There are literally thousands of light bulbs on any college campus ranging from desk lamps to florescent tubes in lecture rooms and student dorms. Replacing all standard light bulbs with energy efficient ones will have an instant effect on the campus's electricity bill and carbon footprint. This is especially true as many lights in hallways may not be turned off at night.
Many electrical objects such as televisions continue to use electricity when they are on standby. This has led to many campaigns encouraging people to turn off all electronics properly when they are not in use. One example that is very relevant to students is unplugging cell phone chargers. These continue to run at normal power regardless of whether they are attached to anything.
Many office buildings have increased the use of waste water recycling or brown water schemes. This means reusing water for use in heating and air conditioning which has not been treated to drinking water standards. As colleges have many buildings, this is a good way to continue to heat and cool buildings without having to continually use fresh water.
For years the standard image of a college campuses included wide green common areas, as portrayed in films and television. Unfortunately, as space has become a premium, this is not necessarily a common reality. Increasing the number of trees on campus provides a better studying environment and is beneficial to the environment.
Many home owners have turned to self-sufficient energy supplies as utility prices have gone up. One example is attaching solar panels to the roof of a home. This concept can easily be used on college campuses with the added benefit that extra electricity can be sold back into the national system.
The simplest way for a college to reduce emissions and improve its environmental credentials is to introduce a recycling scheme. Many college campuses now have special bins in all areas so students can recycle tin cans, paper and plastic bottles.