While living at college, it can be very easy to take our amenities and facilities for granted. I mean, after all, we're not paying the school's water bill, so why not take a long hot shower? We're not paying for the entire campus's electric bill, so why not leave the common room light on all the time? It's easy to forget that these little things can cause a negative impact on our planet. Being Eco-friendly isn't always convenient, but that doesn't mean it can't be beneficial. Living a more eco-friendly lifestyle can actually help benefit your life and health. It seems a bit overwhelming, but with these helpful ideas, being more eco-friendly might seem a lot simpler than you think.
1. Use a reusable water bottle.
This is an easy one. I'm sure we've all had that middle school assembly where we learned that using a reusable water bottle is better than using plastic water bottles. It's just better (and cheaper) to go out and buy one large reusable water bottle, than going out and buying cases of water all the time. Of course, you can always recycle the plastic water bottles, but sometimes we just forget, or get lazy, and throw them away. Having a reusable water bottle is easier because you can always refill it at a water fountain or in the dining hall. They can also be super cute if you buy them at 5 Below or Target.
2. Take advantage of your dining hall.
I'm not going to condone stealing or anything, but hear me out. We paid a good chunk of money for our meal plans. I don't think it's the end of the world if we happen to bring a fork or spoon back to our dorm. It's a lot more eco friendly to use metal utensils rather than plastic ones. The plastic utensils will just end up in the garbage and might possibly sit in a landfill for years to come. It's also cheaper to just use one metal fork than going out and buying 100 plastic ones and than throwing them away. When you're done using it, you can just wash it in your sink and put it away until the next time you need it.
3. Use your laptop.
Some of us like to use notebooks, and that's totally fine! But, if we're being honest with ourselves, we typically use our note books for notes and then throw them away at the end of the semester. We also do this with loose leaf binder paper. We can help conserve and save a lot of trees by just typing our notes in class. For classes that are mostly lectures, I find it easier and faster to type out what the teacher is saying than writing it down. If you prefer using a notebook, pass it down to a underclassman when your done with the class, or recycle it.
4. Turn your lights off.
I'll admit I'm horrible at this. I always like to keep my lights on in my suite because I hate the dark. However, the earth would probably appreciate it if we turned our lights off when we're not using them or aren't even there. I like to keep my window open and let in sunlight during the day, and only use my desk lamp at night.
5. Reduce the amount of water you use.
Shower time can be an escape time for some of us. I love taking long hot showers, but recently I've been noticing that it's better to save our water by taking shorter showers. I also noticed how much water is wasted just by using the sink alone. When we brush our teeth, it's easy for us to let the water run when we're not even using it. I feel like it's such a waste. There are people in the world who don't have clean water. With this in mind, I've cut back on my shower time, and I'm careful about letting the faucet run for too long.
6. Walk to class instead of driving.
This can actually be incredibly beneficial for your health, money, and carbon footprint. By walking to class you're getting in your daily exercise, not spending so much money on gas, and shrinking your carbon footprint. I like to think that walking also helps you clear your mind more and helps me reduce my stress levels.
Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to go green and be a little more eco-friendly. Just one small thing you do for the earth can have one major impact on it in the future.
