Going green is easier than you'd think. In fact, there are so many ways that even busy, broke college students can contribute to a healthy planet! Here are five actions that every college student should consider making into a daily routine.
1. Use a reusable water bottle
When you're trying to do a million things and then some, you need to stay hydrated. But the plastic from water bottles ends up in landfills and water supplies, where it will stay until it decomposes in 450-1000 years. You'll save yourself money too -- the average water bottle costs $1.20, meaning that buying a bottle of water every day will cost you $438 over the course of a year. Getting just one reusable water bottle can last you for years, saving pounds of plastic and your pizza money.
2. Take a shorter shower
Most of us use about 2 gallons of water for every minute we shower. Which means those 30 minute, hot showers waste over 60 gallons of water and (in most cases) use fossil-fuel derived energy. Instead, try showering to music. Limiting your shower to one or two songs saves a significant amount of water (and gives you time to finish that essay you're procrastinating to do).
3. Bring a reusable bag
Plastic bags are the norm at most grocery stores, but they're detrimental to the planet. The soft plastic they consist of are difficult to recycle so they usually end up polluting cities, choking animals, or contributing to patches of garbage in the ocean. Keep a reusable bag in your backpack and use it whenever you go shopping. Stores like Target even give you discounts when you BYOB. And when you're in college, every dollar (or quarter) counts.
4. Participate in Meatless Mondays
One of the biggest contributors to climate change is the meat industry. Not only are animals tortured and slaughtered, but greenhouse gas emissions abound and the amount of water wasted in . Committing to a meatless diet just one day a week significantly lessens your carbon footprint -- in fact, a recent study revealed that meat produces 10 times more greenhouse emissions than vegetarian meat substitutes. Besides, did you really want to eat that mystery meat at the dining hall?
5. Unplug
As college students, we use technology all the time. While our phones and computers are beneficial, they suck up the energy that contributes to climate change. It is socially beneficial to take time away from your phone, but there are environmental benefits as well. Mostly, try to turn your phone off for one hour a day or charge it during the day rather than keep it plugged in at night. If you unplugged all your electronics at night, you'd save 20 percent of your energy usage.
There are so many ways that college students can contribute to a greener planet. If we all committed to a few simple changes, our Earth would be a much happier place.
