Five Things Every Student Can Do To Be More Sustainable
Five Things Every Student Can Do To Be More Sustainable
From using less water to thrift shopping, every little thing helps
Happy Earth Day, Terriers! Whether you’re stuck indoors or soaking up the sunshine, today is the day to show our Earth some love. We all know that it’s time to start living more sustainably to combat climate change, but you might not know how to start. That’s why we made a list of five things everyone can do to be more sustainable right now.
1. Go thrift shopping
For most, clothes aren’t thought of as an environmental hazard. But shockingly, around 84% of clothing ends up either incinerated or in a landfill. To break this wasteful cycle, try shopping at a thrift store for your next outfit. With multiple thrift shops around campus, there should be plenty of options to meet your needs. You might even end up finding something you never would have gotten in retail stores.
Use Less Water
While the dorm showers are free, keep them quick. The more water you use, the more runoff and wastewater end up in our rivers and oceans. Just be mindful of how much water you’re using. Simple actions like shutting off the faucet when brushing your teeth or washing dishes are easy ways to make an impact. Flushing unnecessary things down the drain is another big source of wastewater, so don’t use your toilet like a waste bin.
Recycle whenever you can
Another great way to live sustainably is to recycle what you can. The Charles River Campus uses a mixed recycling system, which means that plastic, metal, glass and paper all go into the recycling. Make sure you put your waste in the correct bins. Incorrect recycling can cause issues at the recycling plant.
Pro tip: make sure you double check any plastic you throw away—”PLA” labeled plastic has to go in composting NOT recycling.
Buy a metal straw
Plastic straws constantly end up in landfills and waterways across the world. If you want to help keep our sea life safe, a metal straw is a great first step. They’re portable, easy to clean, and aren’t that expensive. Considering many businesses are beginning to dump the plastic straw, reusables will only continue to become more useful. Although BU has already phased out plastic straws, investing in a metal one means you’ll never have to use a paper one ever again.
Use a reusable water bottle
It’s important to stay hydrated during the day, but that doesn’t mean you should keep cracking open plastic water bottles. To keep plastics out of our landfills, get a reusable water bottle to take to around with you. BU has water fountains across campus designed to fill water bottles with ease, so take advantage and get yourself a nice reusable glass of water. It’s a win for the environment and your body.
This is just scratching the surface of things you can do to live sustainably. In reality, there’s so much that we all need to do in order to save our planet. If you’d like to get more involved in environmental efforts in and around campus, check out BU Sustainability for more tips.
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