Cheap and Easy Ways for Cash-Strapped College Kids to Go Green

College years are great years to have a super fun time and try new things. They’re also the years when we have a tendency to find ourselves the most broke. It sometimes almost as if college is the time during which you learn to function with as little average money as possible so that you spend the rest of your life truly understanding the value of the dollar. Whatever the case may be, more often than not, being a college student means not having the greatest amount of disposable wealth lying around. Being environmentally conscious, however, is important no matter what your income, and solutions to help greenify your lifestyle are not always the cheapest. Or so it may seem. We’ll talk about a few super effective ways that you, as a cash-strapped college student, can help look out for the environment while you continue to rock your higher education.

If you live in a college town, then it’s more than likely that you’ve got a several alternatives to your car that you can use for transportation. There’s likely to be a killer bus or metro system to help you get from point A to point B, and riding your bike is another great way to save money while reducing your carbon footprint. Think about it. Not only will you save money on gas, car maintenance, and ridiculous university parking permit fees, but you’ll be greatly reducing the amount of emissions you put in the atmosphere. Whether you grab a bus pass or a bicycle, there are more than just a couple of ways to use alternative transportation for saving both your money and the environment.

Recycling your textbook is another way to stay on the green side of things and save money for school. And no, I’m not talking about chucking them in the nearest recycling bin. I mean that by buying used textbooks and selling yours to other students who need them, you can avoid consuming brand new books and cut down on the amount of paper waste you wind up using. The same can be said for using as many electronic books and resources as you can, an option that’s never been more available. Especially for students whose textbooks are heavily comprised of literature and novels — these kinds of works (and many other textbooks) can be purchased online and used with e-reader programs that will allow you to take notes, highlight passages, and offer a number of other functionalities that will make your studies easier, more affordable, and more sustainable.

There are a ton of ways to save money while you work on your college degree, whether you’re earning your master’s in comparative world literature or your nurse practitioner online degree. It’s easier than you might think to really cut back on your environmental impact and add a little padding to your wallet. All you need to know are a few good ideas, and you can save your money and the environment while you get ready to start your exciting career.