When you are living your best life at college, burning the wick at both ends in terms of studying and partying, it can sometimes be difficult to think about things that are outside of your small student bubble. However, in 2019, I think it’s safe to say that one thing literally every one of us can’t ignore anymore is the state of the environment around us. As human beings, we absolutely need to start making more of an effort to change the direction the world is going. Here are ten ways for students to be environmentally friendly on campus.
Do everything in your power to make sure that you recycle everything single thing that can possibly be recycled. If we all did that, we wouldn’t be having half as much of a global problem. Get the right bins and do the right separating and make your small but important contribution to the cause.
It’s simple, just only buy things that you need rather than lots of things that you want. College is a time when you should be being more frugal anyway, so you might as well pick up the habit as a student and take it with you into real adulthood.
Have a long hard think about your food consumption. Could you be eating less meat and therefore decreasing your own carbon footprint? A popular think to do these days is to commit to going vegetarian or vegan for two days a week.
Be mindful of your overall energy use. Don’t leave lights and devices on just because you don’t want to get out of bed. The less energy you use, the better you are being for the environment.
Try to cut back on your waste, from the foods that you eat half of and throw away to the disposable coffee cups that you buy at Starbucks every morning. Work on being more sustainable in all areas.
If you are partying in an outdoors area, make sure that you always clean up after yourself and don’t leave garbage on the floor out in nature. I don’t care how drunk you are, you should always make the effort to clean up!
Do a little bit of research and make the choice to spend your retail money on brands and stores that are committed to being sustainable and eco-friendly.
In any situation where you can walk or get public transport, do that rather than drive. I know that’s not always practical, so at the very least, try to set up a carpool with your student friends.
Try to cut down on your paper usage by going digital with your laptop or a tablet device in class. If you do use paper, make sure you fill up every available line before moving on to a new page.
Once you have mastered all of these little things that can make a big difference, take it upon yourself to educate and inform your fellow students on the matter. The more people that commit to making a change, the faster the change will come!