College campuses are some of the largest populated areas within metropolitan cities and small towns. Throughout our fast-paced lives juggling school, work, extracurricular activities, and our social lives sometimes we forget to take care of our community. While being confined to a campus has its restraints there are still ways to help the environment around you!

What does living sustainably mean?

To live sustainably is to sustain life on our planet, making sure we are being conscious of our water usage, recycling, and even electronic usage.

Why does it matter?

Sustainability is necessary to maintain our quality of life and ensure we are living in a safe and healthy environment. We want to keep our planet and ourselves as healthy as possible which is why we must contribute.

How can we contribute?

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Some of the greatest ways you can aid your environment start at home! For college students this looks like reducing the amount of water you’re using in the shower or brushing your teeth. Turning off water when you are not actively using it helps conserve water usage. Find out where and how you can recycle plastic and reusable products within your community, and reuse some materials for fun D.I.Y projects!

2. Join Your Campus Green Club

Campus Green Clubs (or other environment-related clubs) are dedicated to keeping the environment clean. Joining and helping out is a great way to contribute to your community as well as meet new people. Green club activities usually consist of campus clean ups, turning scraps into compost, and more.

3. Help Out Your Community Garden

Offering to help your local community garden contributes to limiting food insecurity. You could even learn and try exciting new recipes from the crops you harvest.

4. Go Thrifting

Thrift shopping is one of the most popular methods of living sustainably amongst college students. If you’re wondering how thrifting is contributing, shopping second hand limits the amount of clothing and materials that will be thrown into landfills. Thrifted items are able to be repurposed and redesigned into fun and unique pieces. Other items can be thrifted as well such as books, toys, electronics, and furniture.

Try these tips to move towards living more sustainably in your college community.

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