Wool dryer balls, washable kitchen towels, and repurposed peanut butter and pickle jars are some of the sustainable swaps I made in college and still use today. (Image: Taylor Helterman)
When I set out to become an environmental journalist, I took a class that made me think about how to practice sustainable living in my daily life. But from what I've seen on social media, living more sustainably seems to be quite expensive. And like many college students in the United States, I was on a tight budget. Adding the latest trendy, eco-friendly products to the delicate balance between bills and necessities was never an option.
Fortunately, over time, I learned that making sustainable changes to my lifestyle doesn't have to involve buying new things or following trends, and it also saves me money. In preparation for the 2024 Sustainable Living Challenge, I am reflecting on the simple things that had a huge impact on me during my school days.
Conscious second-hand shopping
One of my earliest memories from my college days is scavenging through a week's worth of trash for a class assignment. The goal was to categorize it and determine how to reduce waste from the results. This exercise may be known as a waste audit.
That's when I realized that so much of the food I bought was going to waste. He lived in a house 30 minutes away from the supermarket by car, and he shared the groceries with three of us, so I stocked up on them out of habit. So, I tried shopping consciously. There are many definitions of this behavior, but I defined it by thinking a little bit about the environmental and social impact of my purchases, and asking myself before I buy whether I'll really use it.
I started by buying ingredients in small quantities and going to smaller grocery stores more often. Seeing the reduction in food waste has inspired me to consider all my purchases this way. When it came time to furnish my new apartment, I took some time to consider what new furniture I really needed and waited for the right furniture to appear at thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace. This way I don't impulsively buy trendy decorative items that quickly become “outdated” or buy furniture I won't use just to fill up space in a room.
sustainable exchange and reuse
A new focus on reducing waste has led us to find reusable alternatives to household items like paper towels and dryer sheets. Admittedly, the initial cost of washable towels is more expensive than a roll of paper towels. But even if you reuse washable towels for years, the initial cost pales in comparison to the amount you'll spend on disposable paper towels over that time.
I used leftover disposable items like dryer sheets and disinfectant wipes, then replaced them with reusable options like wool dryer balls and concentrated cleaning products that can be mixed with water in refillable bottles. . We also looked for ways to reuse things that would otherwise be thrown away. Glass peanut butter and pickle jars are great containers for storing leftovers.
Share with friends or roommates
I didn't have much free time between work and school, so grocery shopping and cooking became a way to spend quality time with friends and roommates. This also makes it easier to buy and portion ingredients in bulk, which reduces packaging waste and costs less than portioning.
Making cooking a fun social activity often prevented me from ordering takeout that arrived in foam containers or plastic bags. And instead of having to buy more to-go containers for lunch, they could take leftovers to school.
Even when we didn't cook together, we often took leftover food to each other's houses when we accidentally made too much or when we were going away for a few days and didn't want to waste it.
The main example I will share is food, but there are many others that can be shared. For example, when I didn't have some weird specialized tool that I needed to fix something, my friend who is studying engineering would usually help me avoid buying something I might never use again. They were happy to help.
take care of my belongings
The most valuable lesson I learned in my pursuit of sustainable living on a budget was to take better care of my belongings to keep them out of the trash and avoid replacing them. .
We learned how to restore dirty, sometimes smelly sneakers to like-new condition with a gentle wash. I asked my mother to teach me basic sewing techniques to sew small holes in her clothes. I found a tailor to make alterations that I couldn't do myself. I started doing regular maintenance on my car, such as changing the oil, and started sharpening my knives. I was frequently updating, restarting, and deleting unnecessary files and apps from my laptop. To be honest, I've been slacking off since college, but I've noticed a difference in my performance.
At first, it felt like extra work that I didn't have time for, but most of the tasks were easier and took less time than I expected. And the rewards of keeping your job working well for longer are always worth it.
Use less energy
One of my biggest fears while attending college in Michigan was getting my winter utility bill. The average temperature in my college town for January is a high of 29 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 13 degrees Fahrenheit. Turning on the heat in the winter typically doubled your utility bill because you used more energy.
It seems counterintuitive, but it turns out that keeping the temperature in your apartment lower slows the loss of heat to the outside world than if you set your thermostat to a higher temperature. This small change saved me energy and lowered my monthly bill. Luckily, I grew up in a town a few hours north, so I kept my space a few degrees colder and didn't mind wearing sweaters inside the house.
We also used the heat from the sun by opening the blinds and from cooking in the oven. In the summer, I did the opposite. By avoiding the oven, keeping the blinds closed, and keeping the thermostat at a higher temperature, we were able to keep the space cool while reducing energy usage.
have fun at home
My focus on saving money as a student didn't stop me from having fun. My friends and I played board games in one of our apartments (many of them purchased at thrift stores) and played instruments together (some of us were in the college marching band). ), spent countless nights there.
Staying at home was a habit formed primarily by budget constraints, but years later, even after I had more money, staying at home remained one of my favorite ways to spend my free time. continued to be. Our choice to enjoy what we already have also happened to be a sustainable choice. If you're working hard to make your space more sustainable, why not take the opportunity to invite friends and family over for a night and enjoy our efforts? Maybe you don't like playing an instrument, but you probably stock your home with things you can enjoy instead.
