While at college, it is easy to forget about the world outside of homework, coffee and sleep, but if you were to take a few minutes to learn about what is happening to our home, Earth, you would see that so much needs to happen in order to save it. How could one single college student help? Here are some ways you can!
1. Reusable water bottles
One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of plastic you use is by buying a reusable bottle. Reusable snack packs and straws are great as well! Buying plastic water bottles can be costly. Even with recycling them, most of these bottles will end up in an environment where they don’t belong. So, save money and help the Earth with a cute stylish water bottle!
2. Walk when it’s nice out
Save on gas by walking when the weather is nice! A five minute drive isn’t worth the greenhouse gas emissions. Our campus is so beautiful this time of year and it’s a nice stress reliever to take extra time to enjoy the sun. Plus, saving on gas money will leave you with money for Marshalls!
3. Thrift store shopping is a must
Speaking of shopping, go thrifting! Thrift stores have so many great finds as long as you take the time to look. The awesome thing about thrifting is it’s cheap, and great for the environment. Those clothes which would’ve ended up in a landfill, will now be reused and renewed. I have personally found some great mom jeans at the Goodwill in Bradford, PA!
4. Buy used books when possible
Used textbooks are a lifesaver in college. Rent used for your general education books and purchase used books on Amazon or from your university. Anytime you can reuse a book is always great for the environment because you are creating less waste. Sometimes professors want a new book that is published that year, but more often than not you can rent/buy a used textbook.
5. Reduce power usage
It’s so easy to leave our fans plugged in, or our adorable string lights on all afternoon, but think of all the energy wasted when we aren’t in the room. It adds up. An easy way to save on energy is to turn off lights and unplug items when you are not using them!
6. Go vegan!
What? OK, so, maybe being completely vegan can be hard, but choosing to eat less meat or less dairy is actually very beneficial for the environment. The meat industry contributes to our greenhouse gas emissions. By choosing to go vegan for a day or two a week can actually help decrease the demand for meat and help decrease the amount of cattle raised each year.