Sustainable Living – A Good New Year’s Resolution?

It’s that time of year again – time to make optimistic resolutions for the year ahead, knowing that come February you’ll have forgotten all about your futile promises to go to the gym more or stop eating chocolate.

New Year’s resolutions are often based on self-improvement for personal gain. Yes, we all need to lose weight, stop smoking and become more focussed on our careers. But what about making a more altruistic promise – one that affects those beyond yourself?

The idea of sustainable living is gaining more and more traction in society. There is a far more widespread awareness of the environmental impact of everyday habits and activities, and an increasing number of people are trying to adapt their lifestyles to be more eco-friendly.

Despite the obvious benefits of this, making sustainable swaps isn’t always the cheapest option available, making it more difficult for students to get involved. However, there are things that you can do that cost relatively little, and in some cases could even save you money. If every student resolved that in 2018 they would make a few small changes to their daily routines in the interests of the planet, the world would be a better place.

Water and energy

As a student, any way to cut down the price of your water and energy bills will be welcome. But what if it could help reduce your carbon footprint too? Making sure to turn lights off when you leave the room and cutting down your shower time to five minutes are easy everyday changes to make.

You could also try not running the tap while you brush your teeth, or only filling the kettle up as much as you need when you’re making a cuppa. Finally, instead of whacking the heating up when you get a bit chilly – and let’s face it, all student houses are freezing – put on a few extra layers or get cosy under a blanket.

Plastic

Plastic is becoming a huge problem for the environment. It takes hundreds of years to decompose and consequently there are huge areas of the ocean which are filled with the stuff, which is disastrous for underwater wildlife.

Remembering to take a reusable water bottle with you to uni will save you money and reduce the amount of plastic you consume instead of buying a new bottle every time you get thirsty on campus. Furthermore, a lot of coffee shops will give you money off your order if you bring in a reusable cup; bamboo cups are particularly good as they limit your plastic consumption even more drastically.

Carrier bags and clingfilm are other uses of plastic which are easily avoided. Keeping a reusable shopping bag in your car or handbag will help you to remember it when doing your food shopping, and instead of clingfilm why not invest in some silicon food covers? They’re relatively cheap, will save you spending money on endless rolls of clingfilm, and can simply be washed and reused.

Food

Did you know that in the UK alone 7 million tonnes of food are thrown away from homes every year? Not only is this incredibly wasteful, but think of the money being lost on uneaten food!

As a student your finances are probably tight; chucking food in the bin isn’t the most economical of practices. Plan what you’re going to eat for the week ahead before you head to the supermarket so that you’re only buying what you need. If something comes up that means you have stuff in your fridge left over, why not cook the meal you were going to make with it anyway and then freeze it? After a long and busy day at uni, you’ll be grateful to know you have a ready prepared meal just waiting to be defrosted.

Another good way to combat food waste is to invest in a small countertop compost bin for your kitchen. This means that things like vegetable peelings, teabags and egg shells are being reused as compost, rather than contributing to landfills. You can use this yourself to grow your own plants in your garden or on your windowsill. If you’re not particularly green fingered, why not check out whether any local schools or allotments are interested in using your compost for their own gardening?

Recycling

Recycling isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, it’s probably been drummed into you since primary school. However, in 2016 the UK recycling rate fell for the first time since 2010, so there is clearly still more to be done.

Living in a student house, you may find that the bin often fills up far too much before it’s time for it to be collected, and recycling more can help to avoid this. While most councils are reluctant to grant houses an extra general waste wheelie bin, they are usually happy to provide a second recycling one free of charge. This means that, by recycling more, you’re saving yourself the hassle of a constantly overflowing bin as well as saving the planet.

Hopefully these points have proven to you that living more sustainably as a student is definitely feasible and therefore a great New Year’s resolution for 2018. Good luck!

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