College can be a difficult time. With cramming for exams, staying active and involved with clubs, and maintaining a happy and healthy social life, being environmentally friendly and sustainable can easily be the last thing on a student’s to-do list. Yet it is more important than ever to be environmentally conscience and proactive. Not only that but living a sustainable lifestyle, even in college, can give you a great sense of fulfillment and gratification.
Here are the top five easiest ways to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle at school!
Clothing Swaps: Save money, save the environment!
One of the great things about college is that you are living with your best friends, whether that is your roommate, your sorority, or just the girls in your residence hall! With that comes the convenient endless supply of clothing. Clothing swaps are something my friends and I love to do because not only do you get new pieces without the price tag, but you also reduce the amount of money that goes to clothing production, which has a proven harmful effect on the environment. Did you know it takes 2,000 gallons of water to make ONE pair of jeans! Not only that but there is an increasing demand for new items, which adds to the wasteful disposal of material and fabric used to create clothing, when often times old items can be hemmed or mended. Through clothing swaps you can protect the environment by limiting the amount of water used to make a pair of new jeans or the amount of fabric wasted by mass clothing production. Plus you’re bank account (and parents) will thank you too!
P.S. Check out Poshmark for used items as well!
Metal Straws not only save the turtles, but also reduce your plastic footprint!
The metal straw trend is truly proof of the power of Twitter. After a video was released of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril, reusable metal straw sales spiked! But metal straws not only protect precious sealife, but they also drastically reduse the amount of non-recyclable plastic that is produced. Plastic straws are too small and lightweight to be properly recycled, so next time skip the straw at Starbucks and opt for this super cute sustainable option!
Get a two-pack on Amazon for only $10.99:
Switch out your brand name toiletries and cosmetics for environmentally-friendly ones!
It’s easy to get caught up in the newest makeup trends and aesthetic products, yet many of these brand names use wasteful packaging and harmful chemicals to achieve their designer effect. But there’s hope! So many brands have taken the initiative to be environmentally friendly, from vegan ingredients to biodegradable packaging, so it’s necessary we show them some love so they can continue protecting our planet! Not only that, but these brands are also organic and natural, which is exactly how they should be when you are using them on your body! Some popular, sustainable brands include Lush Cosmetics, Briogeo, Tom’s of Maine, Drunk Elephant, LOLA Toiletries, and there are plenty more!
For more affordable, sustainable cosmetics check out: https://www.sephora.com/beauty/clean-beauty-products
Buy in bulk!
College students love their snacks. Yet often times the best snacks to take on the go are overly packaged with plastic. Don’t let this ruin your after class snack time or late night feast! Buying in bulk can reduce the amount of wasteful packaging that is required for individually packaged food. Instead of buying several 5 fl oz sized yogurts, purchase a large 32 oz tub and enjoy in a reusable bowl (no more paper bowls) and metal spoon! Skip the Polar Spring’s plastic water bottle and opt for a cute metal one that you can fill easily with a britta or water fountain. Avoid the single serving chip bag and instead go for a multiple serving bag and enjoy in a bowl. Bonus! Buying in bulk also reduces the amount of trips to the grocery store you take!
For reusable tableware, look here: https://www.target.com/s/plastic+dinnerware
For bulk packaging check out Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sam’s Club, and more!
Trade out your plastic Starbucks cup for reusable coffee to-go cups!
If you’re anything like me, Starbucks isn’t a want but a need. Whether it’s waking up early for classes or staying up late to finish a paper, coffee has always been there to get me through it. Plus having an on-campus Starbucks that’s open til 1 am certainly doesn’t help with my coffee addiction. Better yet, your coffee craving doesn’t have to automatically mean using wasteful plastic cups! Starbucks has released a variety of reusable to-go mugs in a variety of shapes and sizes. Even better, they will give you $.10 off everytime you bring in a reusable cup from home for them to fill. Perfect for a broke college student like me!
For more facts on the benefits of reusable to-go cups click here: https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report/environmental-stewardship/reusable-cups
Get your reusable mug here or at any Starbucks location: https://www.amazon.com/Starbucks-reusable-cup/s?k=Starbucks+reusable+cup