It’s 2020, and going green has never been more important. Here are some easy ways to start being greener right on campus.
- Use Reusable Shopping Bags
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According to the Center of Biological Diversity, the United States uses around 100 billion plastic bags a year! All those bags produce a lot of litter and use a lot of fuel. An easy solution is to invest in a couple of reusable shopping bags. They help fight plastic pollution and prevent any bag-breakage mid-way home.
- Buy a Reusable Water Bottle.
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Plastic bottles are notorious for dirtying up our beaches and causing problems for our wildlife. National Geographic estimates that 1,000,000 plastic bottles are sold every minute globally, and you can imagine how many end up in the oceans and not recycling bins. A super easy solution is to buy a reusable water bottle. They save the oceans and save money. Most campuses have water fountains that make clean, great-tasting water available.
- Put a Recycling Bin in Your Room
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I get it, plastic bottles are sometimes unavoidable. To combat them, be sure to throw them in a recycling bin. Keeping a bin in your room means a greener way to get rid of bottles, boxes, cans, and that first draft of your persuasive essay.
- Take a Walk or Ride Your Bike
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Cars are one of the first things to pop in our heads when “pollution” is brought up. The World Economic Forum says about 7 million deaths are caused by air and household pollution, and cars are the biggest contributor. Most campuses are made for walking, so if it’s a five-minute drive, leave a little earlier and walk to where you need to go. If the trip is slightly farther, take a bike ride to get some much-needed exercise and help contribute to decreasing car emissions.
- Carpool
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Again, if life prevents walking or bike riding, try to carpool as much as possible. If you need to go to the store, see if your classmates or roommates need too as well. You can all jam out in ONE car and help decrease emissions by putting fewer cars on the road.
- Eat Less Red Meat
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The meat industry, specifically beef, leaves the biggest carbon footprint out of any other food industries in the world. A lot of fuel and waste circulate in this industry, and many people are considering cutting out all meat to try and combat this issue. Don’t get me wrong, I love cheeseburgers too, but going from beef five or six times a week to once or twice can help decrease the demand for beef. Thus, less will be produced, and we can start decreasing the harmful impacts the meat industry has on the environment.
Making a couple of conscious decisions can turn into easy habits that benefit our planet. You may not think you can start a global movement, but small actions add up. Small actions create big changes.
If you want to learn more, check out these sources