Yes, you can be sustainable in college. No, you don’t need to become a vegan. No, you don’t need to go completely plastic-free or zero-waste. And no, you don’t need to drop mad cash to live a more sustainable lifestyle in college.
This post has been HIGHLY requested and I’m so excited to finally have put all my thoughts together in one place. Over the past two years I have made major strides toward becoming a more sustainable member of my college community at the University of Southern California. In the beginning of my journey toward a low-impact lifestyle, I thought becoming sustainable would require a large financial commitment. As the past two years have gone on I have come to realize that while some things may require an investment, a number of the everyday sustainable actions I have taken are low-cost and even save me money. This post is a conglomerate of some of the most requested topics in regards to being sustainable in college: everything from dorm life to shopping sustainably in college to getting the most out of your education while you’re still in school.
Dorm/Apartment Life
When you move into your space, do some research about how recycling works in your building. Though my freshman dorm had separate trash and recycling bins on each floor, I learned that USC pays to have our trash sorted. This made me relax a bit when I would see a recyclable item in my room’s trash bin, or when I would struggle to find a recycling bin on campus. BUT if your school does something similar, that does not mean you should not recycle in the first place! When I moved into my sorority house last year, I learned that we did not have recycling at ALL. I would carry my recyclables to campus and recycle them there, and even helped set up a recycling system in my house. My apartment this year has a recycling system, but operates separately from USC’s recycling system so I did some research on what can be recycled in Los Angeles county. Regardless of what kind of housing you live in, definitely do some research. Recycling is one of the easiest, everyday tasks you can do to reduce your impact on the environment! In places like California, New York, Connecticut and Maine you can also return recyclable items like cans and bottles for $$$.
There is not much you can do when living in student housing or an apartment building in terms of energy (like LED lightbulbs, or energy star appliances, etc.) but you can control some things. Unplug your appliances (microwaves, keurigs, toasters) when they aren’t being used. Unplug your chargers when you’re all charged up. Invest in rechargeable batteries, buy remanufactured printer cartridges (this brand sends you a pre-paid envelope to return your used printer cartridges too!), turn off your lights when you leave, and don’t keep your AC blasting 24/7. From the countless carbon footprint calculator exercises I’ve done for classes over the past four years I know that while each of these actions has a small positive impact, doing them all together can greatly reduce your carbon footprint! If you pay for your own utilities, this can also make a difference on your bank account.
Buy eco-friendly cleaning materials! My brother got me reusable “paper” towels for my birthday this summer and I absolutely love them. I use them as napkins for my zero-waste to-go kit, I use them to wipe down kitchen surfaces, and even clean up spills. Though paper towels do decompose over time, these bamboo-fiber towels are not adding any waste to the landfill. They also will save money over time. I wash my paper towels and use them over and over again, instead of buying a new roll of paper towels every few weeks. This is one of those items that has a bit of an investment in the beginning, but will save money over time. I also buy Scotch Brite Greener Cleaner sponges (made from 100% plant based materials) and Method surface cleaners. I also try to stay minimal with my cleaning products. I don’t buy clorox wipes anymore; I just use all-purpose surface cleaner and a reusable paper towel or a dish cloth to do everything I used to do with a clorox wipe!
When I moved into my apartment this year I purchased all of my plates, mugs, cups and pots/pans from my local Goodwill. I ended up spending under $15 for two plates, a bowl, four mason jars (with lids!), a mug, a pot and a pan. I made a huge effort to buy secondhand kitchen items this year mainly because I wanted to decrease the amount of online shopping that I did and also decrease the amount of packaging. I bought everything without packaging, whereas if I bought a pot from my local Target it would have been packaged in plastic, styrofoam and cardboard. I ended up saving a lot of money, and now I have a fun, eclectic mix of kitchen items.
Food
Dining Halls
The first thing I noticed during my Freshman year of college was that my eyes were WAY bigger than my stomach in the dining halls. I often would take multiple plates of food, only to eat barely half of what I took. Food waste is one of the worst environmental problems; “roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted”. I have always been a fan of seconds, so I’ve started taking much smaller portions of food to begin with to make sure I don’t personally waste any food. And while you’re at it, get your friends to join the clean plate club!! After you’ve become more conscious about your own food waste in the dining hall, see if your campus has the ability to compost. USC has a compost pile on campus, but our dining halls do not compost yet. If your campus can’t compost, see if they can promote food-waste conscious practices through marketing in the dining hall. USC’s environmental clubs have done a number of food waste audits in our dining halls and have hung up food waste statistics in many of the dining halls on campus.
Grocery Shopping
Now that I live in an apartment, I have become much more conscious of the food that I buy. I try to buy organic produce and free-range meat/eggs as often as I can, but this can be an added cost. I also try to buy produce that comes “naked”. Fruits that have natural skins that can’t be eaten (oranges, bananas, avocados), as well as other fruits and veggies like cucumbers and peaches, don’t need to be wrapped in plastic. They can easily be washed and eaten as is!! I try to go to farmers markets as often as possible (we’re lucky at USC – we have one on campus every Wednesday all year long!) so I can buy berries, kale and beans plastic-free, too. Again, this can get expensive, so pick your battles. It is too much effort for me to find plastic-free spinach, so I buy it in plastic but organic instead.
I quite literally live on pasta. I eat it almost every day and it is by far my favorite food. I have tried this year to buy pasta that comes straight out of a box, without plastic packaging inside. That way the packaging is completely recyclable. This took a bit of research and trial and error, but I ended up figuring out which brands of pasta don’t have that inner plastic packing, and they have become my go-to brands. I have not found a significant price difference between pasta with plastic packaging and pasta without it, so this change won’t break the bank, either!
