Environment

Green GIC: Conserving Energy at Work

Gwangju News

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi is truly applicable when speaking about our environment. The clean environment in our surroundings seems to be taken for granted, as people have a mindset that “someone will clean it up anyway,” and many pieces of garbage can be found on the streets of Gwangju, especially around the busy areas on weekends.

The Gwangju International Center (GIC) is one of the organizations in Gwangju that is helping to conserve the environment. Especially important during the winter time when energy is greatly consumed to heat up buildings, here are some ways for how we all can save the environment and conserve energy.

  1. Use recycle bins

Separating garbage is really important, as so much energy and manpower are used later on and by that time, so much can be spoiled, ruined and cannot be reused. GIC has containers to help educate residents for how to divide their garbage, and not just recycle bins, as there are bins for paper, plastic, vinyl, cans and glass as well.

  1. Add window insulation

We can help keep the heat inside a room by using air caps, a.k.a. bubblewrap, which is plastic film material with air bubbles, the same as is used to wrap fragile items at the post office. This material is cheap and it helps a lot with saving heat. Wet the window then apply the air cap sheet onto the window. GIC applies this wrapping to all of the office’s windows, and 90 percent of the windows are either two or three layers, keeping the building warmer by preventing the cold outside air from coming inside.

  1. Save electricity

We know the basic rule of turning off lights whenever we go outside, but following this rule in itself is not enough. The GIC requires all plugs to be disconnected whenever the office is closed, and also uses LED bulbs. These methods of saving electricity help to cut 50 percent of our electricity bill.

  1. Keep the room temperature the same

The GIC has a standard of 20 degrees Celsius room temperature. By placing a thermometer next to the thermostat, it helps the staff to see if the room temperature is stable. By not heating the room more than 26 degrees, energy is saved and the staff can keep working in a comfortable temperature.

  1. Limit the use of paper cups

In order to reduce trash, the GIC does not provide paper drinking cups. That is why when you come to the GIC, you will find few paper cups. Paper cups, though convenient to use, produce more trash than expected. Even fast food restaurants and coffee shops are giving discounts to those who bring their own cups. As this is a good idea, why not try to spread the word to your friends?

All changes start with ourselves first. Any contribution, no matter its size, makes a big difference in the long run. So, are you ready to practice these methods and share these methods with others to use? May we all start the changes of truly improving our environment.

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