Presented by Garnier x Her Campus
With Earth Day around the corner, we’re all thinking about the ways we can become more eco-friendly. And, even if it feels intimidating to start to live a greener life, the truth is, you don’t need to have a major lifestyle change in order to make a difference – and I can prove it to you with these five simple examples:
- Use public transportation
A lot of students don’t know that Vanderbilt students are able to use their student IDs to ride the city bus for free! A single swipe can take you all around Nashville to various concert halls, malls, restaurants, and more, so let your car or rideshare app rest for a day, and take advantage of this free resource.
- Out with the old, in with the new
Instead of wiping off that “post-Friday night out” makeup look with single-use makeup wipes, try the new Garnier Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads! No more rubbing your skin with wipes infused with ingredients you can’t even pronounce. With the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Eco Pads, all you need is a bit of a Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water for your makeup to be off in moments. And the best part is that once you’re done, the Eco Pads can be reused! Just wash with soap and water and put away for the next time you need to wipe your makeup off.
- Unplug, unplug, unplug
Keeping your electronics plugged in, even after they’re fully charged, uses up a lot of electricity, which utilizes a lot of energy, thus increasing your carbon footprint. Doing your part and pulling the plug when your electronics don’t need the energy can go a long way in decreasing your energy use.
- Meatless Monday is not a myth
When you think about everything you eat in a week, is there any day that you think you can cut meat out of your diet? Studies have found that global meat consumption is a prominent cause of deforestation and thus a large contributor to climate change. So, maybe consider switching out the turkey or pork for some of the vegan meat options that are offered at Commons (which are actually super good). Or maybe you can give the black bean burger a try this week instead of your usual crispy chicken.
- Shop locally
I’m not going to sit here and tell you to stop buying fast fashion and only buy second-hand or to sew your clothes by hand because we both know that’s not happening. But what I can encourage you to do is set a date to check out the local second-hand shops in your area every few weeks (which you can do via the free public bus!) and get in the practice of just trying to shop more sustainably. There are a few great shops that are within walking and bus distance of Vanderbilt!
And for a sixth bonus way to feel more empowered this Earth Day, join Her Campus Vanderbilt as we partner with Garnier to make our #OneGreenStep on Vanderbilt’s campus with our Campus Clean-up! We will be picking up litter all over campus and sorting it based on materials, and it’s starting on 4/19 at 12:00 PM. We will be meeting at Rand and we hope to see you there!
This is a sponsored article. All opinions are 100% our own.