Earth Day is April 22nd; Are You Doing Your Part?

Sustainability has been a controversial topic, as many are divided on its meaning. This idea can also be tricky to follow, especially for college students. We tend to lean towards convenience for our busy lifestyles.

The concept of including sustainability in your life doesn’t always need to be a big lifestyle change, but rather there’s a few small steps you can take as a college student to help offset your ecological footprint. So for Earth Day 2025, try implementing some or all of the following;

Taking Shorter Showers

This is a common first step in living more sustainably. I personally struggle with this, as I’m someone who loves taking long, hot showers. But taking shorter showers can help reduce water and energy use! If you’re someone who pays the water bill, it will also leave you with some extra money.

So for Earth Day, try showering for 10 minutes at most!

Reduce Single use Plastic Intake

This is probably one of the most significant items on this list, as many college students consume food that probably has some or a lot of packaging. If you haven’t noticed, everything that is ‘quick’ and ‘easy’ to grab in the on campus markets, is packaged in plastic. And yes, recycling does exist, but for these machines to process them, it requires a significant amount of energy use. So watch what you’re buying! Instead of buying meals in plastic, try and start buying more produce to cook your own meals. 

Start Thrifting

Many people already do this, and odds are you do too! Shopping second-hand is one of the most important things that we can do in our generation. But it’s more than likely that those who can choose to thrift also buy clothing in other places too.

Doing this in excess can lead to overconsumption, something that has been the focal point of a lot of our sustainability problems. So for this Earth Day, go to a local thrift store and instead of buying what’s trending, look for timeless pieces!

Change your Diet

Changing your diet doesn’t have to be stressful. You don’t have to go FULLY vegetarian, vegan, or anything like that. Many people think that if they eat meat or dairy they ‘fail’ in their diet, and have to start all over again. But, you don’t have anything to be ashamed of! You are already doing your part if you have somehow reduced your consumption of meat or dairy products. 

This is because these two categories of food produce the most greenhouse gases than any other category of food. Methane and carbon dioxide (two harmful gases) are released into the atmosphere through the production process of meat and dairy.

So if you’re up for it, try being more mindful of your meat and dairy consumption, or try and cut down on it completely.