Becoming more environmentally friendly as a student

A good habit to have is to be more conscious about your carbon footprint on the earth. It might seem hard to know where to even start. And we won’t solve the world's environmental problems on our own. If we all make some small changes in your daily lives, it will have a significant impact. Here are some things you can do as a student. Remember, every effort counts.

Switch to bars

One shampoo bar is equal to three bottles of shampoo. Using a shampoo bar is a very easy way to reduce your plastic use. One bar usually lasts up to 80 washes. Next to shampoo, there are also conditioners, body wash, and even bars for shaving. If you are worried about certain needs for your hair, shampoo bars come in all kinds of variations and purposes, such as more volume or against dandruff. A good place to get a hold of these bars is, for instance, Lush. Important: first use up what you already own, if you don’t you go a step backwards in being sustainable.

Food for thought

In many ways, your choices in food can help relieve your footprint on the environment. For instance, eating less meat. Not eating red meat, even if it is just for 2 to 3 days a week, can have a significant impact. Next to that is not wasting food. In the Netherlands, all of the households together waste about 590 million kilos of food each year. This results in extra amounts of C02 being created in the landfills. So be cautious in what you buy and what you eventually throw away.

Buy less, choose well

In today's society, it is easy to be lured into buying all kinds of products that you don’t actually need. Clothes are a big part of this. Changing your mindset about buying clothes can be great for the environment as well as your wallet. Try buying second hand for instance. A lot of joy can be found in finding the perfect pair of jeans for only 5 euros. In breda there are many secondhand shops to be found such as, Vindingrijk, and Goedkoop & zo. Another thing to consider is that cheap clothes wear off more quickly. Spending a little bit more money on good quality basics for your closet can save you money in the long run. Another thing that is going to save you money is making a list and sticking to it. Come up with things that you need, and you know you are going to use. Making this list makes it less likely to impulse buy items when you go shopping. We own so much stuff that we in hindsight didn’t need at all.

Being more environmentally conscious isn’t only good for the world but also for your wallet (which is exactly what we want to hear as students). So, consider these tips and try to incorporate them into your daily life. You’ll see that it is not that much change after all.