An individual following a zero waste lifestyle is someone who has consciously made changes to their habits in order to support a non-polluting future. Our generation is the first to grow up in a world that requires all of us to implement sustainability into our lives in order to preserve our planet. As university students, we live chaotic lives. Between balancing classes, work, assignments, friends and mental health, the thought of changing our already ingrained habits can seem difficult. However, living an eco-friendly lifestyle is not only good for the environment, but makes us healthier as well. This article will investigate ways that the average student can adapt to a lifestyle that saves money and time while reducing their ecological footprint.
Using a glass or steel water bottle is an excellent option for students trying to reduce plastic waste while saving some money. Our landfills and oceans have become breeding grounds for these non-biodegradable plastic buildups and have endangered wildlife, compromised air quality and polluted landscapes on both a global and local scale.
Use a personal reusable cup to take coffee on the go or even take it to your favorite coffee shop. Annually, 9.4 million trees are harvested for these cups and 363 million pounds of waste are sent to landfills. It's important to note that almost all paper cups are that makes them un-recyclable.
Grab a reusable mask. The pandemic has caused a huge . Since the virus can live on surfaces for three days, hospitals are forced to throw out any infected vaccines, IVs, masks, etc. in order to stay safe. Avoid getting sick by practicing good hygiene and wearing masks, and always stay home if you do get sick. By doing your part to keep everyone safe, virus spreading rates will slow down and thus the need for disposable masks will also decrease. Disposable masks have plastic in them that makes them not recyclable or reusable.
Tip: make your own masks out of cloth and use a reusable filter liner for extra protection. t.
Eliminate single use plastics at lunch time.
Throughout your day on campus, be mindful of the three bins seen all over campus (recycling, compost, trash) when getting rid of day-to-day waste. We are fortunate enough to attend a school that has a recycling center on campus that sorts through recyclables and compostables and re-distributes them to be reused.
Examples:
Composting food scraps when cooking dinner each night reduces the amount of waste going into landfills. Items that are compostable are used to make vitamin rich fertilizers that sustain growing plants and vegetables.
When you grocery shop once a week, it lessons the likelihood of your food expiring or going bad. Meal prepping is also a great strategy for finding a set quantity of food to use each week. When you you'll save money and help the environment.
Online grocery stores such as offer a sustainable packaging grocery delivery service.
As students, we are always learning. Changing a habit can be difficult which is why the Eco Buff team offers a free in-home visit to educate, support and give away eco-friendly amenities. There are a multitude of issues beyond zero waste initiatives such as greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, climate extremes, water source contaminations and so much more. The Environmental Center at 黑料社区网 is dedicated to making the campus an eco-friendly place for all its students and faculty. The E-Center employs students who have a passion for environmental issues and gives them a platform to learn and spread awareness. As students, we must keep having conversations surrounding climate change so that we can continue to make change happen as we enter the professional world.
Sign up for an EcoVisit from the EcoBuff team here!