Laundry and Printing Quotas--Fall 2008
versus Fall 2009:
Despite
some initial road bumps as we implemented the printing and laundry quotas, data
from the Fall 2009 semester very clearly shows that both programs were not only
successful, but that the vast majority of the student body was able to fulfill
their printing and laundry needs well within the confines of the quotas.
For
printing, a staggering 92%
of students stayed within the 600 page limit for the semester. Of the mere 170 students who did exceed the
quota, more than half exceeded it by 200 or fewer pages which represents a
total cost to the student of only $20.
The below chart gives a clearer picture of the total usage:
Overall,
a total of 674,042 sheets were printed in Fall 2009, a 57% decrease from the 1,432,800
sheets printed during Fall 2008. This
represents a savings to the College of $34,196. Environmentally, 758,758 sheets
of paper equates to 89 trees preserved.
On
the laundry front, 78%
of students had at least one cycle remaining on their account at the end of the
semester. Unfortunately, it is
impossible to know from the data available how many of the remaining 22% simply
used their allotted 34 cycles or had to augment with either change or the purchase
of a laundry card. A total of 4,004
cycles were completed using either change or a laundry card, which represents
approximately 7% of the total loads completed for the semester. The below chart
indicates the range of cycles remaining for most students which shows that, on
average, students either did a load of laundry every other week or did a load
of wash weekly and utilized air drying instead of running a machine.
Overall,
washer loads were reduced 41% and dryer loads 44% from Fall 2008. These reductions equate to an average
reduction of 43% in the consumption of water, electricity and gas. This represents almost 310,000 gallons of
water and nearly 41 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. It also represents a savings in utility costs
to the College of almost $10,000.
In
conclusion, the successful implementation of both quotas shows that Dickinson
students are more than capable of utilizing the resources available to them
within reasonable limits, taking into consideration not only the economic, but
also the environmental implications of their consumption habits.
Winter Break Curtailment:
Each
year during winter break, the College employs stringent curtailment practices
both during the period the College is actually closed and during the period
between reopening and the return of the student body. These curtailments lead to significant
reductions in resources consumed and the associated utility expenditures. During this year’s curtailment period, which
included an additional three days of closure, we were able to conserve 201,777
kWh of electricity and 2,049 MCF of natural gas thus preventing 315 metric tons
of CO2 from entering our atmosphere.
Furthermore, these reductions in consumption saved the College almost
$39,000 in utility expenses.