I have been reading about climate change for as long as I can remember. But, it was not until this year when I realized how serious this phenomenon is. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint. Then, I came across a “low waste living” blog written by an environmental activist, and it changed my life – like literally, changed the way I live.
First off, I started to call the problem as it is. Not only climate change, but a climate crisis. Understanding the popular phrase “pollution and climate change are the different sides of the same coin” came right after. And finally, step by step, I started going low waste – swapping single-use plastic products to longer-lasting biodegradable products.
It doesn’t happen overnight!
If you want to do this change, you should realize reducing waste is a process and every small change matters. If you are a busy college student like me, you might find this process more challenging. But not to worry! Here are five tips I would give to every college student who wants to go as low waste as possible.
1- Reusable Cups and Bottles…Eco-Friendly, Stylish, and Practical
Let’s say you’re pulling an all-nighter at Robarts (which is super likely for me especially during the exam season). Lucky you, Starbucks is open 24 hours that day. Imagine how many coffee cups you would have to go through to keep you up all night – SO many! Instead, get yourself a cute reusable coffee cup; it is not only eco-friendly but also wallet-friendly. You can save 25 cents in every Starbucks for bringing your own cup!
2- Buy or Rent Used Books
Honestly, who has the money to buy books you will only use once or twice anyway?! You can reduce your paper waste by renting books from the UofT Bookstore or buying them off from upper years (Don’t forget to ask for their class notes as well!) Also, consider selling your used books online!
3- Shopping? Bring your own bag!
Plastic is one of the hardest materials to biodegrade. Keeping that in mind, always carry a foldable bag in your purse or backpack: You never know when you’ll do some shopping. Oh! Not to mention, always avoid buying food or products that come in unnecessary packaging. You don’t really need to buy fruit trays after all, right? You can always buy individual fruits and make trays on your own! ps. If you are a fruit addict like me Kensington Market is my go-to for the freshest fruits.
4- Swap your plastic hairbrush into bamboo!
Bamboo has become my favourite type of material since I have decided to reduce my waste. I swap my plastic hairbrush into bamboo about two months ago. If you have thick hair like me, you will understand the struggle of finding the “perfect brush.” But OMG! It’s so much durable than my last one. Surprisingly, it reduced the frizziness of my hair. Also, you should also check out bamboo toothbrushes and cutlery if you decide to pursue a low waste life.
5- Shop at vintage clothing stores
You probably heard of the sole motto of “low-wasters” – reduce, reuse, recycle. Shopping vintage is the “reuse” part of this motto. The fast fashion industry is one of the bigger contributors of landfills; so, buying less fast fashion items and leaning towards thrift shopping will make a great difference. Of course, you can’t buy vintage all the time, but you know, even one small change, like a denim jacket, matters. Black Market is the store to go if you want to start thrift shopping, you can always catch a good deal.
The imperfect is perfectly perfect!
You might be wondering why I have been saying “low waste” instead of “zero waste,” so let me explain. This movement’s aim is not to be perfect – it is starting from somewhere even though it is not 100%. Even though you try and not do a great job at reducing waste, you should always contribute to recycling. It is true that reducing waste might be challenging, but recycling is much easier.
So, don’t forget. Small changes in your daily life, can have a great impact on the environment. According to the campaigners, in “No Waste July” only, there were millions of tons of plastic was prevented from going into landfills, by simply avoiding the purchase. Let’s not try to reduce our waste in one month only, but all year round!