Being sustainable in general is difficult, but doing it while being a college student looks even harder. With hectic schedules and low funds, sustainability can seem impossible. But in reality, there are plenty of easy and inexpensive ways you can make a positive impact on the environment. It’s important to note that nobody is perfect, and it’s okay if you can’t change your entire lifestyle. Even if you make just one change to your routine, you can make a difference. Now, let’s look at some ways to lower your carbon footprint.
1. Meatless Monday
Whether you’re eating at a dining hall or cooking in your kitchen at home, making a conscious effort to consume less meat is incredibly beneficial to the environment. A quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and land use. By making an effort to reduce your meat consumption, you can help to lessen this impact.
2. Stop the Shein Hauls
And overconsumption in general. You don’t need a new top every time you go out, and if you really have nothing to wear, that’s what your friends are for! You can always borrow a dress or a top for specific events instead of buying something you’ll only wear once. This doesn’t mean you should stop wearing the fast-fashion pieces you already own. Get as much use out of them as you can. Another alternative to Shein and other fast fashion sellers is thrifting. There are plenty of items that are so easy and affordable to buy secondhand, and they’re usually better quality than what is being sold online.
3. Reusable water bottles
A reusable water bottle is a great way to cut down your use of single-use plastics. Over 400 million tons of plastic are wasted every year. If you don’t have access to a kitchen to clean your water bottle regularly, you can purchase cleansing tablets to ensure that you are safely lowering your plastic use and drinking out of nice and clean bottles. Plus, buying water bottles can get super expensive. Investing in a good reusable water bottle is ultimately more cost-effective as well.
4. Have a space for recycling
If you can’t switch to a reusable water bottle, you can recycle the plastic ones when you’re done with them. Recycling can be difficult if you don’t have anywhere to put recyclables. My roommate and I use paper shopping bags and place them next to the garbage can, that way it’s easy to get rid of my plastic bottles without just throwing them in with the rest of the garbage.
5. Repairing & Reusing instead of buying new
This can mean so many things. If you handwrite your notes but never finish a notebook, you can rip out the used pages and use the notebook for a class next semester. Learning basic sewing skills is a great way to make your clothes last longer and allow you to purchase less. If you drop a powder makeup product, it’s so easy to re-press it instead of buying a new one. As college students trying to save money, repairing and reusing is a great alternative to buying new.
6. Carpool
If you live off campus and have a similar schedule to your roommates, you can drive together. Not only does this help the environment, but it also saves you money on a parking pass! If you have club meetings with a friend, take turns driving and go together. If you’re going to the same place as someone, driving together gives you company and reduces carbon emissions.
conclusion
These are just some things you can try to live more sustainably, there are plenty of other ways to reduce your carbon footprint. If we all take a few steps and make more conscious choices, we can make a difference. If you’re interested in looking at what your current carbon footprint likely is, The Nature Conservancy is a great place to start learning more about how your habits impact the environment.