Living a sustainable life doesn’t have to mean zero waste everything. It can be hard to make totally new lifestyle changes as a college student. The good news is that saving the earth is all about making small continuous choices to reduce your waste day-to-day. Here are some simple ways you can help out the planet:
1. Say Goodbye to Plastic
I look back at my freshman year self, buying 24 packs of plastic water bottles and cringe. I had it in my head that tap water was gross and I needed these plastic water bottles. Yikes! We all know now that single-use plastic bottles are canceled and drinking tap water from our Hydroflasks is what the world needs. While you’re at it, ditch single-use plastic silverware and straws. You can replace them with bamboo, wooden, or stainless-steel ones found on Amazon or at Target.
2. Stay Woke When It Comes to Fast Fashion and Unethical Clothing Companies
I could go on and on about the unfair treatment of workers in sweatshops all around the world. They’re underpaid, exploited, overworked, and put in dangerous working conditions all so we can buy a trendy but cheap sweater from Forever 21 and wear it twice before throwing it away. Not only are these companies treating their workers poorly, but they are terrible for the environment. An excessive amount of materials, energy, resources are used to make just one t-shirt. Imagine how wasteful it is to produce thousands of replicas. Shopping at unethical places like H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and Topshop (to name a few) may be convenient for the sake of saving money, but by giving them business you are showing them support. Thankfully, going shopping at thrift stores has become more and more popular with our generation (thanks Gen Z!). When buying clothes second hand, you can still find cute stuff that is not only cheaper but better for the environment. If there aren’t any decent thrift stores near you, there are plenty of online stores to check out. For instance, ThredUp is a great second-hand online store where you can not only shop but sell your clothes too. The best part, whatever doesn’t sell out after a few weeks gets recycled!
3. Go Digital
The more I think about it, it’s hard to find any real downside to buying eBooks instead of physical textbooks. When you purchase digital textbooks, you’re saving energy used to ship the package and the use of paper/cardboard packaging. Plus, digital books tend to be cheaper and you honestly get more out of it with features like highlighting in multiple colors, audio tracks, study guide programs, there are even made up flashcards in some programs. But if you are someone who needs to read a physical book to stay focused, there are other ways you can cut back on the use of paper in a classroom setting. For instance, you could ditch the notebooks and take notes on a laptop or tablet. Think of how many times you buy a notebook for a class only to fill it up about halfway and then never use it again. You can cut back the amount of wasteful use of paper by a lot when going digital.
4. Consider What’s in Your Shower
Everyone can do the environment a kindness by taking shorter showers and using less water, but the products you use are just as important. For instance, consider opting for a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfate is a potent chemical in shampoo responsible for making it sudsy. However, it can be very harmful to the environment and for your hair. If you want to go totally sustainable, you can get a shampoo bar that is sulfate-free and you skip out on the use of plastic! You can find some great bars at Lush. You could also consider the type of razor you use. Disposable razors are cheap and convenient, but ultimately wasteful. Getting a quality reusable razor can be pricey, but it’s worth the investment. You’ll get a closer shave and the earth will thank you.
Doing your part to help the environment doesn’t have to change the way you live your life. Honestly, living zero waste isn’t practical for everyone out there. Not everyone can justify spending money on a bidet, or bamboo toothbrushes, or zero waste beauty products. And hey, some people just really like paper towels over reusable cloths. As long as you’re making an effort to live sustainably, even in little ways, you are making a difference.