Susan Siebler

Throughout Earth Week Week 2011, the UNMC LiveGreen team will present tips from employees on how they conserve energy and resources at home and work.

Susan Siebler

Employees are encouraged to try these tips.

Today, Susan Siebler, business associate in the department of orthopaedic surgery, discusses a tip related to today’s theme of energy conservation.

Why are you involved with UNMC LiveGreen?

I truly want to shrink my carbon footprint and conserve energy both at home and the workplace. I challenge my coworkers to take the pledge to LiveGreen.

What are some actions you engage in to conserve energy at home?

At home, we use ceiling fans to help circulate air through the house and modify the directional settings depending on the season. In the summer, we rotate fans counter clockwise to force the air down resulting in a cooling effect. In the winter, we change the direction to rotate clockwise, thus circulating the warm air near the ceiling to the floor without causing the “breezy” feeling.

Take the pledge All this week, UNMC is taking on The Nebraska Medical Center in a pledge race. Take the LiveGreen pledge next week and help UNMC top the hospital.

We also open window shades during sunny winter days to “solar” heat rooms and to allow for additional lighting. During the summer months, we keep them shut to block out the heat. When possible, we also try to wash our clothing in cold water, and only partially dry the items using the dryer so that we can place them on hangers to finish air drying. This decreases wrinkles and “ta-dah” — no ironing!

A few other activities we engage in are cleaning ovens by hand instead of using the self-cleaning cycle and using timers with our outside lighting.

What are some actions you engage in to conserve energy at UNMC?

I turn off the lights and my computer monitor when I’m out of the office or leaving for the day. I try to use the stairs whenever possible, which is great exercise.

View additional resources about how to save energy at home and at work.