If you’re a college student like myself, or better yet right out of college, then you’re probably broke. It’s a fact of life we face everyday as we struggle to furnish our apartments, purchase those concert tickets, and pay for the dreaded semester-supply of textbooks. Let’s not forget cringing over the drunken pizza bill we didn’t factor into the budget. With all of these expenses, going-green often times never even crosses our penniless minds. However, here are some reasons it probably should:

• According to the National Wildlife Federation, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher now than at any time in the last 650,000 years.
• Though we hold only 4.4% of the world’s population, the U.S. is the second largest contributor to CO2 emissions.
• A single gallon of gasoline being burned emits 19 pounds of CO2.
• Glacier National Park. Once home to more than 150 glaciers, there are now less than 30.
• At the current pace, the ocean level will rise 1-4 feet in the next century. Gravity measurements by GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite reveal steady increases in the mass of the entire global ocean.
  • 40% of the human population on earth lives along a coast.
  • 20 of the worlds 30 largest cities are located along coasts.

A little bit scared? Same. Solar panels, battery-powered cars, and planting trees in our non-existent yards are not practical options for our young, start-up-job-working selves. But hey, have no fear. There are plenty of little things we can do everyday to be an active hero for the environment.

1. Get a water filter!

I personally use a Brita. Not only does it taste WAY better than tap, it saves you from carrying heavy cases of water up flights of stairs. Plus, no one likes having to deal with dozens of empty bottles once they’re finished. Drinking filtered water can reduce the amount of plastic bottles that end up in landfills and oceans.

2. Turn your thermostat up two degrees in the summer and down two in the winter.

Like drinking filtered water, this tip is a win-win as well. You save on your electric bill AND keep 880 pounds of CO2 from warming the planet!

3. Use a laptop, not a desktop.

Odds are you are probably already doing this. Believe it or not you’re saving half the energy used to power a desktop!

4. Turn off your sink when you aren’t using it.

I know… I like to run the faucet while I pee as well.

5. Reusable water bottles. Get one.

The list of reasons why goes on and on for this tip. These are better for the environment in that they reduce the totals of fossil fuels and toxins created during production of bottled water. They do not create any excess waste. This is HUGE considering the average plastic bottle takes at least 450 years to completely decompose. In the long (and short) run, using a reusable water bottle will save your wallet in addition to the planet. Plus, they’re not just about being environmentally friendly anymore… they’re a fashion statement. Just look around your lecture hall!

6. Go vintage.

As in consignment shops and goodwill. We all like new things but one mans trash is another mans treasure, right? There are some pretty upscale consignment shops these days, especially in the city if you just look around! Dress vintage and decrease potential production fumes and unnecessary waste while you’re at it.

7. WALK! Or bike.

Do we really need to use and Uber or Lyft to go from one class to the next? An exaggerated example? Maybe. But with one quarter of the average households CO2 emissions coming from transportation it’s something to think about.

8. Spread the word.

There’s no need to be a tree-hugging lunatic, but if you see one of your friends using plastic bottled water nudge them and say, “Hey man, did you know that’s gunna take 450+ years to decompose?” Knowledge is a beautiful tool.