Things you can do as a student to help the environment
With the Amazon currently on fire and people finally starting to wake up and acknowledge that earth dying isn't hippie lies but a scientific fact, I've been getting a couple questions from friends at university about things they can actually do to help the planet. As the token vegan on my course its naturally always me that gets this sort of DM from friends. Its shocked me at just how little awareness people have over the things that are harming the environment. They have mostly assumed the climate crisis is a result of large oil and plastic companies, cars and people taking excessive amounts of plane rides. I once heard from BBC journalist at Oxford literary festival that the amount of CO2 emissions used to produce a single leg of lamb is almost equivalent to that of a transatlantic flight, however i will say i cant confirm if this is actually a fact but the point remains; It is meat that has one of the biggest impacts on the environment. The lack of awareness made me realize how easy it is for everyone, even broke students living in their overdrafts with zero clue how to ever pay it off, to make small non-intrusive changes to their lives Here is a little guide if you're unsure.
Number one;
Cut down on how much meat you are eating, it isn't essential for a healthy balanced diet and a reduced intake will actually make you healthier. A diet with lots of meat has been proven to carry significantly higher risk of the consumer suffering heart disease and/or cancer. If you cant afford to spend time, money or both on the gym then try cutting back on meat and dairy, you'll become more lean i assure you. There are so many vegan and vegetarian alternatives out there, from getting the vegan roll at Greggs to Tescos value 'chicken' nuggets at less than £1.50 for a pack of sixteen. There's pasta, vegetable soup, beans on toast just to name a few cheap vegetarian meals. it is 100% doable. no excuses. People tend to ignore this because they assume vegan food is more expensive but coming from a vegan let me tell you; it is NOT more expensive to be vegan. The more people buy vegan alternatives, the higher the demand and supply will be thus the cost gets cheaper. Go demonstrate a demand and do your part to help the planet.
Number two:
I'm sure your parents would have yelled at you a million times for this one, it is so simple and must be burned into the back of your skull by now but i can almost guarantee you often forget this one. Turn the bloody lights off if you aren't in he room or if its not dark. Whilst you're at it, switch the plugs off too. If you've finished charging your phone then just flick the switch off at the wall, pretty much zero effort. If you're in a student house i'm sure you will want your bills to be as low as they possibly can be so follow this step, It will benefit both your bank and your planet.
Number three:
Whilst on the subject of a win-win to save money you could cut down on your shower time. If it isn't a hair wash or a leg shave then you really do not to be in the shower for longer than ten minutes, or even longer than five. I know you might like to stand in the heat for a long time pondering the meaning of life but how long have you spent doing that already? I promise, those extra few minutes will not bring you any closer to the answer so just turn the water off and go get a cuppa instead.
Number four:
I know when you get a loan installment come in or hand in a really difficult assignment all you want to treat yourself to something nice but please try and buy clothes less. I am sure you have enough already, try and swap out trips to Urban outfitters and Topshop for Charity shops and perusing on Depop. Fast fashion is awful for the planet, You will save a tonne of money and as an extra bonus all the things you do get will be pretty much unique. If you to Uni in a wealthy area like Oxford or London i'm sure there will be some gems that aren't too hard to find. I got pretty much brand new black converse in a cancer research shop for £5 earlier this year and a always find loads of topshop clothes all priced at £2-4 each. It is seriously worth checking out.
Number five:
If you are having a library day or have lots of lectures on then try and buy a water bottle you can keep instead of buying overpriced single use plastic bottles from the campus shop. They are way too much money for a bit of water and chances are the recycling bin will get contaminated and taken to landfill. You might think its fine and we recycle everything in this country but we only manage to recycle a very small percentage. The same for hot drinks, take your own cup and you will probably get 10% off your drink. In the UK we use around seven million single use coffee cups a day and from that only around 1% will get recycled.
Number six:
When you are going shop i know you get frustrated having to pay 10p for plastic bags so try getting a a couple of tote bags, you can get some really cute ones for cheap from places like Primark or pound shops. WWF are currently giving away free online, just check their website. Plastic is fatal for ocean life, animals like dolphins and sea lions are dying at rapid rates because they think pieces of plastic are toys and suffocate from them. In just a few short decades it is predicted there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. just get reusable bags and do your bit, its a very small ask.
number seven:
This one will seem very small but will help a fair bit. Getting a bamboo toothbrush will help more than you think. Yes they are more expensive than a normal toothbrush at around £3-4 each but this price isn't astronomical. Plastic Toothbrushes take years to decay, most toothbrushes you have had in your life will still exist somewhere in the world whereas a bamboo one can be disposed of. It is something you should seriously consider and also try not to leave the tap running when you don't need it on.
