Back to School Green Tips- College Edition
By Chiara Favaloro, Marketing Fellow
Now that you’ve left your parents’ home and have the opportunity to create your own lifestyle at college, why not make it beneficial for you and the environment? Here are 10 ways to do just that:
1. Take class notes electronically
Don’t waste money and paper on buying notebooks, use your laptop or tablet for note taking instead!
2. Borrow instead of buying more
One of the perks of living so close to your friends is that you can share or swap clothes and other items instead of buying new ones.
3. Stop buying plastic water bottles
Buy a reusable bottle and refill it as much as you can to stay hydrated. There will be water fountains and dining hall drink dispensers around campus for a quick refill. You also can purchase a water filter pitcher to keep in your fridge.
4. Go trayless and meatless
Limit food waste by only taking what you can carry, rather than piling lots of food on a tray. You can also reduce food waste, and your carbon footprint, by having a meat-free day at least once a week.
5. Use a power strip
Plug all of your chargers and electronics into one power strip, such as a “Smart Power Strip,” and hit the off switch when not in use.
6. Walk or bike
Cutting down on driving will help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions, save you gas money, and keep you healthy amidst all that late-night pizza.
7. Print less or double-sided
Whenever possible, use a computer or tablet to read a long document or article and bookmark it for easy accessibility later. If you must print, at least make sure it’s double-sided!
8. Rent your textbooks
Textbooks can be very expensive, and are you really going to need it after this semester? There are lots of websites such as Amazon.com, Textbooks.com, and Chegg.com that provide a rental service for a fraction of the cost of buying one!
9. Skip the dryer
Chances are, using your campus
laundry machines isn’t cheap. So purchase a drying rack instead! Let your clothes air-dry to reduce energy, keep your clothes from shrinking, and save some money.
10. Get involved
Join, or start, a sustainability club on your campus. You can also speak to your student government or campus sustainability office about ways to help make your campus more green!