Green Room

Green Cleaning

Green cleaners work just as well as generic cleaners, but without the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), acids and other harsh chemicals that are bad for you and for the planet. Look for cleaners that are biodegradable — they will naturally break down in the environment. 

Or try making your own! White vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice are just some of the natural ingredients you can use to make your own human healthy and planet healthy cleaners!

Check out the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology for classes on how to make your own cleaning agents.

Need a car? Borrow Ours

You can have wheels when you want them with Zipcar's car-sharing program. There are three cars available on campus, 24/7, to be reserved by the hour or day. Zipcar is car sharing, an alternative to car rental and car ownership that gives you the freedom to take a car when you want it, and put it back when you’re done. This program makes it easy to get off campus whenever you need to while avoiding the hassles and expense of owning a car and finding parking on campus.

Join today at zipcar.com/humboldtstate

Ride the Bus for Free

The Jack Pass is your chance to ride green and save some gold. All Humboldt students have unlimited free ride access on bus systems serving Humboldt County. What a great way to save on car and parking expenses while helping to protect the environment at the same time! And you can take your bike on Redwood Transit System (RTS) buses! Learn more about the Jack Pass.

Get Green Room Certified

The Green Room Certification program encourages campus residents to practice healthy and sustainable living habits while residing on campus. The certificate is awarded to residents for choosing to reduce the amount of energy and water used, waste created, and consumption of limited natural resources.

Once certified, you will receive a customized wooden plaque to post on your door as a way to recognize your achievements and commitment to sustainable living.

Go to the Green Room Certification Checklist to get certified.

Clothes Drying Rack

It takes a huge amount of energy to run a clothes dryer—all to do something that the air, given a little more time, can do energy-free.

Air drying your clothes also saves you money and is much gentler on your clothes than electric drying. Clothes drying racks are available at local hardware stores.

Thrift Stores

Take advantage of the numerous thrift stores in our area! Purchasing second hand means looking good while saving money and cutting back on the energy, water and nasty chemicals used to make new clothes. The Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) hosts clothing exchanges each year. To learn more go to humboldt.edu/wrrap.

Also, did you know that Oh SNAP! Student Food Programs runs a pop-up thrift shop on campus? Follow @humboldtohsnap on Instagram to stay updated on days and times for the campus pop-up thrift store throughout the year.

Clothes Washing

An easy way to clean green is to turn the dial on your washing machine to cold. Most loads don't need hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.

Wash only full loads of laundry to save energy and water.

Ride a Bike

The League of American Bicyclists recognizes Arcata as a Bicycle Friendly Community. So leave the car at home and use a bike to get around campus, town, and local open spaces. You can even take your bike on the Redwood Transit System (RTS) buses!

The Bicycle Learning Center is a student club on campus that will help you repair and maintain your bike. To learn more go to Show Your Bike Some Love For bike storage, there is a large shed behind the Canyon that residents can access with their keys. Creekview also has bike storage rooms located at the bottom of the buildings.

There is also bike parking conveniently located all over campus. No need to pay for parking!

Don’t have a bike? Rent one!

Don't want to bring your bike to campus, or don't have one? Not a problem! We have bikes you can use on-campus as an Humboldt student. Cal Poly Humboldt partners with the City of Arcata to offer a quick, convenient and low-cost method for the community to rent bicycles. Students, faculty, and staff can unlock bikes from docking stations on campus (outside Harry Griffith Hall and Jolly Giant Commons) and in Arcata. Go to the Humboldt Bike Share landing page for details.It's pay as you go! What do you need to know?

