A Beginner’s Guide to Sustainability in College
graphic by lucinda strol
POV: You’re lying in bed; the desk to your left has six empty plastic water bottles on top of it and your door has almost every plastic bag you’ve gotten at CVS hanging from the handle because you keep telling yourself you’re going to reuse them. You gave up Juuling and switched to the PUFF bar because that’s somehow better for you, and there’s ten empty ones in your drawer. The amount of instant-ramen cups in your trash is simply absurd (no one should be consuming that much sodium, anyways). Come on. You’re better than this. You’re probably tired of always having to throw away all this shit too, so here are some easy ways to be more sustainable and as a result not have to take out the garbage so goddamn often.
Get a reusable water bottle, for god’s sake. It’s easier than constantly buying plastic ones, and tap water really isn’t that bad.
This one is pretty easy for college students, but if there’s one plus-side to having to live on campus, it’s the ability to walk, bike, skate, or use whatever gas-free option you choose to get around. Don’t call an Uber just ‘cause it’s “too cold” to walk to class- you chose going to school in Syracuse, New York, so now you got to walk through it.
Stop ordering take out! It’s expensive! And have you ever noticed how much excess plastic trash comes with your daily Grubhub orders? Cooking for yourself instead is healthier, more cost-friendly, and so much less wasteful. Sorry to all the freshmen, but for you this just means sticking to the dining hall delicacies more than you’d probably like- but hey, you paid for that meal plan, so you might as well use it! Plus the dining hall cookies are unmatched.
I think most of us have started doing this already, but try taking your notes electronically, if you can. You’ll save so much paper AND you won’t have to carry around notebooks for each of your classes. Whether it be on a laptop or tablet, electronic notes are a super convenient way to reduce the amount of paper the average student uses by a lot.
Reusable bags! Probably one of the easiest ways to be more sustainable is to just stop getting so many fucking plastic bags when shopping for groceries, clothes, or really anything. Most small items you purchase can also most likely fit into your backpack anyways- if it fits, why use a plastic bag? Tote bags are also super easy and cheap to come by, and have tons of cute patterns A.K.A. they’re way more stylish to carry around than grocery bags.
At the end of the day, we know that being sustainable can be difficult, especially in college. BUT there are so many little changes you can make that not only benefit the planet but also your own life. It’s time to start caring!