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Green Dorm Rooms: Getting Techie
Why are microwaves and crockpots so good?
Cooking options like microwave ovens, toaster ovens, crock pots, and rice cookers concentrate the heat in the food, instead of heating so much extra air, or metal like conventional ovens and frying pans do. Electric grills are also heavy-duty energy users because they operate at such high temperatures (this also makes them fire hazards, and banned by many dorms). The lowest energy way to a meal is to think about what you need heated up, and what tool best to heat it with. Microwaves heat evenly throughout the food, especially if it is wet, like mashed potatoes, boiling water, or meat. Toaster ovens are really good at browning the surface of food (try cooking chicken or steak part way in a microwave and then browning in a toaster oven. It’s super fast, and delicious.). Rice cookers are great for rice, or rice and frozen vegetables, and some of them come with attachments to steam veggies like broccoli at the same time. Crock pots are a whole other kind of cooking, but with practice, and a good cookbook, they can be the easiest and tastiest kind of food preparation, especially for a time-crunched student. Learn more about the efficiency benefits of crock pot-cookery from Planet Green's cooking expert.
EPEAT: Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool
EPEAT is a standard system for evaluating, certifying and registering green computers and other electronics. EPEAT provides a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products, and provides an opportunity for manufacturers to secure market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its products. The rating system evaluates computer and other electronic products according to three tiers of environmental performance -- Bronze, Silver, and Gold. There are 51 total environmental criteria: 23 required and 28 optional criteria, and products earn respective labels for the total number of criteria met.
Climate-neutral campuses
The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, or ACUPCC, is an effort to address greenhouse gas emissions on college campuses across the country. By signing the climate commitment, each university is pledging to work toward climate neutrality, eliminating their contributions to global warming over time. To date, more than 500 colleges and universities in all 50 states have signed the Commitment; together, signatories enroll more than 25 percent of college students in the country.
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