There are many ways to have a more sustainable living and to recycle more, but it does become hard when someone lives in a cramped place like a dorm with a roommate. Fortunately, there are ways to go green while living on campus.

1. Go Paperless

Everyone seems to always have a computer or a phone with them which can be a wonderful, especially when it comes to the environment. Taking notes on the computer can help with the environment because it reduces paper usage, and it can also help the student by better organizing what they learn in class and making it easily accessible for them.

However, if someone prefers to use paper when taking notes, paper can be easy to recycle. According to Two Sides North America, paper is one of the few truly sustainable resources, and it’s also the top recyclable product in the U.S. There are many ways that students can take notes and be sustainable while doing it. Like using google drive to take your notes or audio record the lecture.

2. Decrease plastic use

While this one is obvious,  according to the Plastic Health Coalition, not only is plastic bad for the environment but can also be harmful to us. Plastic contains chemical additives that can increase risk of cancer, infertility, and neurodivergent disorders. Plastic also attracts pathogens that if they get into a person’s system, they could risk the person’s chance of infection.

One way to decrease our plastic use is by using a reusable water bottle. While some students shy away due to how much they can be, getting a reusable water bottle would be more cost efficient than by plastic water bottles. According to the Water Project, an average American spends about $100 per year on plastic water bottles, while a reusable water bottle can be as much as $30, and it’ll last. In the end, it’ll be cheaper to get a reusable water bottle.

3. Simply reuse a cardboard Box as a recycling bin

Most college students don’t have the money to buy a recycling bin however, they could have a cardboard box that they could use as their recycling bin. We all have them, and we don’t want to simply get rid of the cardboard boxes either, especially since we can reuse them when we move out. Using them as a recycling bin can be a cost-efficient way of putting your recycling.

At the end, everyone should do their research. The earth is our home, and we do live in it. It can be hard to implement a more sustainable life while living in college but not impossible.

Written by Kilie Huckleby, Campus Life Editor. Photo courtesy of Flickr.