labellavita7
Well-known member
Hey ladies, I wrote an article for class on going green for college students, I thought I would share with you to spread the ideas
Going green – we’ve been hearing so much about it over the past few years, but what does it really mean? Think of it this way: Earth is a living being, “Mother Nature”, and we harm it every day without even realizing it and she is crying for a solution. There are plenty of little changes we can make to remedy the problems we have created. So many people have been green all their lives; but more and more are realizing how beneficial it can be for the planet. It is a healthier lifestyle, for both you and Mother Nature. Finally, a trend that will actually do some good for our poor Earth!
Being college students, we don’t have a whole lot of disposable cash, so we settle for whatever we can get for our dollars. Going green can help save you money, as well as conserving energy and helping to save thousands of pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions. Here are some easy ways to help:
1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. The easiest way to help the environment is to do the three Rs you learned back in the first grade. Reduce the usage of electronics to save energy. Cut back on the amount of things you buy, it will result in less trash. If your take-out containers are salvageable, you can use them to take lunch to work or to store leftovers in. Rather than throwing your recyclables in the rubbish, Suffolk has placed receptacles in every building and wing of the university for your convenience, so you have no excuse not to recycle water bottles and old homework assignments!
2. Buy a power strip. The plastic strip of plugs can easily power several things at once and protect the electrical surge. You can just hit the off button to power down at the end of the night and it will save electricity.
3. Pull the plug. Unplugging your cell phone charger, hairdryer, coffee maker, or any other appliance can help you save a good amount of money on your electricity bill. According to Kiplinger Magazine, approximately 40% of total energy is used while the appliances are turned off. Unplug the things you are not using, it will save you money in the end. Who wouldn’t want that?
4. Invest in new light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs are the way to go. They may a bit more expensive than a regular bulb; however, according to Energy Star, fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy and even last 10 times longer. Since they are more fuel efficient, you can save around $30 per light bulb throughout its lifetime.
5. Turn down the heat. Everyone wants to be warm and toasty in the wintertime, but turning down the heat by a degree can save you at least 5% on your bill. You can’t tell what the temperature is when you’re sleeping, so turn it down before you get into bed. Invest in some extra blankets with the money you save and keep warm!
6. Use alternate transportation. Though it may not be everyone’s favorite way of getting around, the subway is far more efficient than everyone having driving their own cars around the city. If you do have to use a car, try and pair up with a friend or two and drive together.
7. Get a better bag! Reusable canvas bags for groceries are the best for the environment, as plastic bags are damaging to the earth. Whole Foods Market gives back 10 cents for each bag you bring to the store. If you don’t have your own, you can buy Whole Foods reusable bags at the checkout for only 99 cents. That’s a cheap price to pay to prevent more waste in the environment, and totally worth it.
8. Save a tree. Go paperless. Most major banks make your accounts accessible on the Internet, so there is no need for a paper statement each month when you can view it online. For any mailing lists that you are on, change your preferences to email rather than snail mail. If not for the trees, do it for having less junk on the kitchen table.
9. Support your local farmers. Sure, you can get produce from the supermarket, but it is better to get it from local farmers. The produce is much fresher, and it hasn’t been driven across country, guzzling hundreds of gallons of gas, just to get into your refrigerator. Check out the local vendors at Haymarket Square on Fridays and Saturdays. There is a ton of the freshest produce sold by friendly people at ridiculously cheap prices. If you can’t get to Haymarket on the weekend, look in the organic section of the supermarket. Organic produce isn’t treated with chemical pesticides, so it is much better for your body.
10. Take quicker showers. A typical shower puts out about 4 gallons of water per minute. We all love the Hollywood showers, at least 20 minutes in the warmest water. That’s 80 gallons of water wasted so we can sing into our shampoo bottles. Get in, do your thing, and get out. Save the clean water and save the energy it takes to pump it into the pipes.
11. Power down. This may be the hardest of all for us college students. Turning off our computers at night saves so much energy. If you don’t want to turn it off completely, put it on snooze, it uses 95% less electricity than it does what the computer is fully on.
12. Buy a nice travel mug. America Lives on Dunkin’. Our earth can’t live on the non-biodegradable Styrofoam cups millions of us have our coffee in every day. Invest in a good coffee mug, and have them fill your morning coffee in that rather than their cups. Prevent pollution and stay awake for your morning bio class at the same time!
