{"id":35046,"date":"2019-11-22T11:54:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T16:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=35046"},"modified":"2021-05-20T20:46:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T00:46:53","slug":"a-student-guide-to-sustainable-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/a-student-guide-to-sustainable-living\/","title":{"rendered":"A Student Guide to Sustainable Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With a garbage patch twice the size of Texas<\/a> sitting in the Pacific Ocean and less than 11 years<\/a> left to prevent climate change from irreversibly damaging our planet, the Earth needs all the help it can get. 
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It\u2019s true, the most effective way to save the planet comes through governmental action and international law. But we individuals have a big role to play, too. Each one of our choices, whether it\u2019s what we buy, what we eat or how we travel, truly makes a difference<\/a>. 
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And there is a lot that you students can do, on and off campus, to limit your individual environmental footprints and contribute to the health of our planet. 
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1. Lobby school administrators<\/strong>
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Now, as a student — especially if you\u2019re still living in a dorm — there are some things that are beyond your control. It\u2019s not like you personally can modify your campus\u2019s energy systems to be more eco-friendly or start a compost pile in your closet. 
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But you can encourage your school\u2019s administrators to make changes. 
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And if carried through, those changes have a chance to make a much bigger impact than what your individual choices would, explains Julian Dautremont<\/a>, director of programs at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. 
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\u201cBecause, one, it affects everybody. And, two, it\u2019s changing a system, rather than an individual use of that system,\u201d he adds. 
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Say, for example, your goal is to minimize the amount of waste you produce.  
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\u201cYou can try to compost on your own,\u201d says Dautremont. \u201cBut you still need a place to take it and all that. But if the institution offers composting and has a contract with a waste-hauler who has a compost facility, then you can compost. And that\u2019s going to have a significant impact on the amount of waste that you produce.\u201d
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I get it. Lobbying your school administrators is easier said than done. 
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But if you\u2019re serious about making a change, you should join or create a campus group, pick up a goal and start talking to the relevant decision makers at your university. 
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Sometimes, making change will be difficult, Dautremont warns. It may require research, petitions and rallies. But other times, \u201cit is just as easy as spending time and helping that person understand the benefits.\u201d
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Dautremont says there are also a number of outside groups that can step in and help you accomplish your goals, if need be. One is Environment America<\/a>. Currently, the organization is campaigning to have U.S. campuses shift to 100-percent renewable energy. 
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\u201cThey\u2019ve got the resources and tools to help you and the mentors and individuals that can guide you through the process,\u201d says Dautremont. 
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And if your goal is to reduce waste, there\u2019s the Post Landfill Action Network<\/a>. And another group, Sunrise Movement<\/a>, supports students who are trying to get more engaged in the political process, Dautremont explains. 
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2. Cut the red meat and dairy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For you cheeseburger-lovers and milkshake-drinkers, eliminating your red meat and dairy consumption may be the most challenging step towards reducing your environmental footprint, but it\u2019s also the most impactful<\/a>. 
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Despite only accounting for 18 percent of the calories and 37 percent of the protein humans consume, meat and dairy take up 83 percent of the world\u2019s farmland and are responsible for 60 percent of agriculture\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions. 
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\u201cDietary choices are huge,\u201d says Dautremont. 
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I know campus dining halls aren\u2019t always conducive to a climate-friendly diet, but colleges are increasingly making a conscious effort to change this. 
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Harvard University, the University of Maryland (UMD) and the University of Pittsburgh have gone as far as to join the Cool Food Pledge<\/a>, an initiative of the World Resources Institute to put more climate-friendly foods on the menus of cafeterias and dining halls at schools, hospitals, companies and more, all around the world.
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But if your dining hall has yet to make a change, a general rule of thumb is: if it\u2019s good for you, it\u2019s likely good for the environment too<\/a>. <\/a>
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3. Use eco-friendly transportation<\/strong>
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Collectively, vehicles are the United States\u2019 biggest emitters<\/a> of carbon dioxide. So, if you\u2019re serious about minimizing your environmental impact, you must consider how you get around. 
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\u201cDo you drive alone to school, do you bike, do you take the bus, do you walk?,\u201d Dautremont asks. \u201cCertainly walking and biking are going to be preferable from a carbon footprint perspective and health perspective too.\u201d
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Spurred by student interest, colleges and universities across the United States have recently put a lot of time and effort<\/a> into making their campuses more bike-friendly. Some have gone as far as to build connected infrastructure and offer bike maintenance and storage options, theft-prevention programs, biking skills classes, and social events and staff to support better biking.
