How College Students Can Reduce Reuse and Recycle
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It requires quite a trove of items to sustain a student during their college years but that does not mean that your carbon footprint has to increase two shoe sizes while you are there. The school supplies, clothing, furniture, and personal care products that you buy while attending school can all have an impact on your carbon footprint but you can still be environmentally friendly even while attending college or university.
So tread lightly while away at school to keep your actions and purchases environmentally friendly. Follow the reduce reuse and recycle rules and being environmentally friendly shouldn't be much of an issue no matter where you are. Once these habits are ingrained in your lifestyle its easy to see how simple going green truly is. When our lifestyle changes it can affect how we interact with our environment which means we have to intentionally try a little harder to insure we keep our carbon footprint low. Reducing waste, pollution and green house gas emissions isn't difficult and every small change made can make a tremendous difference. We can all do our part. A person is never too young or too old to help reduce the damage caused by climate change. Decorate Your Dorm Room Green
Don't pull out the green paint, by using the 3R rules of reduce reuse and recycle you can help to keep the environment around you green. Reducing the amount of new purchases you make is a great place to start. It's not only good for the environment but it can also be a wonderful way to balance your budget. Most college students require some furniture and accessories for their dorm room and many of these items can be reused or recycled purchases. Purchasing used textbooks and dorm room decor items is not only environmentally friendly but can save you a fair chunk of money as well.
Your local thrift or Goodwill stores are a great place to start. Desk, table, chairs, bookshelf, end tables, lamp, television, toaster, dishes, and numerous other dorm room essentials can be purchased at local thrift stores for a fraction of the price that you would otherwise pay for them. Saving a little money is always nice but the greenest reason for purchasing used items is the reduced environmental footprint you leave. Purchasing used items lessons the amount of raw materials and energy required to make the new items that you would have otherwise purchased. You essentially reduce your carbon footprint whenever you choose to reuse or repurpose an item. It's a simple gesture that can have a huge impact on our environment. But there are further initiatives you can make that are just as easy to implement. You are most likely going to require an extension cord to plug your computer, printer, and desk lamp or other electronics into. Rather than picking up a standard electrical cord purchase instead a power bar with an on/off switch. It is estimated that around eighty percent of an electronics electricity consumption occurs when they are not in use. A simple click of the power cord's on/off button whenever you head out for class and again just before you go to bed can with a single click power down the bulk of the electronics in your dorm space. This one gesture can help to dramatically reduce the amount of electricity that you would otherwise have used. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint and most are simple common sense. Shutting off your lights when you leave a room is easy and switching to more energy efficient light bulbs can conserve up to eighty percent of the energy that you would otherwise have used in lighting your living space. The new bulbs last much longer than the old incandescent style which means there will also be less bulbs tossed into your local landfill. Most Schools Have a Recycling Program
Moving often involves packed items so recycle any cardboard boxes that were used for the move but save one or two to act as recycling boxes. Paper, plastics, cardboard, glass, and metals can all be easily recycled. Most businesses, schools, and colleges have recycling programs in place but if yours does not, then suggest that they create one.
Learn where the location of drop off bins are and what can be recycled in each. It is generally a very simple process to check into a programs availability as most businesses and municipalities have these initiatives in place. Keep in mind that recycling is a two step venture. Recycling only works when there is a market for the sale or reuse of recycled goods. It is always great to purchase used items but sometimes this is just not possible. When you do have to purchase a new item, attempt to purchase products that is made locally or from recycled materials. When purchasing new items, read the labels. Do You Do These Eco-Friendly Things?
Adopt a Plant
Plants breathe in what we breathe out so not only do they help to replenish the oxygen in the air, but they also have the amazing ability to rid the air around them of contaminants.
NASA was so interested in this process that they conducted tests to see which household plants worked best at removing specific toxins from the indoor air around them. The results were fascinating. Some plants did indeed work better at purifying the air than others. So if you are concerned about your indoor air quality then you may want to consider a Spider plant, Golden pathos, Gerbera daisy, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo palm, English Ivy, Mother-in-Law's tongue, or Peace Lily for your room. Most houseplants don't require a great deal of attention which also makes them an easy decor item. Purchase a Reusable Water Bottle
Most city water systems have water that is quite comparable to bottled water so unless your town is known to have water issues, turn on your tap instead of purchasing bottled water. Single use plastic beverage bottles are not environmentally friendly and purchasing these can be a huge waste of your money.
Rather than purchasing bottled water purchase a steel water bottle and fill it up at the tap. If you are concerned that your water source may not be the best that it can be then use a water filtration system to purify it. Many of these such as the Pure and Brita systems are quite reasonably priced. These water purifying jugs and bottles can be quite compact in size and fit handily into a small fridge. Another very important purchase is that of a washable cloth grocery bag so when you are shopping you won't have to bring plastic bags home with you. Far too many plastic bags and bottles are filling up the landfill and this toxic waste is definitely not good for the environment. Remember that every plastic item that you do not purchase is one less in the landfill and one less that has to be made to replace the one you used. Become a Climate Advocate
Encourage others to make a difference. We often learn from example which means that there are more than a few people out there who are simply unaware of the many ways in which they can make a difference. Reducing your carbon footprint is such a simple act that virtually anyone can participate.
Your peers are a great place to start. Most students are pretty open minded as their studies encourage them to be open to new ideals. They are also a prime age group to learn the principles that will help them reduce their impact on the environment. Helping to slow the harmful effects of climate change is definitely something that everyone can do. Become a climate advocate. |
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