Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- One year after its founding, the Green League of the US Embassy in Tashkent is now recycling more than two tons of waste each month, has implemented several programs to reduce energy consumption, and has changed the landscaping on part of the Embassy grounds to cut water use.

Each of the programs is meant to both further the conservation goals of the Embassy and to raise awareness of the steps that people and organizations can take to reduce their impact on the environment. Taken together, conservation and recycling will be important parts of the global efforts toward living on a cleaner, healthier planet.

“We’re trying to increase the level of awareness about environmental protection,” said Jeremiah Maurer, a member of the Green League. “It’s an attempt to change minds and influence people’s way of thinking about the environment in the right direction,” he added.

The Green League was launched in April 2009 to reduce the environmental impact of the Embassy in Tashkent. It began by recycling paper and cardboard products, and later expanded by adding receptacles to recycle glass and plastic products. Many American and local staff of the Embassy have begun to bring paper, glass, and plastic from home to recycle.

The Embassy now recycles about 4,000 pounds of paper and cardboard a month. The Green League has earned about $1,500 so far from the recycling programs, and it has used that money to purchase energy-efficient light bulbs for the homes of American staff. These light bulbs use only 1/4 the electricity of regular light bulbs, saving the Embassy more money over time, Maurer said.

Other programs launched by the Green League in Tashkent include:

• A new system on the Embassy’s computer network that allows more than 150 terminals to shut down at night, saving electricity that had been wasted while the computers were not being used;
• Reconfiguring the network to reduce the number of computer printers drawing power. Each printer is now used by more people, reducing the need for electricity and saving on ink that dries out before it is used;
• Parts of the Embassy grounds have new landscaping that replaces grass with gardens of rock and drought-tolerant plants, allowing the Embassy to save water;
• The Embassy is shifting from gas-powered lawnmowers to more efficient electric ones where feasible.

In March 2009, Ambassador Richard Norland agreed to include the Embassy in Tashkent in the League of Green Embassies. These Embassies – more than 30 around the world – have pledged to find ways to reduce their environmental impact. This is part of an effort to reduce Embassies’ energy consumption by 30 percent and water use by 16 percent by 2015.

“This is all part of a wider US Government ‘green diplomacy’ initiative. I think just about everyone supports this, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their operations,” Maurer said. “This is a way to make us think about our conservation efforts.”