Little things in our everyday life can make big changes for the future of the planet.
As a student, living a sustainable life is not very easy, as it can cost a lot. This article will give you plenty of advice on how to live an eco-friendlier life as a student.
First, you can start living a more environmentally friendly life by buying sustainable clothes. There are lots of charity shops in London, starting with Shoreditch, Camden, or even Soho (my selection of the best charity shops is listed at the end of the article). If you prefer buying clothes online, you can look for second-hand clothes on the internet such as Depop or Vinted that both offer a very broad range of clothing and accessories. However, if you cannot find anything you like in these shops, you can still limit your impact on climate change by not buying clothes in excess and limiting yourself to only buying the bare essentials.
If changing your way of buying clothes can make a difference, so does this apply to your food consumption habits.. Indeed, the most prominent eco-friendly food is organic food, but I am aware that our student status takes off the table given organic food’s expensiveness. Therefore, I would advise buying local food as well as vegetables and fruits at open markets. There is one every Thursday near UCL at Torrington place from 9am to 2pm. This will help towards the goal of living a more environmentally friendly life and will make you save money.
Meat industry is one of the main participants in pollution and climate change. By reducing your meat intake, you can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas. I am not saying you should fully go vegan, but try to make small changes in your diet. For example, try to eat meat only twice a day or delete any animal protein from your food twice a week. However, it is important to keep a good protein intake,so as a substitute to meat I advise you to eat vegetal proteins such as lentils, beans or even tofu.
Likewise, saving energy has a very important role in climate change because it reduces the carbon emissions. Therefore, I would advise you to switch off your electronic devices and turn off your heating appliances when they are not in use. Another tip to save energy consumption is to hang your clothes instead of using a drier. This will also help you to save money.
You can also participate in climate change with the actions you are undertaking on the UCL campus. Your contribution to prevent climate change starts on the way to class: public transports or carpooling are an excellent alternative. If you are lucky enough to live near UCL, opt for a walk or a cycling session. It is beneficial to the planet and to your body too!
Once on campus, one of the main contributions that you could make is to respect the bin recycling system. There are three different bins: the black one for dirty and wet rubbish, the green one for empty, clean and dry materials, and finally the orange one for any food you have left. These materials will be respectively recovered for energy, recycled in the UK and turned into fuel.
If you want to share your ideas and contribute actively to climate change actions, you should definitely join the eco tribe. There are many UCL societies concerning sustainability such as the Climate Action Society whose goal is to find out more about research opportunities, careers and internships focused on green industries. There is also the Zero Food Waste Society which contributes to the redistribution of the uneaten food from the UCL cafes to people in need.
Charity shops addresses:
Shoreditch:
- Forest Reclaim Warehouse: 73/74 Vallance Rd, E1 5BW
- Ayoka: 23 Old Ford Road, E2 9PJ
- All Furniture: E2 OEJ
Camden:
- Scope: 73 Camden High Street
- Traid: 154 Camden High Street
- Oxfam: 89 Camden High Street
Soho:
- Soho Vintage: 12 Ingestre Place, W1F 0JF
- Liberty: Regent Street, W1B 5AH
- Blackout: 51 Endell Street, WC2H 9HJ