Also as you can see from my photo above, I always bring reusable grocery bags when shopping for food! I also buy food that’s wrapped in plastic regularly. I buy bread that comes in plastic, and am collecting the film plastic to recycle at a facility in LA. Do some research about recycling capabilities in your college town!
Buying Food On Campus
At USC we have a number of restaurant chains and take-out food/drink spots like Verde, Lemonade and Starbucks. Most of these places sell food packaged in single-use plastic. I try to avoid buying food from these spots in the first place, but if I do need to buy food on campus, I normally go to Verde. Verde’s food is packaged in compostable/plant-based materials. I bring my own utensils (peep my latest monthly sustainable lifestyle challenge post) to cut out the need for plastic utensils on campus. When I do buy other food packaged in plastic, I make sure to bring it home, rinse it out, and recycle it. Make it a habit to carry around utensils and a reusable water bottle on campus to reduce the need for other single-use plastics in your daily routine.
Shopping
I have done WAY more online shopping (and shopping in general) in college than I ever did beforehand. Since becoming more sustainable, I have tried to shop less online. With the packaging materials, transportation emissions, and prevalence of fast fashion, online shopping seems less and less appealing to me. One of the biggest changes I’ve made to my lifestyle since becoming a conscious consumer is just shopping less in general. When I do buy something I want it to be high quality and made sustainably and ethically. Reformation and Everlane are my favorite brands, but they are definitely not cheap. That being said, if you buy less overall, you will have more money to spend on quality pieces that will last you much longer. It’s another one of those tradeoffs. Still need to get your retail therapy fix? Shop at your local thrift stores, flea markets, or host clothing swaps with friends. Or shop secondhand online on apps like Poshmark.
Themed Parties
Now I’m getting very specific here, but college is full of themed parties. PSA: you do NOT need to buy a new outfit every time you go to a themed party. I’ll say it again for the people in the back: YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A NEW OUTFIT EVERY TIME YOU GO TO A THEMED PARTY. Look at what you already have in your closet, borrow from friends, and go thrifting if you really need something new. If you’re in need of inspiration, definitely check out Pinterest for some creative themed outfit ideas.
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Transportation
Use public transportation! LA’s public transportation is nothing compared to Manhattan’s subway and train systems, but instead of Ubering to Santa Monica I take the metro. It’s only $1.75 for the trip (compared to $30+ on Uber) and is much better for the environment. If public transportation isn’t available in your college down, carpool with friends or choose the carpooling option when you use a ride-sharing service. I am a huge fan of Uber express, which has you and your co-riders walk to a more central location to be picked up. It is much more efficient and MUCH less expensive. I take Uber express when I go to my barre classes downtown, and the ride is normally $3 instead of $10-12. Uber express is definitely more of a time commitment than a direct Uber X ride, but the cost savings are definitely worth it for me.
Also – fun fact – Lyft is carbon neutral! They are one of the largest voluntary purchasers of carbon offsets. I am still incredibly used to using Uber, but I am trying to take Lyft more often knowing this information.
Get The Most Out Of Your Education
Don’t forget – you’re at SCHOOL! One of the best things you can do in college is take every opportunity to learn more about environmental studies or environmental policy. I did not have room in my schedule to add an Environmental Studies minor, and I wasn’t exactly interested in the soil chemistry courses in the minor, but I did get to take four different environmentally focused classes that satisfied my general education requirements: Oceanography, intro to Environmental Studies, Environment dn Society, and Environmental Challenges (a policy class). These classes not only gave me a baseline understanding of environmental problems and climate science, but it also provided a space for students to discuss environmental issues and policy in a setting with a knowledgeable professor.
Engaging in conversation with friends or roommates or members of your clubs and organizations outside of the classroom is probably the best way that you can make an impact in college. Though these conversations you can encourage those around you to think more consciously about their impact on the environment, and the part your school plays in your community’s environmental impact. I highly credit my freshman year roommate Brooke with sparking my interest in the environment. She is an environmental studies and philosophy, politics and law double major who I continue to learn from every time we hang out. Though I have become pretty well versed in environmental problems related to the fashion industry (like textile waste, water pollution and transportation of goods), she is much more knowledgeable about issues like food waste and environmental policy. My roommate this year is an accounting major, and is always questioning the business and economic impacts of environmental policy solutions I discuss with her. These conversations not only challenge my own views, but also make me think deeper about why I am so passionate about environmental reform and climate justice.
Get Involved In Your Local Community
Go to a beach cleanup! Volunteer for a local community garden, speak with local restaurant owners about providing straws upon request only, and learn about how recycling works in your local college town! Go to rallies focused on environmental policy or climate change reform. Get involved with environmental research or canvassing if there are opportunities by your school. Most of these opportunities are free (+ the cost of transportation), so definitely take advantage of everything out there that you can!
All in all, being sustainable in college is about balance. Don’t stop yourself from joining in on your roommates’ Postmates order because you know it will come with plastic utensils. Don’t freak out if you go out to eat and you are given a plastic straw. And don’t beat yourself up over buying something in a single-use plastic container on campus. You can work a few simple habits into your daily routine (like remembering your reusable coffee cup, carrying around your zero-waste to-go kit, and being more conscious about your food waste), and can spark important conversations with your friends about climate change solutions and being sustainable in college.
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH HELP KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.