In the everyday life of the “basic” collegiette living on campus, she creates a lot more waste than she realizes. The carbon footprint she’s leaving behind is substantial even without jumping in a car.
1. She wakes up after a late night…of studying, of course! She then grabs her phone and is out the door.
2. Naturally, her next move is to head straight to Starbucks.
Nick Jonas does it… And apparently he’s relevant again. Jealous that he can have ice coffee in November? Me too.
3. Post-Starbucks, it’s off to the Huddle to grab some Smart Water and a Luna bar to get through class when the coffee runs out.
4. Later on, she hits up good ole Grab-and-Go.
5. After dinner, she snags some guilt-free fro-yo and is off to Club Hes.
6. At Club Hes, she hits up ABP for some more caffeine. (Can it really be avoided? That test tomorrow sure won’t treat you well if you fall asleep.)
7. She staggers back into her dorm, plugs in her phone and is off to bed.
Does this sound a bit like anyone you may know? Sounds like a pretty, normal weekday for a lot of lady domers. Let’s take a closer look though about what this collegiette really did throughout her day:
1. Grabs her phone from her charger, but doesn’t take the time to unplug her charger from the outlet.
2. Starbucks run – 1 coffee cup, 1 lid, and 1 sleeve – ends up in the trash of her lecture hall classroom.
3. Smart Water – plastic water bottle that may or may not be recycled. Oh yeah, and that plastic bag…
4. Grab-and-Go… so many disposables!!! She probably threw them right in the trash when she was done too.
Maldives Trash Island
5. Guilt-free fro-yo? What about that styrofoam cup? Maybe not so guilt-free…
6. ABP run – another coffee cup, lid, sleeve combo.
7. Wait, that phone charger has been plugged in all day?!
Luckily for our collegiette, there are several super simple ways to reduce all that waste you’re contributing on a daily basis:
1. When you grab your phone in the morning, make sure to unplug your charger and/or switch off your surge protector.
2. Next time you hit up Starbucks, bring a reusable travel mug or one of the reusable cups they sell for just $1! If you love the look of your Starbucks (I know you do, it’s almost an accessory), these look the same!
3. Okay, if you’re one of those girls still buying cases of water, it’s time to stop. There are times when you need to buy bottles of water of course, but not on the daily. Buy a reusable water bottle, there are tons of water filtration stations on campus! You’ll save a ton of cash too. Plus, you avoid those nasty BPAs, while helping the environment. While you’re rising above plastics, ditch the plastic bag at the huddle. Use your purse or backpack instead.
4. First of all check out this incentive to bring your own bag to Grab-and-Go! Although, I’m sure fulfilling your social responsibility is enough incentive. Also, take the extra time when you’re done with all your plastics and styrofoams to rinse them out and recycle them. ND practically recycles everything! (P.S. Here’s the list!)
5. Next time instead of using that Styrofoam cup, maybe try sitting in the DH a few more minutes with a bowl of fro-yo. Let’s be real, it’s not like you’re going to magically be productive while nursing that fro-yo. If you must use a cup, rinse it out and recycle it.
6. Buy one of the reusable ABP cups, too (or use that Starbucks mug)! Just a few bucks (or flex points) and they’ll give you discounts on tea and coffee every time you use it!
7. Yay, flip that surge protector back on and plug in that phone!
Thanks for saving energy all day!
That’s Polar Bear for “Thank you”!!!
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