Credit: Gosia Sklodowska/Jon Chapman
Claire Reardon has been working as Lab Manager for the Center of Genomics Research for over six years. After attending a meeting for staff members who had signed the Sustainability Pledge, she has been meeting once a month with Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Eco Citizens, working to bring sustainability to her lab and building. One action she has taken is to encourage her coworkers to set back thermostats in order to reduce heating and cooling in the office spaces between 10pm and 6am. Recycled paper is now used in the copiers and bathrooms, and more bottles and cans are recycled since bins have been placed where they are easier for people to use. Recently, Claire has also started a bin for battery recycling. She announces the FAS Green Tip of the Month and makes sure it gets posted on the bulletin board in addition to sharing it at meetings. "Actions that are the easiest to adopt are the ones that get done," she notes. "Small changes are most effective." At home, Claire grows her own vegetables, composts kitchen scraps, and uses a rain barrel to catch rainwater to use in the garden. In bringing her efforts to work, Claire appreciates the support she gets from the Office for Sustainability. "It helps to have someone backing you up and prompting you to think of new ideas."
Start by making a few small changes. Try to tackle the easy things first.