Anca TUDOSE, Bianca TOMA, Larisa SZANTO, Theodor MAREȘ, Călin PICUȘ, Dariana BACI
What is a sustainable life?
A sustainable life is a way of living that requires reducing the amount of the Earth’s resources in order to protect the environment. Knowing the best tips on becoming more sustainable can change your student life!
Why is important to live a sustainable life?
Nowadays, we produce more than we are able to consume and this requires a big quantity of energy, thus resulting in waste. Waste can’t be transformed and reused, therefore it has no value and it hurts the planet.
The main consequences produced by an unsustainable lifestyle are:
- air, water and land pollution
- global warming
- destruction of the ozone shield
- acidification of land and water
- desertification
- destruction of the natural habitat of the animals
- deforestation
- species of animals and plants going extinct
Ways students can embrace sustainability:
There are a lot of ways of living a more sustainable life and everyone can start doing that from a young age. Here are our top tips for students on how to change to a sustainable lifestyle:
1. Use reusable alternatives
- Reusable thermoses
Students are coffee lovers! By starting to use a reusable thermos, you could prevent the use of more than 100 disposable paper cups every year, helping in stopping many of them from ending up in the environment, where they can produce a lot of damage.
- Reusable straws
Reusable straws can be used many times and they don’t affect the environment as the plastic ones. For instance, you can get them in metal, glass or bamboo and wash them with the other dishes for reusing.
- Reusable bags
Otherwise known as “bags for life”, reusable grocery bags can eliminate the need for single-use plastic bags and reduce the use of plastic. In addition, nowadays material bags are trendy, so people can be fashionable in a sustainable way!
2. Drive less
Car pollution contributes significantly to climate change and to our health issues. Students can use as alternatives bicycles or the public transport, reducing the CO2 emissions. But the best alternative will always remain walking, which helps you get in shape, protect the environment and, above all, it improves your health.
3. Go paperless
Using less paper makes sure that we use less of the earth’s resources. Here are a few ways you can use less paper:
- Electronic Documents. Don’t write it down if you can avoid it
- E-Books
- Don’t print things that you can also use on the digital form
- Use both sides when printing something
- Compost it
Being a student requires a lot of paper. But reducing the paper use is more easy, as we live in a digital era. Using your tablet, laptop, phone or any other digital measures to take notes, can help you reach your goal on becoming more sustainable.
4. Stop wasting food
Food waste is one of the biggest problems worldwide. Tons and tons of food are going to the trash each year, producing a lot of waste. As students, we should try different methods to minimize our food waste and eat responsibly, like:
• Save your leftovers for the next meal or freeze them
• Learn how to compost your food
• Buy just as much as you know you can eat
• Prepare a meal plan with all the ingredients for the following week before shopping for groceries
In conclusion, having a sustainable lifestyle is really easy and fun. These tips on becoming more sustainable are the first step in saving our planet and taking care of our future.