Going green – we’ve been hearing so much about it over the past few years, but what does it really mean? Think of it this way: Earth is a living being, “Mother Nature”, and we harm it every day without even realizing it and she is crying for a solution. There are plenty of little changes we can make to remedy the problems we have created. So many people have been green all their lives; but more and more are realizing how beneficial it can be for the planet. It is a healthier lifestyle, for both you and Mother Nature. Finally, a trend that will actually do some good for our poor Earth!
Being college students, we don’t have a whole lot of disposable cash, so we settle for whatever we can get for our dollars. Going green can help save you money, as well as conserving energy and helping to save thousands of pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions. Here are some easy ways to help:
1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. The easiest way to help the environment is to do the three Rs you learned back in the first grade. Reduce the usage of electronics to save energy. Cut back on the amount of things you buy, it will result in less trash. If your take-out containers are salvageable, you can use them to take lunch to work or to store leftovers in. Rather than throwing your recyclables in the rubbish, Suffolk has placed receptacles in every building and wing of the university for your convenience, so you have no excuse not to recycle water bottles and old homework assignments!
2. Buy a power strip. The plastic strip of plugs can easily power several things at once and protect the electrical surge. You can just hit the off button to power down at the end of the night and it will save electricity.
3. Pull the plug. Unplugging your cell phone charger, hairdryer, coffee maker, or any other appliance can help you save a good amount of money on your electricity bill. According to Kiplinger Magazine, approximately 40% of total energy is used while the appliances are turned off. Unplug the things you are not using, it will save you money in the end. Who wouldn’t want that?
4. Invest in new light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs are the way to go. They may a bit more expensive than a regular bulb; however, according to Energy Star, fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy and even last 10 times longer. Since they are more fuel efficient, you can save around $30 per light bulb throughout its lifetime.
5. Turn down the heat. Everyone wants to be warm and toasty in the wintertime, but turning down the heat by a degree can save you at least 5% on your bill. You can’t tell what the temperature is when you’re sleeping, so turn it down before you get into bed. Invest in some extra blankets with the money you save and keep warm!
6. Use alternate transportation. Though it may not be everyone’s favorite way of getting around, the subway is far more efficient than everyone having driving their own cars around the city. If you do have to use a car, try and pair up with a friend or two and drive together.
7. Get a better bag! Reusable canvas bags for groceries are the best for the environment, as plastic bags are damaging to the earth. Whole Foods Market gives back 10 cents for each bag you bring to the store. If you don’t have your own, you can buy Whole Foods reusable bags at the checkout for only 99 cents. That’s a cheap price to pay to prevent more waste in the environment, and totally worth it.
8. Save a tree. Go paperless. Most major banks make your accounts accessible on the Internet, so there is no need for a paper statement each month when you can view it online. For any mailing lists that you are on, change your preferences to email rather than snail mail. If not for the trees, do it for having less junk on the kitchen table.
9. Support your local farmers. Sure, you can get produce from the supermarket, but it is better to get it from local farmers. The produce is much fresher, and it hasn’t been driven across country, guzzling hundreds of gallons of gas, just to get into your refrigerator. Check out the local vendors at Haymarket Square on Fridays and Saturdays. There is a ton of the freshest produce sold by friendly people at ridiculously cheap prices. If you can’t get to Haymarket on the weekend, look in the organic section of the supermarket. Organic produce isn’t treated with chemical pesticides, so it is much better for your body.
10. Take quicker showers. A typical shower puts out about 4 gallons of water per minute. We all love the Hollywood showers, at least 20 minutes in the warmest water. That’s 80 gallons of water wasted so we can sing into our shampoo bottles. Get in, do your thing, and get out. Save the clean water and save the energy it takes to pump it into the pipes.
11. Power down. This may be the hardest of all for us college students. Turning off our computers at night saves so much energy. If you don’t want to turn it off completely, put it on snooze, it uses 95% less electricity than it does what the computer is fully on.
12. Buy a nice travel mug. America Lives on Dunkin’. Our earth can’t live on the non-biodegradable Styrofoam cups millions of us have our coffee in every day. Invest in a good coffee mug, and have them fill your morning coffee in that rather than their cups. Prevent pollution and stay awake for your morning bio class at the same time!
