Green Routine

I was serfing the web today looking for ideas for my next blog when I came across this page that gave tips to college students on how to lead a more environmentally friendly day. There was one tip in particular that caught my attention and that I hadn't thought of before and I have decided to write about. The 10th tip was to use and reuse the refillable binders instead of the plastic notebooks covered with plasic and held together by metal wiring. These notebooks are designed for one time use, unfortunately like many of the other products college students are accostmed to, and a more sustainable alternative is the 3-ring binder that a student can refill each time they run out of paper or change classes. This idea got me thinking about what are more ways college students in particular can be more environmentally friendly. I have already addressed the issuse of using plastic cuttlery in dinning halls and now that I carry around with me my own silverware it is no longer a negative impact. Another act I have started is carpooling more, even when everyone in the car is not going to the same destination. If I need to go to one store, like Target for example, that is on the way to the destination of the driver, then I ask to be dropped off on their way out and picked up on their way back. Its convenient for me because I don't have to drive and it reduces carbon emmissions.

Another practice which, as a college student, I am guilty of, is using and wasting countless numbers of those red solo cups. For the past three parties I have attended on campus, I have decided to carry with me my own drinking cup and not use ones provided by the host of the party. Not only did I use the same cup all night long, I washed and reused the cup for the following two parties. This reduces my impact on wasting unnecessary plastic cups and reduced my chances of accidentally drinking something that might have been slipped into a drink pre-prepared for me. I safely and environmentally responsiblly. I realize that these few measures I have taken in my daily life are not that extreme and might not safe the planet all by themselves, but think, if everyone were to bring their own drinking cup and reuse it every time, one college campus of about 5,000 students could save around 20 thousand cups a weekend! Now I'm just one humble college student trying to play a small role in the fight against environmental degradation.

To read about some ambitious college students making a huge impact in their community towards environmental justice visit the Tree Hugger Website and get some inspiration and motivation to do amazing things at your school!!

-mollyC