With COVID-19, it has been hard for DePauw students to keep a sustainable mindset. Single-use food containers and utensils, as well as plastic bags, fill up trash cans around campus while in the past DePauw has used sustainable food containers. Even though DePauw has to focus on maintaining COVID-19 guidelines, there are many ways that students can be sustainable in their own dorm rooms.
- Bamboo Toothbrush
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It is very easy to make sustainable decisions in the bathroom. Some plastic items like soap bottles and toothbrushes will not completely decompose for over 500 years, meanwhile, zero waste and biodegradable products are on the market for very similar prices.
Bamboo toothbrushes have recently become popular and accessible in all chain stores as well as online. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, meaning that it can be sustainably grown while being fit for mass production. Charcoal and/or bamboo bristles make these toothbrushes entirely compostable–– meaning that if they are properly disposed of, there will be no trace of the toothbrush existing! Find my favorite bamboo toothbrush here.
- Bar Shampoo and Conditioner
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Plastic is a cheap and easy way to distribute products, but it will never truly go away. Only 9% of plastic is recycled and able to use again. A lot of plastic waste is found in the shower in shampoo, conditioner, and body wash containers. Liquid shampoo is on average 60% water, and liquid conditioner is 90%. A sustainable and economic switch is to bars! Shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars are incredibly affordable and are often much cheaper than a bottle of wash. One bar of shampoo or conditioner is equal to three bottles of the same liquid product. Not only do these bars save money, but they also save space. Find my favorite soap bars here.
- Pour Over Coffee
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Moving away from the bathroom, there are many ways to make dorm living more sustainable. I cannot live without my morning coffee, so I have switched to using a pour-over set! A pour-over set makes a cup of coffee just as quick as a Keurig without any K-Cups or extra hassle. All you have to do is heat up the water in a tea kettle (I have a great pour-over set with a kettle for $35 here!) and put coffee grinds in the filter and pour the hot water over the grinds. Not only do you get to control how much coffee you make, but it is also a quick and easy way to start the day.
- Water Bottles and Pitchers
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Because many water fountains are closed due to the pandemic, it is hard to keep a large amount of water in a dorm room at any given time. While it is easy to buy a pack of water bottles at the store, it is also easy to use various vessels to keep water in the room as well! Personally, I use my expansive collection of Nalgene water bottles to keep water in my room for tea, coffee, and staying hydrated, there are many other ways to keep water at the ready. Water pitchers with and without filters are a great way to keep water at the ready.
- Reuse What You Already Have
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A DePauw-specific way to stay sustainable is by reusing what is around you! Breadworks’ cake cups make my days better, and they come in a perfectly reusable plastic container. I use mine daily for various snacks, paint containers, and even scoops for laundry detergent so I do not have to carry the whole box down four flights of stairs. T-shirt bags are also a great way to keep from using single-use plastic bags from Hoover Dining Hall and the C Store.
While a zero-waste lifestyle is not for everyone, it does help to practice a more sustainable lifestyle amidst a pandemic where for health reasons, there is a lot of single-use waste. It is incredibly easy to maintain a sustainable lifestyle while on a college budget, making both the wallet and the consciousness lighter.