The University of Baltimore is committed to being a positive force for the future of our environment, through education and research, as well as facility and resource management. However, being a sustainable campus also requires individual action from everyone.
The UBalt Green Pledge is a way for all students, faculty, staff, and alumni to make a commitment to minimize their environmental impact by adopting green habits. While it may be easy to feel like you can’t personally make a difference to help the environment, don't forget that each of us is part of a larger community. The small changes you make in your daily life can have a huge impact.
As of November 30, 2017, the top green pledges the University of Baltimore community committed to was:
| Pledge Item | Participant % |
| I will not liter | 86% |
| I will donate unwanted items | 83% |
| I will carry a reusable bottle | 80% |
| I will recycle paper products, cardboard, plastics, cans, and bottles | 78% |
| I will take the stairs instead of using elevators whenever possible | 76% |
| I will turn off the lights when I leave the room | 74% |
According to the pledge results students are more likely to:
- Use a reusable bottle
- Take the stairs
- Replace older lights with fluorescent bulbs
- Avoid printing emails
According to the pledge results staff and faculty are more likely to:
- Manage computer settings
- Reuse items (shopping bags, bottles, mugs, etc.)
- Unsubscribe to junk mail
- Purchase energy star products
By committing to some of the items in the Green Pledge, here's a look at the energy savings the University community is committed to.
Using a Reusable Bottle
- On average, Americans use about 50 billion water bottles every year and only 23% of these plastic water bottles are recycled, meaning 38 billion plastic water bottles are thrown into landfills or become pollution
- In the United States alone, 1.5 million barrels (about 9.1 million gallons) of oil are used annually in the production of plastic bottles and if that oil was not used for plastic water bottles, it could fuel 100,000 cars for a whole year
- By 2050, at the current consumption rate, scientists predict there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
Efficient Lighting
- Replacing only one light bulb with an Energy Star-rated light bulb in every American home would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9 billion pounds
- If you turn off the lights whenever you leave a room, you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.15 pounds per hour
- If the U.S. switched entirely to LED lights in the next two decades, the nation could save $250 billion, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by nearly 50%, and avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions
Taking the Stairs
- A typical hydraulic elevator (like the one in the Charles Royal building) uses 3,800 kilowatt-hours per year, or about as much as the average American home uses in four months
- A traction elevator (like in the Business Center) might use about five-and-a-half times as much energy
- The energy use per person per day is about 0.3 kWh, which is about as much as you'd save in four hours by replacing an incandescent bulb with a CFL
Other popular ways suggested by participants to reduce energy consumption included:
- Increase donation/recycling events and items
- Use reusable bottles as promotion item or prizes
- Place "turn off light" stickers around switches
- Install motion sensor lights
- Use heated water sparingly
- Switch to LED lights
- Remove office waste/recycling baskets and instead use one central location for all office trash
- Sign up for more paperless mailing options
- Do not use pesticides or fertilizers on lawn