World Environment Day was on the 5th June 2019! Living on the 438 acres of the beautiful green and biodiverse campus that Loughborough is, I thought I’d gather some tips on how to be a sustainable student.

I think being sustainable and a student go hand in hand. Reusing products and saving money work really well together. Don’t believe me? Well here are my top 7 tips for being a sustainable student!

Recycle!

At Loughborough the halls of residence have so much recycling that I was blown away when I arrived! Splitting glass from general to food and paper, the Uni is helpful in reducing waste of all different types. It also encourages the same behaviour when you move into a house second and third year!

Not littering is key to being sustainable as it stops litter entering the sewage system and being eaten up by animals, destroying the natural environment!

Turn the lights and water off!

You’ll be surprised at how quickly the electricity and water bills can run up, so this will save you money when bills aren’t included in your rent as well as reducing emissions.

Each year Loughborough hosts a campus blackout to reduce energy usage, getting students into the habit of saving energy! Being a sports Uni, Loughborough even encourages students to get competitive with sustainability.

Starting Loughborough Green League in 2006, the Uni encourages recycling, reducing energy usage and being proactive within the halls of residence.

More information is available here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/sustainability/awareness/sel/

Buy a bag for life.

Those 5 and 10ps do add up in the long haul! Not only are you stopping using unnecessary plastic, but the bag will come in handy when packing up at the end of the year as well as the weekly grocery shop! You can get ones which are made of recycled material from most supermarkets!

This can spread to buying other long-lasting products as you save money in the long run as well as lasting longer and being more cost efficient. Such as a bamboo toothbrush or a reusable bottle! This helps save a bit of money as well as being better for the environment than using unnecessary plastics and packaging.

Go Veggie for a day of the week.

The impacts of the meat industry can be very harsh on the environment. For example, 1 pound of beef requires 1,799 gallons of water to make! Not only does reducing your meat consumption have health benefits but the cost of a veggie diet is very cheap! Quorn can be frozen and eaten up at any point during the semester making an easy alternative with no worries about food poisoning, which is very calming when you are a student with a lack of culinary skills like me!

Even in the catered halls, the veggie options are tasty and cheap where you can visit one off or every day!

Another tip is to reduce the transport you take as an individual!

The Uni encourages cycling and has many bike sheds dotted around campus and halls. If you do bring up your car, carpool sharing the petrol cost or get a Sprint bus which run free around campus all day! I find that walking from east park to the library, from halls to town to be both calming and enjoyable! Not to mention completely free.

Loughborough is such a green campus and one of the largest single-site campuses in the country and has more than 7,500 trees on campus, that doesn’t even include the two ancient woodland areas!

For more info on our beautiful campus visit here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/sustainability/biodiversity/

When doing your grocery shop, you can watch out for free of packaging in the supermarkets.

This reduces plastics as well as being cheaper for a student who doesn’t use up all of the huge portions that many supermarkets sell.

Lastly, supporting campaigns as a student is key to being green!

Any campaigns from companies which help to clean oceans to choosing to buy from sustainable brands which don’t animal test or increase air miles. Even keeping in mind that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions can help to change the way that we shop and live. Participating in the campaigns on campus as well as in society such as this year’s World Environment Day challenge to wear a mask to #BeatAirPollution.

For more info, visit the site: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/world-environment-day-mask-challenge

Be green and be efficient money wise and environmentally!

From Caroline x