When people ask me what I’m studying in college, I need to mentally prepare myself to give a long explanation on what it is I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I tell them I am majoring in Journalism and minoring in Sustainability, and nine out of 10 times I am asked what sustainability is. After my sentence-long definition, I am suspiciously asked the dreaded question, “so what the hell are you trying to do with that?”
My goal is to become an environmental journalist. Hopefully, this will entail traveling to different countries and US cities learning about areas heavily affected by climate change, and informing my readers. Ultimately, I would love to SAVE THE PLANET, but informing people on how to change their lifestyles is the first step.
Below are 4 easy ways to make the planet happy.
1. Purchase a reusable coffee mug.
I have a Contigo coffee mug and no lie, I bring it everywhere I go. The great thing about them is that you can have the barista put hot or cold drinks in it, so you have no excuse not to get one! Styrofoam takes 500 years to decompose and cannot be recycled. Evidently, your Dunkin Donuts cup will be on this planet forever and it couldn’t even keep your drink hot. Most places offer a discount if you bring in your reusable mug too!
2. Purchase a $2 dollar reusable straw.
The URI Student Action for Sustainability sold metal straws on Earth Day this past week… so I bought two, one for me and one for my coworker that legitimately goes through 5 plastic straws (at least) in a week. I recently did a project for my psychology peace and nonviolence course about the use of straws and how we can limit it on the URI campus. Each day, Americans collectively use 500 million straws. How about we cut down our single-use plastic by purchasing either a bamboo, glass, metal or paper straw. Which will then help save the sea turtles and marine birds.
Check out this video of the first reusable straw keychain:
3. Refuse or reuse plastic bags.
Think about how often you go grocery shopping and how many plastic bags you use. Maybe like 3-8? That’s a lot considering those bags are not recyclable and will never decompose. It is the easiest habit to change, but hardest to remember. Try sticking five reusable grocery bags in your car to have all of the time- whether you are going shopping at the mall or at the market.
4. Start an indoor or outdoor garden.
You may think this doesn’t pertain to you because you either live on campus or in a rental, but it sure does! Indoor herb and vegetable gardens can be very successful. You can mix any plants together in a container, leave it by the window, and have consistent fresh salads in a few weeks! It is super easy to take care of, sustainable and cost-efficient because you will no longer have to pay for veggies at the grocery store. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to ask me start-up questions!