The below article was authored by Kristen C. Williams, Financial Analyst for Facilities Managment at Dickinson College. Re-posted with permission from Dickinson College Facilities Management News & Events web page.**
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Laundry and Printing Quotas--Fall 2008 versus Fall 2009:

Despite some initial road bumps as we implemented the printing and laundry quotas, data from the Fall 2009 semester very clearly shows that both programs were not only successful, but that the vast majority of the student body was able to fulfill their printing and laundry needs well within the confines of the quotas.

For printing, a staggering 92% of students stayed within the 600 page limit for the semester. Of the mere 170 students who did exceed the quota, more than half exceeded it by 200 or fewer pages which represents a total cost to the student of only $20. The below chart gives a clearer picture of the total usage:

Overall, a total of 674,042 sheets were printed in Fall 2009, a 57% decrease from the 1,432,800 sheets printed during Fall 2008. This represents a savings to the College of $34,196. Environmentally, 758,758 sheets of paper equates to 89 trees preserved.

On the laundry front, 78% of students had at least one cycle remaining on their account at the end of the semester. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know from the data available how many of the remaining 22% simply used their allotted 34 cycles or had to augment with either change or the purchase of a laundry card. A total of 4,004 cycles were completed using either change or a laundry card, which represents approximately 7% of the total loads completed for the semester. The below chart indicates the range of cycles remaining for most students which shows that, on average, students either did a load of laundry every other week or did a load of wash weekly and utilized air drying instead of running a machine.

Overall, washer loads were reduced 41% and dryer loads 44% from Fall 2008. These reductions equate to an average reduction of 43% in the consumption of water, electricity and gas. This represents almost 310,000 gallons of water and nearly 41 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. It also represents a savings in utility costs to the College of almost $10,000.

In conclusion, the successful implementation of both quotas shows that Dickinson students are more than capable of utilizing the resources available to them within reasonable limits, taking into consideration not only the economic, but also the environmental implications of their consumption habits.