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Every year, the League of American Bicyclists ranks the best campuses for biking through its Bicycle Friendly University awards. To see if your school made this year\u2019s list, check here<\/a>. 
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4. Minimize your purchases<\/strong>
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We hear and read a lot about sustainable products. 
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At this point, almost every product has a sustainable alternative. There are dozens and dozens of sustainable fashion brands<\/a> to choose from, organic bedding options, tons of reusable water bottles, compostable to-go containers, bamboo toothbrushes and even environmentally friendly laptops, among other things. 
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But, if possible, the best option for the environment is to buy nothing at all. 
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\u201cI hesitate to promote green consumption because the answer is often less consumption,\u201d says Dautremont. \u201cBut, there are a bunch of things that you\u2019re going to be buying as a college student. So when you\u2019re buying, looking for those opportunities to put your money in the sustainability economy is pretty important.\u201d 
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Dautremont also says that, when possible, you should try to buy clothing and other products that have already been used, meaning from thrift stores and second-hand shops. 
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5. Consider the little things<\/strong>
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There are also, of course, the little things to consider. And the United Nations<\/a> does a good job at listing all of these small actions and separating them by levels. 
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Level 1 includes the \u201cthings you can do from your couch.\u201d 
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They are: plugging appliances into a power strip and turning it off when you\u2019re away or not using them; shutting off the lights when you don\u2019t need them; switching from paper bank statements to electronic ones; and sharing social media posts about climate change, among other things. 
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Level 2 includes the \u201cthings you can do from home.\u201d
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They are: letting your hair and clothes air dry instead of using a machine; taking short showers; freezing your produce and leftovers before they go bad; recycling; buying food and goods without bulk packaging; plugging air leaks in windows and doors; and, lastly, getting a rug, as rugs and carpets can help keep your room warm during the winter months. 
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6. Convince your friends and family<\/strong>
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In the fight against climate change and environmental degradation, collective action is extremely important. So it\u2019s crucial to convince your friends, classmates and family to jump on board and also move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. 
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\u201cPeer-to-peer contact and education is one of the most powerful forms of learning,\u201d says Dautremont.
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But, as you may know, people are stubborn. And motivating is no simple task. 
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So, the first thing to do is model the sustainable lifestyle, Dautremont explains. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to ask someone to do something if you don\u2019t do it yourself.\u201d
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The second thing you should do is talk about it, says Dautremont.
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\u201cYou don\u2019t have to try to make a big thing about it. I think sometimes there is a danger in, sort of, presenting yourself as holier-than-thou. It really turns people away, so I wouldn\u2019t do that. But bring it up in regular conversation about things you\u2019re working on so that people know about it — not to suggest that you\u2019re better, just as part of the conversation.\u201d
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7. Take a course (or four) in sustainability <\/strong>
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You\u2019re in college and, since you\u2019re reading this article, you\u2019re also clearly concerned about the environment. So why wouldn\u2019t you take a course in sustainability? Not only would it help you develop a better understanding of what it means to think and act sustainably, but it may also help you in the job market. 
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\u201cToday\u2019s students are going to graduate into a world that is profoundly shaped by climate change, resource depletion and a variety of other sustainability challenges,\u201d says Dautremont. \u201cAnd so, if we\u2019re trying to graduate students to be responsible citizens, informed and able to solve those challenges, they need to have some background. They need to have some grounding in what\u2019s going on in the world.\u201d
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And employers are increasingly looking for applicants<\/a> with backgrounds in sustainability. \u201cHaving some of that background can actually help prepare people for career success as well,\u201d says Dautremont. 
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Conclusion<\/strong>
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Transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle isn\u2019t easy or convenient. But, it\u2019s necessary. 
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Around the globe — from the islands disappearing in Tuvalu<\/a> to the worldwide megafires<\/a> — we are already seeing the impact of climate change and environmental degradation. 
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And if change isn\u2019t made, things will only get worse. Biodiversity loss could accelerate<\/a>, the Earth’s coastlines and island nations may disappear, our food and water supplies will decrease, and increased global heat could even lead to more diseases<\/a> and mental health problems<\/a>.
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Individual choices, on their own, can\u2019t save the Earth. For that, we need governmental action. But individual actions do make a difference. And every single person has a role to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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