Sustainability can seem like a scary word. For many people, a big part of its intimidating connotation is that most of the representation we see comes from a population that goes to the extremes, such as trying to fit a year’s worth of trash in a jar. But one does not need to be extreme in order to be sustainable for our beautiful planet. All it takes is some rearranging of old habits and self-education. Even just reading this article is already putting you in the right direction! Here are six simple ways we all can be more sustainable at SLU:
1. Make an effort to separate recyclables.
This can be a tedious task, but it has a purpose and it only takes a few moments out of your day. Educate yourself on what you are able to recycle. What is so great about the recycling bins at SLU is that it notifies you what is recyclable. However, it never hurts to bring these habits back home or to just do further research!
2. If you can help it, don’t use straws.
When you think about it, straws are more of a luxury than a need and quite frankly, they’re not really good for your teeth! But more importantly, straws are non-recyclable. If you’re very adamant about using straws, you can always purchase a reusable one. Save the planet, using one less straw at a time!
3. Wash laundry in cold water.
Heating water is a complex process. You can reduce carbon emissions by a whopping 90% by simply switching your laundry water from hot to cold!
4. Use a menstrual cup.
This is a money-saving trick as well. Investing in tampons and pads are a pain, especially for our wallets. But with a menstrual cup, not only can you save yourself from taking a trip to your local CVS, but you are also reducing your waste!
5. Bring your own bags to the grocery store.
Most, if not all, plastic bags from grocery stores cannot be recycled. If slowly but surely everyone started to bring their own bags, we can reduce the amount of non-recyclable materials that just end up getting trashed.
6. Use old t-shirts as rags instead of paper towels.
Remember all those free t-shirts you got from attending events at the beginning of the year? You know how some of them are just shoved to the back of your drawers, never to be worn? You can refrain your use of paper towels and instead use those t-shirts as rags!
Perfection is not the goal, but consistency is the key. If perfection is what we are trying to achieve, failure is inevitable. We need to remember that sustainability is ultimately a mixture of habits, and habits can be difficult to create and break. But it is important that we keep trying because this world has already given its all to us and it is time we give our all to this world. Go green!