Author: Colin Hennessy
October is here, and the season for tricks and treats and ghouls and ghosts is upon us. Halloween is an enjoyable time on any college campus, and while Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries have put the thirsty undead firmly in popular culture, there is another vampire that is perhaps even more dangerous. I am talking about vampire power [flash of lightening, crash of thunder!]
Vampire power is a serious threat for any larger organization including Penn. It may not seem like a big deal to leave your printer on at the end of the day, or even leave your cell phone plugged in for the afternoon, and in truth, the amount of power your equipment is drawing is minimal.
HOWEVER – When you consider the thousands of others on campus doing the same thing, the power draw can be significant. Vampire power or standby power is very common. More and more devices are able to reduce their power consumption when not in use; however, they are still drawing power – leaking power, consuming power.
Consider your office or dorm room. What is plugged in that doesn’t need to be? Each one of those devices is drawing power. Power that contributes to Penn’s overall footprint.
Penn has ambitious sustainability goals, and each of us play a role in helping Penn to achieve those goals. In the coming months join with your colleagues and fellow students in finding ways to reduce Penn’s energy consumption and start with vampire power.
Here are just a few simple things you can do to reduce your energy use:
- Unplug your equipment when possible
- Dress for the weather vs. adjusting the thermostat
- Use daylight not lamplight
- Recycle
- Print less
- Use public transportation or walk
- Report problems
- Learn more – visit Penn’s Sustainability Website to get more information
- Encourage your friends to join you!
Let us all do our part to make Penn a greener place and keep the vampires out.
Happy Halloween.
Frankly Penn 