How to be environmentally sustainable at university

12 Aug

by Ayame Kaikawa

There are many things you can do at university to save the planet, here are our top tips.

Avoid buying plastic bottles

You can get a drinking bottle for an affordable price. Try to avoid buying drinks in plastic bottles and carry a reusable bottle everywhere you go instead.

Avoid printing paper

Try to consider if you really need to print out documents or notes or if you can use alternatives so that you can reduce the amount of printing.

Turn off electricity

Many student accommodations' rent (including our Lancaster student accommodation here at Bailrigg) include all the electricity bills so it might be easy for you to forget about turning the electricity off but turning off appliances and electricity will overall reduce the heat coming from our planet. Even if you aren’t paying for it, still turn it off.

Consider cycling

If you are at university, you or your friends might drive a car and you might choose to drive even for a short trip. So, consider cycling to avoid causing pollution. Many cities have bike rental service, and it is easy to hire some bikes for a day. If you think that you would use a bike often, consider borrowing from your university - some universities offer students to keep a bike for months or a year and students can decide how long they want to keep it. At Bailrigg our student accommodation in Lancaster

Reduce, reuse, and recycle

This is something anyone can do to be eco-friendly without spending any money!

Here are things you can do for each of them:

· Reduce

o If you receive too much mail, register with MPS (Mailing Preference Service) to reduce the number of unwanted mail and therefore paper that you receive.

o Reduce waste, for example, by using reusable coffee cups or shopping bags.

o Think about using a doorstep delivery service that offers local, organic products that use reusable packaging.

· Reuse

o If you have bought a plastic or a paper bag from a shop, try to carry it whenever you go outside - it helps when you do unexpected shopping.

o Many students struggle with too many clothes, books, or possessions as not all rooms in student houses/accommodation have enough space for storage. If you want to get rid of your stuff, try to find people that want them instead of throwing them away. You can easily do this on social media or university group chat.

o If you cannot find people that want your stuff, you can donate them to a charity shop.

· Recycle

o Understanding what is recyclable and what is not is the most important thing - try to recycle as much as you can.

o Use or buy things that are recyclable, such as cups, containers, notebooks, pens, etc.

o Many Lancaster student accommodation have recycling bins separated from normal bins, but some accommodation may not. Try to contact your landlord or the accommodation provider to put recycling bins in.

There are many things you can start right now to be environmentally sustainable. So, start now and share your knowledge with your friends and housemates at your Lancaster student housing to save the planet!