Many College Students feel that they can’t make a difference while they are in college. Even though you don’t own your own home were you can create an environmentally friendly habit, there are still many ways college students can make a impact.
Simply Ways College Students Can make a Difference
By How we get Around
•Pump up your tires. Keeping your tires properly inflated will increase fuel efficiency 3.3 percent, and gain the U.S. more oil than what's projected to be in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
•Telecommute, combine trips, and shop on line. If you can work at home, do. If you don't have to drive, don't.
•Drive the speed limit. Every 5 mph you drive above 60 mph is like paying an additional $.10 a gallon for gas.
•Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps maintain a constant speed that usually will help improve fuel economy by 4-14 percent
•Avoid using cars — walk, cycle or use public transportation whenever possible.
By What we wear
•Approximately 25% of all insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides used in the world are used to grow cotton.
•It takes 1/3 lb. of pesticides and fertilizers to produce enough cotton to make just one t-shirt.
By Where we Shop and What we buy
•Take your own bags to the grocery store
•Buying food that's locally grown is one of the most influential - and beneficial - ways you can spend your money to get the world you want.
•Buying local benefits the environment buy reducing the amount of oil needed to transport food long distances. On average, most supermarket foods travel about 1,500 miles to get to your plate. Locally grown food only travels about 57 miles. Buying local eases our dependence on petroleum, helps clean up the air, and reduces the climate change that's associated with transportation.
•The typical American meal contains ingredients from five countries other than the U.S. Those food purchases do not strengthen our economy or bolster the livelihoods of our own farmers. Buying local does. A recent study by the Maine Organic Farms and Gardeners Association estimates that by encouraging Maine residents to spend just $10/week on local food, $100,000,000 would be invested back into farmer's pockets and the Maine economy each growing season. The same investment could be made in every state in the country if residents opted to buy local.
•Buying local helps save farmland. More than one million acres of farmland are lost each year in the U.S. to residential and commercial development. Supporting local farmers helps them stay on their land and thrive economically.
By How we Clean
•Speaking of washing clothes, try using a cooler cycle than what you are used to. Nine times out of ten your clothes aren't so dirty that they absolutely require the hot wash, and you'll save 30-60% of the energy consumed using the hot cycle.
•Your car doesn’t have to sparkle. Cash washes are both expensive and a waste of energy and resources.
•you can save some money, and heck - burn some extra calories - by washing the car yourself, and hold off on the hose; use a bucket and sponge to save extra 20 gallons of water consumption over using the hose.
•Use non-toxic cleaning alternatives
By How we Work Out
•Huge energy is consumed to light and air condition your gym, and power all the machines. All to allow you to pretend you're climbing stairs, riding a bike, or running in the park. Why not try actually climbing the stairs, riding a bike, or running in the park
By Recycling
•Find the closest recycling center and get a list of items they recycle, you can at least recycle your own belongings or volunteer. Either way it is a great way to network and meet people in the community.
•In this day and age of having not only a functional but fashionable cell phone, we seem to replace them more and more frequently. Of course you can donate your old phone to local charities, or give it back to the retailer for recycling, but you can also find a service like this one that will actually purchase your used cell phone from you.
•Always use reusables mugs, lunch containers, batteries, pens, razors, etc.
•Replace paper products with reusable ones (use recycled, non-chlorine bleached paper when you do have to use paper).
By Being Frugal
•Just being frugal not only saves your wallet, but helps to keep the planet green. In the age of consumption and abundance, it is easy to absolutely have to have the latest this and the most popular that. Before you put your credit card down to pay for the latest impulse gizmo though, consider your actual needs. Will this item be truly useful to you, and a positive addition to your life? Can you live without it?
•Seventeen million heated toilet seats have already been sold worldwide, and one of the manufacturers of heated toilet seats projects sales of over 400,000 a year to North Americans alone.
Sources:
http://www.wisebread.com/topic/environmentally-friendly-tips
http://www.theworldwomenwant.com/topten/topten_1.php

Posted by Krista Helder