Happy Earth Day! In honor of our beautiful planet, I’ve collected some easy ways for college students to take care of our home.
1. Invest in a travel mug. You know it’s better for the environment, and most coffee shops will put your to-go beverage in your travel mug.
2. Replace your desk lamp’s bulb with an LED or CFL bulb.
3. Turn off the lights in the bathroom when you leave. However, do not do this if there is someone on the toilet or in the shower. They generally do not appreciate this.
4. Unplug things that you’re not using. Twinkly lights, coffee maker, mini fridge (when you’re on break or nothing is in it) — unplugging idle devices saves energy.
5. RECYCLE. This may seem obvious, but lots of people forget to recycle and throw paper in the trash — every sheet makes a difference!
6. Cut down on dryer usage. For every 3 loads of wash, try to put only one or two in the dryer. This uses less power, and clothes air-dry pretty quickly!
7. Instead of leaving the heat on when you go to sleep, put a view extra blankets on your bed.
8. Likewise, open the window at night instead of cranking the air conditioning.
9. Reuse plastic bags. If the cashier at the grocery store bags with plastic, keep them in your car or dorm to put garbage in.
10. Wrap creatively. Instead of buying wrapping paper or tissue paper and a gift bag, wrap a gift with the cartoons section of the newspaper.
11. Turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth or washing your face.
12. Take a shorter, cooler shower. This is better for the environment and your skin.
13. Use rechargeable batteries for remotes, flashlights, speakers, etc.
14. Carpool whenever you can.
15. Buy a plant. If you already have a plant, buy another plant.
16. Stop wasting napkins. If you take too many napkins at Peirce, keep them in your bag to use as tissues or in your room in case of spills rather than throwing them out.
17. On a similar note, don’t use more paper towels, tissues, or toilet paper than you need. You know how much you need, and it isn’t half of the roll or box.
18. Invest in reusable eating utensils rather than buying boxes of plastic ones for your dorm.
19. Donate or give away old clothes and toys instead of throwing them out.
20. Consider purchasing some of your clothing and other items, such as bikes and books, secondhand.
21. Buy a filtration pitcher (like this Britta one that I use) and a reusable water bottle instead of buying water in plastic bottles.
22. Cut back on coffee. Read about the environmental impact of our coffee addictions here.
23. Don’t buy a new one until you’re totally finished with the old one. This applies to everything.
24. Don’t use cosmetic products that contain microbeads.
25. Replace the K-Cups for your Keurig with one of these. They’re significantly better for the environment and they’re more cost-efficient.
26. Use a piece of uncooked spaghetti to stir your coffee instead of a plastic straw.
27. Use both sides of the piece of paper that you’re writing on, and don’t start writing on a new one until it’s filled up.
28. Likewise, print double-sided. Bonus points if you use a slightly smaller font and spacing than normal (note: you probably shouldn’t shrink the writing if you’re giving this paper to a professor).
29. Find a way to safely recycle, donate or resell your old electronics.
30. Be smart about your desk supplies by using a staple-less stapler and keeping track of your pens. That way, you don’t have to buy new ones constantly!
I hope these tips will help you not just on Earth Day, but every other day of the year!
XOXO,
Crazy Plant Lady
Image credits: Gifsec, Tumblr.com