Going green seems to be one of those trends that come and go. One season, all the celebs are using eco-friendly everything, from mugs to certain types of clothes. You receive notifications from Buzzfeed and even The Washington Post urging you to be aware and careful of the environment around you. Skip forward a few months later and you’ll be lucky to see just one headline talking about the importance of planet Earth.
Millennials are so innovative and determined, so it can be hard for us to sometimes remain focused on one task at a time. Statistics show that our confidence and abundance of social networking sties makes it hard for us in areas like focus, because we desire so much.
Although that is proven, it is important that we try to remain committed to a cause. It’s amazing to solve something and create a new platform, but we must also be willing to continuously promote the use of this platform. Going green is something that many people have started but soon forgot about. Expense has been a reason for neglect of this cause by many, but with these few tips, you can become and stay committed to the cause and hopefully spread its message to those around you. After all, you do live on this planet, why not make it enjoyable for the future?
1. Use an insulated lunch bag-
Rather than using plastic or paper bags, opt for an insulated lunch bag. It will keep your food cool, safe, and fresh. You can purchase one on Amazon for about $20 or under. You could even look for organic food to put into the lunch bag. That way you’ve achieved a double accomplishment.
2. Recycle-
This sounds so basic because you’ve probably been hearing people tell you this since you were in elementary school. The truth is, a lot of people don’t follow this rule. An EPA study in 2016 found that while 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, only 30% is recycled. College students have been found guilty of this waste. So, don’t ignore those recycling bins on campus.
3. Use LED light bulbs-
So you’re reading that long chemistry textbook and just when you’ve reached the end of the chapter, your lightbulb burns out. This is when you take out your LED bulb to replace it and just like that, you’ve given to the eco-friendly cause.
4. Shop at eco-friendly brands-
This is one of the harder things to do. Many eco-friendly brands are expensive, and it can be difficult to try and maintain this effort. I’ve found that brands like People Tree and PACT have more affordable things compared to other stores. You can buy dresses for about $30 and leggings for around the same price. If that’s too expensive, then they also have jewelry that can be bought for about $10. If your anything like me though, you may just wait until they have a sale and purchase some items then.
5. Turn off the lights when you leave a room-
This is a very neglected rule. Whether you reside on a campus or not, you should always turn the lights of when you exit the room. You’ll be preventing the wastage of energy. If you live on campus, you may not think of the electricity bill, but I guarantee you will when you own your first home. Why not prepare now?