5 Ways for College Students to Live Green

College campuses are chaotic, busy hubs. Often students are so preoccupied, they forget about their impact on the environment. As a college student, being eco-friendly doesn’t need to be a chore. With a few simple lifestyle adjustments, you can live green even while on a college campus. Here are 5 ways for college students to live green and help the environment.

1. Reduce your use of electricity. Often college students are careless, leaving lights on when running to the dining hall, or keeping computers and laptops running when no one is around. Instead, go green by being a mindful consumer. Only use what you need. While you don’t pa your own electric bill, yet this is a good habit to get into. Be sure to always turn of lights, appliances, and devices before leaving your dorm room for class. You can also make this easier by buying a smart strip that you can plug all of your electronics into. This makes turning everything off easier since you only have to turn off one button instead of many.
2. Buy eco-friendly cleaning products. Dorms gets messy, so you will likely need cleaning wipes, sprays, toilet cleaners and more. Be smart and buy products that are eco-friendly. This means they are safe for the environment, but they are also better for you and your health since they do not contain damaging chemicals. Purchase products that are non-toxic, biodegradable, phosphate free, nonpetroleum based, fragrance free or vegetable based. These products are made safely and with the environment in mind so that you can rest easy knowing you are safe and your carbon footprint has been reduced.
3. Often college students use lots of paper goods. It’s usually easier to stock up on paper plates, bowls and towels for use around in your dorm. While it is quicker and more convenient to throw a bowl away than wash a real dish, buying hand towels, dish rags, bowls, and silverware is a much more eco-friendly approach. Purchasing just a few of these items can help you and your roommates to significantly cut down on waste.
4. Get involved and spread awareness on campus. College campuses often have eco-friendly, green clubs and organizations who focus on informing the public and their peers about the damages of wastefulness. They also promote good, healthy practices at school such as recycling, reducing paper waste, conserving electricity and more.
5. At the end of the school year you may have extra belongings or furniture pieces that you don’t plan to take with you. All too often college students leave for the semester and dump unwanted items at the garbage. Often these items are still in great or good condition and could be used again. Instead of just dumping these items, consider recycling them by donating them to a local store such as Goodwill. You can also earn a couple extra bucks by selling these things on Craigslist or EBay. This way you won’t be creating more waste, instead you’ll be giving or selling your items to someone who can still use them.

As a college student at Adelphi http://onlinemshidegree.adelphi.edu or any other college campus in the country, it is easy to get caught up in college life and become lazy about being mindful of the environment. However, with some simple changes, you can reduce your carbon footprint, conserve, and feel good about reducing your wastefulness. By conserving energy, buying eco-friendly products, reducing paper waste, getting involved to spread awareness, and reusing furniture, you can make a true difference.