April brings with it the start of better weather, longer days, brighter evenings, and the globally acknowledged celebration that is Earth Day.
Earth Day typically brings with it a fresh approach to sustainable living, business operations, and lifestyle hacks, from tips on how to save energy to ideas for optimising recycling in and around the home.
However, for more and more people – students and other consumers alike – these are conversations which are not reserved for a single day of the year. Rather, sustainable living is something which is becoming a part of the everyday routine.
And that’s where this blog comes in.
So, as we look to Earth Day as a reminder about the areas of eco-friendly living and sustainability that we should be focusing on, here are some of the best ways to make green changes to your life as a student.
The Importance of Sustainability for Students
For many students across our Liv Student housing and beyond, the university years offer the first steps into self-managed routines and independent living.
As a result, building sustainable changes and eco-friendly switches into this early experience of independence is key to supporting long term environmental goals. Teaching students how to recycle effectively, reduce their energy usage, and make a positive difference early is unarguably the best way to make sustainable living a part of their lifestyle.
Here are some of the ways in which students can and do embrace eco-friendly living in student accommodation…
The Role of Recycling Stations
Where better to start than with a comprehensive approach to recycling.
Students are often unfairly labelled as wasteful, getting through cans of beer, bottles of spirit, and countless takeaways on a regular basis. Pictures in the papers and online would have you believe that students litter the streets with waste and rubbish and take little care in organising their space for the good of the environment.
Here at Liv Student, we very much believe in balancing the role of sustainable living with the hallmarks of a typical student lifestyle. Proper recycling and a green approach to student living don’t have to come at the detriment of an enjoyable student experience – which is why we aim to make recycling and other initiatives as easy as possible across student accommodation.
Even if you don’t live in Liv Student accommodation, you can elevate your own approach to recycling by creating a dedicated area for bottles, cans, and other recyclable products – familiarising yourself with recycling days and where and when to put your waste each week.
Do You Need to Print That Out?
We are actively moving away from the need to print everything and anything on paper – instead leaning towards digital bulletins and notices, online programs, and navigating as much as possible online and via various apps.
One of the easiest ways to reduce waste and build a more sustainable future is by cutting down on our need to print everything out. This is a trend which is becoming increasingly popular across universities and individual courses as well as in student accommodation.
Smart Changes Across Your Accommodation
From making a switch to LED lightbulbs, to taking the time to switch off appliances that aren’t being used, a big part of the sustainability conversation in university and student accommodation focuses on small but smart changes.
Some other changes that can and should be actively encouraged include:
· Cutting down on shower time and length
· Only using appliances like the dishwasher when they are full
· Avoiding single use plastics in and around the house
While none of these are particularly big changes to make on their own, and none will have a huge impact on your energy usage, altogether the impact that such changes can have on your carbon footprint is significant.
Shop Local Where You Can
This is something that both students and accommodation providers can focus on. Shopping local is a move which not only reduces your carbon footprint in so far as reducing the demand for imported goods, but it also supports small businesses in the local area and has a positive effect on the local economy.
Students should, where possible and where budget allows, shop local for their food and other goods. Student accommodation providers can support this by facilitating easy access to local producers and providers, sharing detail about where and how to get hold of these goods, and supporting small businesses as much as possible.
Familiarise Yourself With the 3 R’s
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
These are the 3 R’s that most of us are first introduced to in early education, as a way of kickstarting a move towards sustainable and eco-friendly choices.
Recycling is something that we have already covered from a waste perspective, but it can also be a pertinent way to save money on clothes and other possessions that you need during your time at university. The rise in second hand sites like Vinted, and the popularity of antique and second hand stores means that recycling has found its place in the consumer market too. You can support this by opting for second hand furnishings, buying outfits on Vinted, and selling clothes you no longer need or want.
To reduce is to simply make smart choices – reducing your use of things like single use plastic and cutting down on your energy consumption where possible. While reuse bridges these two lifestyle choices together.
Some of the best ways to factor the 3 R’s into your student lifestyle include:
· Using the university library rather than buying books for your course
· Furnishing your student accommodation via second-hand stores and charity shops
· Fitting accommodation with smart meters (talk to accommodation providers about how to make this possible and accessible)
· Buy in bulk and always remember to take your own shopping bags to the supermarket or local farmers market
· Choose products made from recycled materials
Suffice it to say, there are plenty of changes that you can make both in and around your student accommodation, to support a greener and more sustainable future.
Making these changes now will help to instil good habits that will be with you for life – with even the smallest changes having a big and positive impact over time.
