Reading, writing, and arithmetic are still important, but most students now also know about the three R's that help the environment too: reduce, reuse, and recycle. These topics are self-defined by their names, and most students are aware of them, yet those living in college dorm rooms and apartments continue to discard tons and tons of trash every year. Eating on the run and grabbing coffee from the local coffee shop may fit well into your schedule, but can generate unnecessary waste if you’re not careful. Here’s a little refresher course on the three R’s, with some suggestions that are especially relevant to college students.
Reduce:
If you’re buying food or getting it from a campus fast-food style restaurant and taking it back to your dorm, don’t grab too many napkins or condiments. We all grab a little more than we probably should, thinking that we’ll use them at a later point, but most of the time they just end up getting discarded. Also, along those lines, invest in some utensils and even some bowls and plates that you can use instead of that plastic fork and spoon.
Also in the realm of food, depending on how your university runs its dining halls, it may be like an all-you-can-eat buffet. The problem with this is that students will put more on their tray than they can really eat, making it a “more-than-you-can-eat buffet” which translates into food waste. One way to make sure you’re not taking too much is to not use a tray. Ohio University did a food audit in one of its dining halls, measuring food waste on two normal days as opposed to food waste on a “no-tray” day. On the “no-tray” day food waste was reduced by almost 28%. (OU Office of Sustainability)
Students generate a lot of paper waste. The internet is becoming more and more helpful in reducing paper-use, but all of those online readings and power point presentations still seem to end up on paper and later in the trash can at the end of the semester. Firstly, print only what you need to, and print double sided whenever you can. If you have to print single sided, or if you have print-outs from class that are just on one side, save them as scrap paper and take notes or print on the back side. Then, of course, when you’re finished, make sure to recycle.
Reuse
College students are always trying to save a dollar or two and shopping for reusable items is a great way to do just that. In the fall when you need a rug or a mirror or even some furniture, try to buy it second hand at a thrift store that has the items you need. Thrifting for clothes and other stuff is also a fun, affordable, eco-friendly way to get your shopping fix in. Then when you’re done with these times either at the end of the year or when you switch out some of your wardrobe, donate them to goodwill or another charity if they still have life left in them.
You may not even realize it but buying used textbooks is actually an environmentally friendly thing to do. Instead of buying a brand new book from the publisher, get it online for cheaper and save the paper and ink it takes to print more textbooks. Again, at the end of the semester, sell them back to keep the cycle going.
I know you’ve all seen those reusable grocery bags, but they’re not just for grocery shopping. If you go shopping, either to an off campus store, and on campus market, or an on campus fast-food restaurant, buy a reusable bag and use that instead. Or if you must get plastic bags, use them for your trash; don’t just throw them away.
If you always get coffee to go in a local coffee shop, bring a travel mug along and have them fit that up instead. If you drink a lot of water, use either a plastic or metal water bottle instead of individual plastic bottles. If you live off campus and but bring your lunch to campus every day, invest in some good Tupperware instead of using all of those plastic baggies. Use more washcloths and towels instead of napkins and paper towels. Just be creative.
Recycle
Most universities have a recycling program. You can usually access their information from the main student’s page on the internet. If your dorm doesn’t provide you with recycling bins, use old boxes or purchase some small plastic trash cans and talk to your roommate about sorting the trash. Off campus, see if you can sign up to have your recycling picked up for you or if there’s a local drop off for recycled goods. Here’s a quick reminder of generally accepted recyclables:
Cardboard
#1 and #2 Plastic
Magazines/Catalogues
White and Color Paper
Beverage Cans
Steel Cans
Glass Bottles
Newspaper
Also, you can find places that will accept old cell phones and even computers. This site allows you to donate your phone in order to purchase a phone card for a soldier overseas. Don’t just throw away electronics.
And if you learn through music, just take it from Jack Johnson:
Photo Source: http://recycle.dpw.dc.gov/recycle/cwp/view,a,1375,q,634588.asp
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