Number one;
Cut down on how much meat you are eating, it isn't essential for a healthy balanced diet and a reduced intake will actually make you healthier. A diet with lots of meat has been proven to carry significantly higher risk of the consumer suffering heart disease and/or cancer. If you cant afford to spend time, money or both on the gym then try cutting back on meat and dairy, you'll become more lean i assure you. There are so many vegan and vegetarian alternatives out there, from getting the vegan roll at Greggs to Tescos value 'chicken' nuggets at less than £1.50 for a pack of sixteen. There's pasta, vegetable soup, beans on toast just to name a few cheap vegetarian meals. it is 100% doable. no excuses. People tend to ignore this because they assume vegan food is more expensive but coming from a vegan let me tell you; it is NOT more expensive to be vegan. The more people buy vegan alternatives, the higher the demand and supply will be thus the cost gets cheaper. Go demonstrate a demand and do your part to help the planet.
 |
| Vegan tacos, you can make loads and have a flat taco night |
Number two:
I'm sure your parents would have yelled at you a million times for this one, it is so simple and must be burned into the back of your skull by now but i can almost guarantee you often forget this one. Turn the bloody lights off if you aren't in he room or if its not dark. Whilst you're at it, switch the plugs off too. If you've finished charging your phone then just flick the switch off at the wall, pretty much zero effort. If you're in a student house i'm sure you will want your bills to be as low as they possibly can be so follow this step, It will benefit both your bank and your planet.
Number three:
Whilst on the subject of a win-win to save money you could cut down on your shower time. If it isn't a hair wash or a leg shave then you really do not to be in the shower for longer than ten minutes, or even longer than five. I know you might like to stand in the heat for a long time pondering the meaning of life but how long have you spent doing that already? I promise, those extra few minutes will not bring you any closer to the answer so just turn the water off and go get a cuppa instead.
Number four:
I know when you get a loan installment come in or hand in a really difficult assignment all you want to treat yourself to something nice but please try and buy clothes less. I am sure you have enough already, try and swap out trips to Urban outfitters and Topshop for Charity shops and perusing on Depop. Fast fashion is awful for the planet, You will save a tonne of money and as an extra bonus all the things you do get will be pretty much unique. If you to Uni in a wealthy area like Oxford or London i'm sure there will be some gems that aren't too hard to find. I got pretty much brand new black converse in a cancer research shop for £5 earlier this year and a always find loads of topshop clothes all priced at £2-4 each. It is seriously worth checking out.
 |
| This outfit is all Topshop and from a Charity shop in Reading. Cost less a tenner altogether. |
Number five:
If you are having a library day or have lots of lectures on then try and buy a water bottle you can keep instead of buying overpriced single use plastic bottles from the campus shop. They are way too much money for a bit of water and chances are the recycling bin will get contaminated and taken to landfill. You might think its fine and we recycle everything in this country but we only manage to recycle a very small percentage. The same for hot drinks, take your own cup and you will probably get 10% off your drink. In the UK we use around seven million single use coffee cups a day and from that only around 1% will get recycled.
Number six:
When you are going shop i know you get frustrated having to pay 10p for plastic bags so try getting a a couple of tote bags, you can get some really cute ones for cheap from places like Primark or pound shops. WWF are currently giving away free online, just check their website. Plastic is fatal for ocean life, animals like dolphins and sea lions are dying at rapid rates because they think pieces of plastic are toys and suffocate from them. In just a few short decades it is predicted there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. just get reusable bags and do your bit, its a very small ask.
 |
| This is the free tote i got from WWF, check out their site (wwf.org/uk) |
number seven:
This one will seem very small but will help a fair bit. Getting a bamboo toothbrush will help more than you think. Yes they are more expensive than a normal toothbrush at around £3-4 each but this price isn't astronomical. Plastic Toothbrushes take years to decay, most toothbrushes you have had in your life will still exist somewhere in the world whereas a bamboo one can be disposed of. It is something you should seriously consider and also try not to leave the tap running when you don't need it on.
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