At Lone Star College System, we are making every effort to ensure that our campuses are not only acknowledging eco-friendly efforts, but also we are on the forefront of unique ways to save the environment. Some initiatives are system-wide, while others take place at the campus level.

Within the past few years the idea of Sustainable Information Technology or Green Computing has gained in popularity within the technology industry.  Many organizations have used this movement to actively make strides to impact their community, but more importantly they have been able to see financial benefits from changing their operational standards.  The Office of Technology Services (OTS) at Lone Star College has been exploring several different areas in which Sustainable Information Technology Procedures would benefit our organization and has gone as far as to make a part of the Strategic Plan that the Office of Technology Services has created.

The three major initiatives that we began this process with are Desktop Advanced Power Management, Data Center Standards, and E-Waste Disposal.  Currently we estimate that Desktop Advanced Power Management will save LSC $750,000.00 in power costs over a three year period.  With the changes in our Data Center Standards there is also immense savings in cost of power that will be incurred by the decommissioning vast amounts of server equipment across the System.  E-Waste disposal is an initiative that will have a weighty social impact on our community and will also give us fair market pricing on equipment that has completed the life cycle, as opposed to the minimal return we would see at auction.

It was recently announced that LSC-CyFair received a $1000 donation from Wal-Mart for solar panels that will be used to light the campus bridge at night. The panels, expected to be in place in November, were the result of collaboration between the welding, machining and electronics departments. Such efforts are typically coordinated through a campus Sustainability Committee and several student clubs such as the Environmental Club, Wildlife Society and Phi Theta Kappa. The campus committee’s purpose is to organize, plan and implement various sustainability-focused projects designed to enrich the LSC-CyFair community.

LSC-North Harris may be our oldest campus, but it is not new to the environmental game. Nearly two years ago the student group Earth Alliance sponsored an event where people brought plastic bags and traded them for a cloth bag with the college logo. Within each cloth bag was a sheet explaining the reason to use cloth rather than plastic. The plastic bags that were collected went to Jesse Jones Park where they were bundled with the bags the park collected and sent to Envirobag, a company that uses the bags to make new, recycled content bags. Earth Alliance also shows environmental themed-films that throughout the year, such as “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

The LSC-Montgomery campus is home to The Green Team – a group established to provide environmental education for staff, students, faculty and community. Although it is a fairly recent addition to the campus, the organization has already hosted Robert Dailey from the Woodlands Community Association to give a talk on green gardening. It was also responsible for bringing the President of the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) to campus as part of a technology conference held in September.  

We have many exciting and innovative ideas for the future – but we’re not going to give them away here! You’ll have to stay tuned to see what else is in store!

Social networking is just one of the latest facets of society to “go green.” A simple Google search returns pages upon pages of online communities established for people to share ideas. These social networking sites provide a forum for individuals to encourage each other in their efforts, spread the word about local projects and keep track of companies who do green well. The benefit of green social networking is that people have the ability to exchange ideas with others across the world, which increases the movement’s global impact. The fact that going green has permeated social media is encouraging because this positive form of peer pressure will have lasting effects.

Here’s a closer look at some sites that encourage online collaboration and social consciousness.

Just Means – www.justmeans.com– This site incorporates many of the features that users already accustomed to in social networking. In a Twitter-like fashion, JustMeans starts by asking people, “What good work are you doing right now?” As on Facebook, users have the ability to comment on responses. And similar to Facebook’s “Like” feature, participants can rate/recommend the act as good work. The site also features a job board and information on news, contests and events.

Make Me Sustainable – www.makemesustainable.com – This platform offers ways to track your carbon footprint, avenues for saving money (and the environment!) and an option invite friends and family to do the same. The MMS mission explains the importance of a sustainable lifestyle: “We live in a period of profound environmental crisis, but it is not too late to change the course. The future of our planet hinges on the choices we make everyday…Together, we can change the course.”

Care2 – www.care2.com – This site not only provides information on healthy and green living, but it also incorporates other aspects of being socially responsible, such as animal rights and climate change. From women’s rights to animal welfare, the site alerts users to recent news pertaining to the various causes and provides ways to take action. Got a cause that needs support? Start a petition on the Care2 site for free!

CarbonRally – www.carbonrally.com – Going green is a competitive sport! Well, on this site at least. Users who sign up can take individual challenges (like giving up paper towels for a month) or join a team for a taste of some real competition. Recognition is given to groups or individuals who reduce the most CO2. Integrating CarbonRally into your existing Facebook and Twitter accounts is yet another way to spread the word. Who knew reducing waste could be so much fun?

Have you found a social networking site dedicated to “going green”? Share it with us!

Lately there’s been a lot of talk about “going green.” It’s the latest buzz word that is being touted by everyone from politicians to educators. But what does it really mean to go green?

Going green means adapting your lifestyle and changing your mindset to one that is more focused on reducing your global footprint. It means being conscious of how your everyday decisions impact the environment. Someone who is “green” might combine errands, thereby making less trips by car and essentially reducing their carbon emissions. Going green also means making simple changes around the household such as running the dishwasher only when there is a full load or switching to energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances. Solar panels, hybrid vehicles and windmills are a few of the more expensive eco-friendly measures.

The concept’s popularity has even spread to higher education. From recycling to biodegradable utensils, to “green” dormitories and classroom buildings, colleges and universities are taking a closer look at their practices to see how they, too, can make an impact. ClimateCulture.com recently ran a contest, offering $5000 to the campus with the most participants in their environmental movement. The organization also offered $5000 to the school with the most carbon reductions.

“Going green” may be a fairly recent mantra but it’s quickly caught on and will more than likely become a permanent part of our society, penetrating every aspect of our lives. So tell us — what steps are you taking to go green?

Don’t know how to get started? Check out the following links for tips and ideas.

Mashable’s Green Guide for Social Networking

TerraPass carbon footprint calculator

MacLife article: Green(er) Apples