Throughout this summer, the drought has been on our minds. Whether anybody in our age group is doing anything to try to conserve their water usage is another story. It’s not like anyone is expecting us to stop showering, but if individuals took small steps to cut back, it would help, overall.
Especially in the summer months, water and electricity are the first things to be abused and taken for granted.
That’s the key to most issues of conservancy today: Cutting back and consuming only what is needed.
Simple solutions exist, such as turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth or refraining from 45-minute showers.
As I walk the halls of the W.E. James Building on cam- pus, usually around midnight after we finish laying out this 3 newspaper, I hear the air-conditioning window units roaring in empty classrooms with lights and projectors still on.
This not only is a waste of electricity, but it’s an abuse of equipment. Projector bulbs begin to turn a weird-funky color and burn out, air-conditioning units start to lose their freon charge and blow warm air.
As we leave for the night, I’m popping in and out of classrooms shutting off lights, air-conditioners and projectors.
If I’m witnessing instances such as these arising in classrooms just in one building, what’s happening across campus and in living areas?
On Wednesday, Kent Dacus, vice president of enrollment services and student services at California Baptist University, sent an email urging students to limit their power usage and “turn off our air-conditioning units and any unnecessary electronic appliances for at least an hour.”
This email was prompted by an announcement from Cal ISO, an agency which oversees the power-grids in California, because of a power-related emergency in our region.
During the day, turn off your lights and open your window blinds to let in natural light. Run a fan instead of the air conditioning and raise the temperature on your thermo-stat a few degrees.
If you see unnecessary electronic appliances on in empty classrooms, turn them off as you pass. Be conscious of how much power and water you’re using. Every little bit matters.