• Users will need to download the Movatic app onto a smart device. 
• Pay as you go = $1.50 per 30 minutes.
• Annual membership = $30 with free trips under an hour and $1.50 per 30 minutes thereafter.
• Humboldt students will receive a discounted annual membership = $20 with free trips under an hour and $1.50 per 30 minutes thereafter. Student must sign up as a member with a humboldt.edu email address).
• Want more information? Go to https://www.tandem-mobility.com/humboldt.
• Watch this video if you need help signing up https://www.loom.com/share/946c2c3216ee4a1a85aeec08899aa624

Plants

Potted plants bring cheer to your room and are a great way to naturally clean the air. The Arcata Farmer’s Market, and the Botany and Biological Sciences departments hold frequent plant sales throughout the year. To pick up a plant for your room, check out humboldt.edu/greenhouse

Efficient Lighting

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS! Something easy to do that will make a big difference. Whenever possible turn off the lights during the day and take advantage of the daylight! A post-it note left over the light switch plate reminds everyone to turn off the lights when they leave the room.

Compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs use 75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last ten times longer. Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps use over 90% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last 30-50 times longer. LEDs cost more than CFLs up front but save more money over the long run.

Power Strip

Most electronics these days continue to use several watts of power even when they are turned off. To prevent this, plug electronics, such as TVs, printers and stereos, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use. If you don’t have a power strip, just unplug electronics to stop the “phantom load”.

Power strips are available at local hardware stores.

Kick the bottled water habit!

Humboldt is among the first campuses in the country to initiate a phase out of the sale of plastic water bottles. 

Be a part of the solution to plastics pollution – buy a reusable canteen and refill it for FREE at one of the filtered hydration stations located on the 2nd floor of the JGC, in the Depot by Muddy Waters café, or on the first floor of the K&A building. Most water fountains on campus also have a spigot to refill your water bottle.

Our water comes from the aquifer under the Mad River watershed. Aside from local, it is clean, healthy and delicious!

To learn more about the negative impacts of disposable bottled water on the environment and our communities, check out the Humboldt chapter of Take Back the Tap at humboldt.edu/wrrap/tbtt

Paper

Know what? It's not that hard to print on both sides of the paper. But even though most printers give that option, most of us still print only on one side of the page. Consider this: the U.S. alone uses 4 million tons of copy paper annually, about 27 pounds per person. Save dough and your local landfill. Print on two sides.

If you are buying new paper, make sure it is 100% post consumer recycled paper, or a tree free alternative such as kenaf, sugar cane or bamboo.

Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT)

Need a book on eco-living, gardening, or how to make your own natural cleaners? Check out the extensive library at the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), attend one of their many workshops, or drop in for a tour of this student run, eco-living center. Find out more at ccat.humboldt.edu

Energy Star

Set the sleep mode on your computer so it powers down after ten minutes of non-use. 

Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing new light bulbs, appliances or electronics. ENERGY STAR products use less energy, save money, and are better for the environment. You can view a list of EnergyStar products at energystar.gov.

Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE)

Why spend money when you can stock up on gently used or unused office and classroom supplies for FREE? The ROSE storefront has everything you need, from binders to paper clips.It is located on the Humboldt campus in Nelson Hall West room 216, and is open Mon-Fri, 8am – 5pm. At the end of the semester you can drop off classroom and office supplies for others to use in the future.

To learn more go to humboldt.edu/wrrap/rose

Mug-to-Go

The US landfills around 20 billion paper cups per year! Be part of the solution to this waste - Bring a mug with you wherever you go for take out beverages. You will get a discount for using your own cup while doing your part to reduce the waste caused by single use coffee cups.

Electronics, Batteries, Light Bulbs, Disks and Ink Cartridge Recycling

Did you know it is against State law to put batteries or used electronics in the trash?

Drop off electronic waste (e-waste), used batteries, used ink cartridges, disks and spent light bulbs to the special recycling bins located at the College Creek Mail Room, the hallway on the second floor of the JGC, or inside the main entrance of the library.

Recycling

No matter where you are at Humboldt, you can recycle just about everything!

Rooms come equipped with blue bins to keep mixed recycling separate from trash. All paper, cardboard, aluminum, metal, glass containers and plastics #1-7 can go into this bin. Once full, empty your bin at the mixed recycling location outside of your building.