Exam Week Is The Enemy Of Sustainability
Start writing a post
Student Life

Exam Week Is The Enemy Of Sustainability

As the semester comes to the end, college students are doing what they must to get the best grades possible and hurting the environment in the process.

51
Exam Week Is The Enemy Of Sustainability
Katelyn Nelson

As I write this, college students are in the midst of a crisis. Final exams and reports are coming right towards us and nobody is ever as prepared as they should be. As I am trying to maintain my sanity, I have noticed that I become the worst environmentally conscious person. I find myself not practicing what I preach because I am constantly in a rush, stuck on campus and simply desperate.

Most frequently, I find myself going to bed extremely late, rushing to class and in need of a coffee in order to avoid nodding off in the front of my professors. In that rush, I never think to grab a reusable coffee cup. I just order my drink in my single-use plastic cup and run. I'm not only guilty of using single-use plastics for coffee, but also as containers for fast food and utensils to feed my stressed self as I sit in the library for hours.

Additionally, during exam week I find myself cramming all of my self-care into one sitting. Showers are my favorite way to relax but also make me feel like I am not wasting time. Yet, I am wasting so much water. Your average shower pours out 2.5 gallons of water a minute. Needless to say, I go over a minute to decompress.

Lastly, any produce or fresh food that I have bought often goes to waste because I am not there. I always think that I will change the way I operate during exam week but it never happens, so I continue to waste food. I don't feel like I have the time to stand there and make food at all. All I feel like I can do is sit in front of the computer and work.

Yet, I know that I am not the only person who acts and feels this way. I see it everywhere and hear about it from all of my friends. During these times, our stress may make us feel like the world is ending but truly our life will go on. We need to make the effort to try to slow down during exam week, or really any time we feel a lot of pressure, and plan out our days more carefully. We need to realize that doing little things throughout your day to help relax you is not wasting your time, it's improving your capacity to perform since it allows you to think more clearly. By doing this, it will improve not only our mental health but also how we treat the environment, as the waste we create during this time can have long lasting effects into our future.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

22520
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

949167
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

126053
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments