AU Green Guide: In the office
Aarhus University has launched several initiatives to reduce consumption of electricity, water and heat. We have made great advances over the past years, and we will see a continuous development with new solutions in the future.
However, when you're in your office, there are several small things you can change if you want to help reduce the university's CO2 emissions.
AU facts
AU has launched a number of initiatives to reduce the university's energy consumption. Read more about this on the website au.dk/kilowhat, where you can also find inspiration about what you can do to contribute.
Printouts may be necessary and they are a great help for many in their daily work. A few simple tips can make your printing habits greener.
- You can make a habit of always thinking twice before pushing "print": Do I really need a printout of this material?
- You can set your computer to automatically print on both sides of the paper.
- It's also good to think twice before printing in colour.
- It may be a good idea to set your computer to "safe printing". This way, the print job won't print until you activate it on the printer, which reduces the risk of forgetting a printout in the printer.
The more that needs storing on AU's servers, the more CO2 the university emits. When you use your email, your computer and your phone in your daily work, there are several small things you can do to minimise CO2 emissions.
- You can delete old documents and programs that you no longer use.
- You can delete old emails, long email correspondences, and you can unsubscribe from newsletters that you never read. An easy way to delete large e-mails is to search for emails according to size.
- Instead of attaching large files, send a link that gives access to the documents, e.g. in Teams or on a drive that both you and your recipient have access to.
- You can delete apps on your mobile phone that you never use – that will also improve your phone's performance.
Did you know that ...
if you compress a file or folder before you e-mail it, then it will not take up so much space:
- Locate the file or folder you want to zip/compress.
- Right-click on the file or folder. Select Send to and then select Compressed (zipped) folder.
- A new zipped folder with the same name is created in the same location. If you want to rename it, right-click on the folder, select Rename and type the new name.
When we save power, it benefits the climate. It's self-evident, but often something we forget during a busy day of work. Here are some examples of situations in which you can help advance the green agenda.
- Check that the lights, computer, any second monitor, printer and photocopier have been switched off before you go home.
- Switch off monitors, desk lamps and lights when you go to lunch, a meeting or similar.
- Be careful not to keep the lights on when there is enough daylight.
- Check whether you can set your computer to go into hibernate faster.
- When you close your computer, it may be a good idea to put it into hibernation instead of sleep, as it consumes less power.
AU facts
Aarhus University will heat its buildings to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius in the autumn and winter months, in line with the government’s new guidelines.